Combating Autism Act Initiative

1
Combating Autism Act Initiative

• Building Partnerships for Effective Change
• National Early Childhood Meeting
• December 9, 2009
• Bonnie Strickland, Ph.D.
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• Health Resources and Services Administration
• Maternal and Child Health Bureau

2
Combating Autism Act History

• S. 843 introduced April 19, 2005 by Sens.
  Santorum (R-PA) and Dodd (D-CT)
• H.R. 2421 introduced in House by Mary Bono (R-CA)
  May 18, 2005
• Passed Senate Aug. 3 then again Dec. 7, 2006
• Passed House Dec. 6, 2006
• Signed into law PL 109-416 Dec. 19, 2006
• Amends PHS Act to combat autism through
  research, screening, intervention education

3
Combating Autism Act of 2006

• The Combating Autism Act of 2006 authorizes
  programs to combat autism through research,
  screening, intervention and education.

4
Combating Autism Act Initiative

• The goal of the Combating Autism Act Initiative
  (CAAI) is to enable all infants, children, and
  adolescents who have, or are at risk for
  developing, autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and
  other developmental disabilities to reach their
  full potential.

5
Combating Autism Act Initiative

• CAAI will achieve this goal by developing a
  system of services that includes screening
  children early for possible ASD and other DD
  conducting early, interdisciplinary, evaluations
  to confirm or rule out ASD and other DD and, if
  a diagnosis is confirmed, providing
  evidence-based, early interventions.

6
Core Systems Outcomes

• Facilitate the development of systems of services
  through
• Partnerships with families and consumers,
• Access to care through the medical home,
• Adequate financing,
• Early and continuous screening,
• Organization of services for easy use,
• Transition to adult health care, work, and
  independence.

7
Combating Autism Act Initiative

• 114.5 million for NIH research into causes,
  diagnosis, early detection, intervention and
  treatment
• 16.5 million for CDCs Disabilities Surveillance
  and Research Program
• 37 million for HRSA to increase awareness,
  promote evidence based interventions, reduce
  barriers to screening diagnosis, and train
  professionals to diagnose and provide evidence
  based interventions

8
Combating Autism Act Initiative

• Under this authority, HRSA/MCHB has developed the
  Combating Autism Act Initiative (CAAI), a 37
  million initiative to address ASD and other
  developmental disabilities by
• Increasing awareness
• Reducing barriers to screening and diagnosis
• Supporting research on evidence-based
  interventions for children and adolescents with
  ASD or other developmental disabilities
• Promoting evidence-based guideline development
  for interventions and
• Training professionals to utilize valid screening
  tools to diagnose and to provide evidence base
  interventions.

9
Combating Autism Act Initiative

• Funding Summary
• 34 Million Available for Project Funding
• ________________________________________
• 20 Million LEND/Developmental Behavioral
• Pediatrics (DBP) Training
• 6 Million New LEND and LEND Expansions
• 6 Million Autism Research Networks
• 2Million Info/Education/Tool Dissemination
• (State Demonstration,
  Evaluation)

10
Combating Autism Act Initiative

• Under the CAAI, the Maternal and Child Health
  Bureau is initiating programs in four areas
• Combating Autism Training Programs
• Autism Intervention Research Network Program
• Combating Autism State Demonstration and Policy
  Programs and
• Combating Autism National Evaluation.

11
Combating Autism Training Program

• Expansions of 18 existing Leadership Education in
  Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) training
  programs
• Four new LEND programs
• Expansions to Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics
  training programs and
• A National Combating Autism Interdisciplinary
  Training Resource Center cooperative agreement.

12
Combating Autism Training Programs
13
Combating Autism Training Programs
14
Combating Autism Developmental Behavioral
Pediatrics Training Grants
15
Combating Autism Training Programs

• The Association of University Centers on
  Disabilities (AUCD) in Silver Spring, Md., will
  receive a grant for the National
  Interdisciplinary Training Resource Center.
  Through this grant AUCD will
• provide technical assistance
• build and sustain partnerships with service
  systems already serving children with ASD and
  other DD
• translate research into evidence-based practice
  and
• utilize existing and develop new data systems to
  capture and report project outcomes.

16
Autism Intervention Research (AIR) Networks
Program

• The purpose of the AIR Networks is to establish
  and maintain a network infrastructure, designed
  to be a platform from which to conduct research
  on evidence based practice for interventions to
  improve the health of children and adolescents
  with ASD and other DD.

17
Autism Intervention Research Networks Program

• The AIR Networks will
• Conduct research on evidence based practices
• Develop evidenced based guidelines and validate
  tools for interventions to improve health and
• Disseminate information on research, guidelines,
  and tools to health professionals and the public,
  especially families impacted by ASD and other DD.

18
Autism Intervention Research Networks Program

• The general Hospital Corporation of Boston will
  receive an award of 4 million to conduct
  research on interventions to improve the physical
  health and well-being of children and adolescents
  with ASD and other developmental disabilities.
• The Regents of the University of California at
  Los Angeles will receive 2 million to conduct
  research on the behavioral, mental, social,
  and/or cognitive health and well-being of
  children and adolescents with ASD and other
  developmental disabilities.

19
Combating Autism State Demonstration and Policy
Programs

• State Autism Demonstration grants will implement
  State autism plans and develop models for how to
  develop systems of services for children with ASD
  and other developmental disabilities.
• A State Public Health Coordinating Center will
  coordinate with the State Autism Demonstration
  grants and will develop and implement a strategy
  for defining, supporting, and monitoring the role
  of State public health agencies in assuring that
  children and youth with ASD receive early and
  appropriate identification, diagnosis, and
  intervention.

20
Combating Autism State Demonstration and Policy
Programs
21
Combating Autism State Demonstration and Policy
Programs

• The State Association of Maternal and Child
  Health Programs (AMCHP) will receive a 250,000
  award to develop the State Public Health
  Coordinating Center for Autism.

22
Combating Autism National Evaluation

• Information from this evaluation study will
  contribute to the HHS Secretarys Report to
  Congress on progress related to ASD and other
  developmental disabilities as required by the
  Combating Autism Act of 2006.

23
Partnerships

• A working group has been established with CDC to
  look at areas of collaboration and cooperation
  between HRSA and CDC on autism related
  activities, some examples are
• Collaborate on Act Early Regional Summits
• Joint site visits for States with HRSA/CDC
  grants
• Investigate using HRSA State infrastructure to
  drill down to the State and local levels for
  public information campaigns

24
Partnerships (contd)

• Work together to improve knowledge of
  physician-in-training and other health care
  provider knowledge of child development and early
  warning signs of autism through work with
  Developmental-Behavioral Fellowship grantees
• Work together on evaluation components for both
  agencys activities and
• Create a map of overlap for activities related to
  autism activities for both agencies.

25
(No Transcript)
26
Combating Autism Act Initiative

• Bonnie Strickland, Ph.D.
• Director, Division of Services for Children with
  Special Health Care Needs
• Maternal and Child Health Bureau
• Health Resources and Services Administration
• 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 18-31
• Rockville, MD 20857
• Telephone [phone]
• Email bstrickland_at_hrsa.gov