Autism

Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) training programs

LEND programs provide interdisciplinary training to enhance the clinical expertise and leadership skills of professionals dedicated to caring for children with neurodevelopmental and other related disabilities, including autism. Funded through the Autism CARES Act, 52 LEND programs:

• Increase awareness of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs);
• Reduce barriers to screening and diagnosis;
• Promote the use of evidence-based interventions for individuals with ASDs and other developmental disabilities; and
• Train professionals to use valid screening tools to both diagnose and rule out ASDs and other developmental disabilities.

Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics (DBP) Training Program

The DBP program trains the next generation of leaders in developmental-behavioral pediatrics in order to enhance behavioral, psychosocial, and developmental aspects of pediatric care.

The program focuses on:

• Supporting fellows in developmental-behavioral pediatrics by preparing them for leadership roles as teachers, investigators, and clinicians advancing the field of developmental-behavioral pediatrics; and
• Providing pediatric practitioners, residents, and medical students with essential biopsychosocial knowledge and clinical expertise.

The Autism CARES Act National Interdisciplinary Training Resource Center 

This Resource Center seeks to improve the health of infants, children, and adolescents who have, or are at risk for developing, ASDs and other developmental disabilities. The Center is currently housed at the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) under the name Interdisciplinary Technical Assistance Training Resource Center, or ITAC.

Through technical assistance to interdisciplinary training programs (i.e., the LEND and DBP programs), ITAC helps programs better train professionals working with children with ASD and other developmental disabilities.

State Implementation Grants (SIGs)

SIGs aim to improve access to care through referrals, timely diagnosis and feedback, and entry into quality, coordinated care across systems for children with ASD/DD. Get more information about SIGs' activities.

State Public Health Coordinating Center  

The Center coordinates with the State Implementation Grants to develop and implement a strategy for defining, supporting, and monitoring the role of state public health systems in assuring that children and youth with autism receive early and timely identification, diagnosis, and intervention.

State Planning Grants (SPGs)

SPGs help states with planning and implementation activities designed to improve state systems of care and access to care for children with ASD/DD.  Get more information about SPGs' activities.

Autism Intervention Research Program

The Program supports interdisciplinary research to advance the evidence base on the effectiveness of interventions to improve the health and well-being of children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder/Developmental Disabilities (ASD/DD) and to advance best practices for early identification. 

Autism Research Networks

The research network infrastructure supports the creation of interdisciplinary, multi-center research and provides opportunities for scientific collaboration. Research networks focus on research around interventions, improvement of care and services, guideline development and information dissemination.

Autism Intervention Research Network on Physical Health (AIR-P Network) 

Provides national leadership on interdisciplinary intervention research to improve the physical health and well-being of children and adolescents with ASD/DD. 

Awardee: Massachusetts General Hospital

Autism Intervention Research Network on Behavioral Health (AIR-B Network) 

Provides national leadership on interdisciplinary intervention research to improve the behavioral health and well-being of children and adolescents with ASD/DD. 

Awardee: The University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA)

Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics Research Network (DBPNet) 

Promotes interdisciplinary research in developmental and behavioral pediatrics to advance clinical practice, and to improve the health and functional status of children with ASD/DD. 

Awardee: Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Healthy Weight Research Network for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Developmental Disabilities (HWRN-ASD/DD) 

HWRN increases the understanding of factors contributing to the possible increased risk of overweight and obesity among children with ASD/DD. 

Awardee: University of Massachusetts Medical School

MCH Health Care Transitions Research Network (HCT-RN) for Youth and Young Adults with Autism Spectrum  

HCT-RN supports research designed to improve health care transitions and promote an optimal transition to adulthood among youth and young adults with ASD. 

Awardee: University of California, Los Angeles

Autism Field-Initiated Innovative Research Studies Program (Autism-FIRST)  

The Autism-FIRST program supports research that advances the evidence base on interventions designed to improve the health and well-being of children and adolescents with ASD/DD, with a particular focus on addressing barriers to identification, diagnosis, and services among underserved populations. 

Autism Secondary Data Analysis Research (Autism-SDAR) Program  

The Autism SDAR program advances the health and wellbeing of children and adolescents with ASD through applied and translational research on the effectiveness of interventions, or of inequalities in access to screening, diagnosis, and treatment of ASD using secondary analysis of national datasets and/or administrative records. 

Autism Single Investigator Innovation Program (Autism-SIIP)

The Autism SIIP program supports focused research on priority or emerging ASD research areas, and research topics with limited research. Current SIIP funding opportunities include:

• Autism Longitudinal Data Project- supports the implementation of research studies that examine longitudinal data on ASD/DD to examine risk factors for these conditions, the effects of various interventions, and trajectories of child development over the life course.
• Autism Transitions Research Project- supports the of programmatic research studies that examine factors associated with healthy life transitions among adolescents and young adults with ASD who are transitioning to adulthood.