New blueprint will guide autism research

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New blueprint will guide autism research

http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2009/03/23/hlsb0324.htm

The collaborative plan emphasizes searching for causes and helping families find

resources.

By J. Landers, AMNews staff. Posted March 24.

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Washington The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, an advisory panel of

federal officials and public members, released a plan March 5 to guide research

on possible causes of the developmental disorder. The research also is directed

toward establishing services and supports for individuals with autism and for

their families.

The IACC was established by the Combating Autism Act of 2006, which required the

committee to develop and annually update a research plan.

The disorder was recently in the news when a special vaccine court rejected the

theory that the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine combined with the

preservative thimerosal triggered autism.

The disorder's causes remain unknown even as it becomes more common. Incidences

of autism spectrum disorders have increased more than tenfold in two decades,

according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Whether this jump

is due to better identification, a broader definition or more actual cases

remains unclear.

" This plan will fill the gaps between what we know about autism and what we need

to do to help affected families and communities, " said Insel, MD, chair

of the IACC and director of the National Institute of Mental Health. " This

document marks a significant achievement in that it is the product of a truly

collaborative effort. "

The plan was welcomed by the Autism Society of America, an advocacy group based

in land. The society's president and CEO Lee Grossman serves on the IACC and

aided in the document's development. In a statement, the group called the plan a

" comprehensive strategy to look at all areas of research on autism. "

The blueprint is organized around six research questions and goals. One goal is

to identify, by age 2, children with or at risk for autism spectrum disorders

and connect them with appropriate treatment.

Although a diagnosis can be reliably made by age 3, signs of abnormal

development often are seen earlier. For children at high risk because of family

history, many cases can be detected by 12 months, according to the document, and

early intervention can have a critical influence on the course of the disorder.

In addition, the document poses questions about the possible biological basis of

the disorder and the need to craft targeted and personalized interventions,

while stressing the need to help families who must navigate complex service

systems.

The American Medical Association has long-standing policy pledging to work to

educate physicians in the identification of children with disorders such as

autism and to help families obtain the appropriate early services.