The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) is a United States federal advisory panel within the

Department of Health and Human Services The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the U.S. federal government created to protect the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is ...

(HHS). It coordinates all efforts within HHS concerning

autism spectrum disorder The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

(ASD). The IACC was established in 2000, and was reauthorized and chartered as a federal advisory committee since 2006. It is subject to periodic reauthorization.

Mission

The IACC's primary objective is to monitor autism research and associated services and support activities throughout all federal departments and agencies, ensuring that efforts are not duplicative and that they benefit from cross-collaborative opportunities. The IACC advises the Secretary of HHS in advances of ASD research. Specific research includes causes, prevention, treatment, early screening, diagnosis guidelines, interventions, and access to support for individuals with autism. Additional functions of the IACC are to increase public understanding of member agencies' activities and research, and to act as a public forum to discuss autism spectrum disorder-related matters. An annual update summarizing advances is submitted to Congress and the President. The annual update has been published online every year since 2007. The IACC report of 2016 activities was released in April 2017.

GAO recommendations

The IACC Strategic Plan is released periodically, with the newest update since 2013 expected in the fall of 2017. A November 2013 study of federal autism activities by the U.S. General Accounting Office found that better data and more coordination was needed, with specific recommendations for IACC, including annual updates of the IACC strategic plan. Samantha Crane, an IACC board member, confirmed that none of the eight objectives that the IACC identified for research on autistic adult issues were fulfilled in 2013. In 2017, the GAO noted that the IACC has not collaborated with agencies outside the Department of Health and Human Services to support research for transition-age youth with ASD. They stated "As a result, IACC may continue to miss opportunities to leverage the knowledge of other agencies."

Membership and administration

The Committee includes both federal and public members. Federal officials are selected from government agencies that work on autism related issues. Public members include advocates, community providers, and researchers. There are 31 IACC members, three of whom are autistic. IACC activities and associated cross-agency programs, policies and research are coordinated and managed by the Office of Autism Research Coordination (OARC). Jonathan Mitchell, an autistic advocate, has criticized the IACC's nomination process by claiming that it is too biased towards

neurodiversity Neurodiversity refers to diversity in the human brain and cognition, for instance in sociability, learning, attention, mood and other mental functions. It was coined in 1998 by sociologist Judy Singer, who helped popularize the concept ...

. He points out that seven pro-neurodiversity, anti-cure autistics were appointed. Two anti-neurodiversity pro-cure autistics were nominated but turned down. Jonathan Rose, a history professor at

Drew University Drew University is a private university in Madison, New Jersey. Drew has been nicknamed the "University in the Forest" because of its wooded campus. As of fall 2020, more than 2,200 students were pursuing degrees at the university's three sch ...

, agreed with his commentary that neurodiversity viewpoints are over-represented at the IACC.

Member agencies

IACC member agencies within HHS are: * Administration for Community Living * Agency for Healthcare Resources and Quality (AHRQ) * Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) *

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency, under the Department of Health and Human Services, and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgi ...

(CDC) *

Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respon ...

(FDA) * Health Resources and Services Administration *

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...

(NIH) Member agencies external to HHS are the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. Department of Education.

References

External links