Autism Intervention Research Programs of the Maternal and Child Health Bureau.

Over the past 2 decades, autism has emerged as a major public health concern in the United States.1 Since 1995, the US Department of Health and Human Services has sharpened its focus on autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) through development of new initiatives that are aimed at increasing our understanding of autism, its causes, and potential treatments.2 However, families and young children with ASD and other related developmental disabilities continue to face many challenges in health care and educational service system access, ensuring optimal development through early intervention, a successful transition into adulthood, and fostering family well-being and positive family functioning in diverse racial and ethnic populations. To furtheraddressautismasa critical andgrowingpublichealth concern, Congress enacted the Combating Autism Act of 20063 in December 2006, which authorized programs to combat autism through research, screening, intervention, and education. As stated in this legislation, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall “establish and evaluate activities to: (1) provide information and education on autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities to increase public awareness of developmental milestones; (2) promote research into the development and validation of reliable screening tools for autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities and disseminate information regarding those screening tools; (3) promote early screening of individuals at higher risk for autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities as early as practicable, given evidence-based screening techniques and interventions; (4) increase the number of individuals who are able to confirm or rule out a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities; (5) increase the number of individuals able to provide evidencebased interventions for individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder or other developmental disabilities; and