Federal Autism Activities Funding for Research Has Increased, but Agencies Need to Resolve Surveillance Challenges

July 2006 Federal Autism Activities Funding for Research Has Increased, but Agencies Need to Resolve Surveillance Challenges The National Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have undertaken a range of autism activities, and the agencies reported that funding of autism activities has increased. CDC officials believe that a 2003 change in the U.S. Department of Educations (Education) interpretation of relevant federal privacy law has hindered CDCs ability to use this methodology to determine the prevalence of autism. Education stated that the law does not allow CDC to access these records without written parental consent . . .