U S Government Accountability Office

Combating Autism Act U S Government Accountability Office

" CDC considers autism to be an important public health concern. In 2012, CDC reported that an estimated 1 in 88 children in the United States has been identified as having autism-a 23 percent increase from its estimate of 1 in 110 reported in 2009. Autism is a developmental disorder involving communication and social impairment. Symptoms usually become evident in early childhood. There are many suspected causes and no known cure. HHS agencies fund educational and support services for individuals diagnosed with autism and fund research in a variety of areas, such as identifying the causes of autism and intervention options. The CAA amended sections of the Children's Health Act of 2000 related to autism and established new requirements. The CAA, enacted in December 2006, authorized the expansion of HHS's activities related to autism research, surveillance, prevention, intervention, and education through fiscal year 2011. The CAA authorized, but did not appropriate, federal funding to carry out these activities. In this report, GAO (1) describes the actions that HHS agencies have taken as a result of the CAA, and (2) examines the oversight of CAA grantees. To address these objectives, GAO reviewed CAA and HHS documents and interviewed agency officials to identify the autism activities resulting from the CAA. GAO also determined the amount certain HHS agencies spent on autism activities"