IACC Fails to Meet for 15 months
The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, also known as IACC, has long been tasked with organizing the federal government’s response to the autism crisis. The committee, made up of federal officials and members of the autism community, is now under scrutiny for failing to assemble since July 2019. Additionally, IACC has no future meeting date on the horizon.
The Sluggish Pace of Autism Response by the Feds
On August 11, the Office of Autism Research Coordination (OARC) of the National Institute of Mental Health announced the release of its 2018-2019 Update to the IACC Strategic Plan For Autism Spectrum Disorder. The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, or IACC, is the primary advisory body designated by Congress to address activities related to autism by the Federal Government. It was reauthorized and funded under the Autism CARES Act passed in 2019 and is charged with drafting and updating the autism strategic plan each year.
SafeMinds Executive Director Asks IACC to Establish Four Workgroups to Inform Its Strategic Plan
SafeMinds Executive Director Lisa Wiederlight testified in front of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) in January to ask its members to immediately establish the four work groups SafeMinds recommended at the November 16, 2015 meeting.
SafeMinds Board Member Albert Enayati Testifies at IACC Meeting
Albert Enayati, co-founder and board member of SafeMinds, testified in front of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) at its January 2016 meeting, to support SafeMinds’ recommendation of forming a workgroup on co-occurring conditions with autism. He stressed that there “is an urgent need for a workgroup to follow promising treatment leads, shepherd existing treatments […]
SafeMinds Executive Director Lisa Wiederlight’s Testimony at January 2016 IACC Meeting
My name is Lisa Wiederlight. I am the mother of a 15 year old son with autism, and executive director of SafeMinds, a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to end the autism epidemic by promoting environmental research and effective treatments. In November, I asked this Committee to form four workgroups to address the urgency […]
SafeMinds Recommends Four Work Groups to IACC at Recent Meeting
By Lisa Wiederlight, SafeMinds executive director I had never been to a meeting of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) in person because I had always found the discussions and presentations I saw while watching online to be very “ivory tower.” That is, I didn’t think that what was being discussed would, in any […]
SafeMinds Leadership to Present Diverse Autism Collaboration and Research Recommendations at November 17th IACC Meeting
SafeMinds new executive director Lisa Wiederlight and SafeMinds board member Albert Enayati will present oral testimony before the federal government’s Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC). IACC meetings are open to the public and include presentations and discussions on a variety of topics, including activities and projects of the IACC, recent advances in science and autism policy […]
What Parents Should Understand About the Autism CARES Act
By Katie Weisman, Chair of the SafeMinds Government Affairs Committee September 30th. Today was the day by which I really hoped to pass some meaningful legislation for my boys and all their friends with autism. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Back in early spring, I dusted off my advocacy boots and got involved setting up the […]
TAKE ACTION: Let the IACC and AAP know how sick your child with autism is/was and about their unmet medical needs.
SafeMinds believes that the lack of appropriate medical treatment for individuals with autism is a violation of basic human rights. Together we can improve the lives of children with autism now, but we need your help. The IACC (NIH’s Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee) added the existence of co-occurring conditions associated with autism in the strategic […]
