$1.8 Billion Awarded to the Continuation of Autism Research

By Brooke Allen
September 4, 2019

On Sept. 30, 2019, President Donald Trump signed the Autism CARES Act of 2019 into law, awarding $1.8 billion in funding towards the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Health Resources and Services Administration, and the National Institutes of Health.

According to the Autism Society, since the act was first enacted in 2006, it has “helped expand the number of health professionals trained to screen, diagnose (or rule out) autism and other developmental disabilities, and to develop evidence-based interventions.” This law also aided the CDC with resources to further advance autism research.

In 2006, President George W. Bush first signed this bill into law, which was originally named the Combating Autism Act. In 2011, it was reauthorized by President Barack Obama, and in 2014, Obama once again reauthorized the act and gave it a new name – Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education, and Support (CARES).

The CDC currently states that about 1 in 59 children have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). With the “economic burden” that ASD puts on families, continual funding provides support to all affected by the disorder. “In 2005, the average annual medical costs for Medicaid-enrolled children with ASD were $10,709 per child, which was about six times higher than costs for children without ASD ($1,812),” the CDC states. “In addition to medical costs, intensive behavioral interventions for children with ASD cost $40,000 to $60,000 per child per year.”

According to the CDC, 1 in 6 children in the United States were diagnosed with a developmental disability in 2006-2008. “The Autism CARES Act ensures support for research, services, prevalence tracking, and other government activities,” the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee states. “The new legislation increases the annual budget on autism efforts to $369.7 million through 2024.”