From 1 in 500 to 1 in 2,500 Americans suffer from autism,^1,2 a brain disorder that begins in early childhood and impairs thinking, feeling, language, and the ability to relate to others. Families coping with this devastating illness are searching for answers about its causes, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is devoting an increasing portion of its research portfolio to this mission. NIMH's investment in autism-related science more than doubled over the past 4 years — from $9.4 million in FY 1997 to $22.6 million in FY 2000. The research is being funded through grants and contracts with investigators at universities. In addition, new Institute initiatives aimed at advancing basic knowledge of brain development and genetics also hold promise for understanding complex behavioral disorders like autism. NIMH's autism-related activities range from efforts to improve awareness, diagnosis and treatment, to studies involving brain imaging, tissue banks, animal models, genetics, developmental neurobiology, and neuropsychology.

Implementing the Children's Health Act of 2000

As part of the Children's Health Act of 2000,³ Congress recently designated the NIMH to take the lead in expanding, intensifying and coordinating NIH's autism research effort, which more than doubled between 1997 and 2000. NIMH has begun implementing provisions of this landmark legislation, in collaboration with the four other Institutes represented on the NIH Autism Coordinating Committee (NIH/ACC): National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), and National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).

Centers of Excellence in Autism Research

Foremost among the Act's provisions is a collaborative effort to support development of broadly based Centers of Excellence in Autism Research. This project will build new infrastructure for autism research by bringing together critical masses of expertise and resources at five or more dedicated research centers around the country. The Centers will conduct basic and clinical research, including investigations into causes, diagnosis, early detection, prevention, control, and treatment. The Centers will also include research in the fields of developmental neurobiology, genetics, and psychopharmacology. Interdisciplinary collaborations, including the recruitment of outstanding investigators who had previously not worked in the autism field, are being sought in an initial Request for (grant) Applications in FY 2001, with the Centers being funded in stages over the next few years.