IOM Workshop on Autism and the Environment

At the direction of the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, the Institute of Medicine will conduct a two- day workshop entitled, "Autism and the Environment: Challenges and Opportunities for Research." The workshop will take place on April 18 and 19, 2007 in Washington, DC.

The workshop objectives are as follows:

  • Discuss the most promising scientific opportunities for improving the understanding of potential environmental factors in autism.

  • Discuss what scientific tools and technologies are available, what interdisciplinary research approaches are needed, and what further infrastructure investments will be necessary in the short and long- term to be able to explore potential relationships between autism and environmental factors.

  • Explore potential partnerships needed to support and conduct autism research.

The workshop, which takes place just before the start of the DAN! Conference, is a public meeting with opportunities for attendees to have discussions with presenters. We hope as many parents as possible will arrive early for the DAN! Conference and be there to support the need to address the epidemic and steer research into the most promising areas to help the most autistic people in the fastest way possible. For those who cannot attend in person, the workshop will be webcast with interactive capabilities.

Unlike the 2004 IOM Committee, the workshop group will not address causation or issue any formal recommendations. Also, it will not discuss the efficacy of any treatments. Rather, there will be presentations and discussions on strategies for research focusing on the potential relationship between autism and an array of environmental exposures.

A publicly available summary of the presentations and discussions, reflecting what transpired at the workshop, will be prepared and published by the National Academies Press in the early Fall of 2007.

Laura Bono of the National Autism Association and Mark Blaxill of SafeMinds were two of three advocates invited to serve on the workshop planning committee. They were tasked with helping to develop the meeting agenda and presenters.

Laura and Mark made it their primary objective to direct the workshop toward the most relevant research areas to our community that have historically been overlooked by federal health agencies. In addition, Laura has been asked to give a statement at the workshop on the Perspectives of the Advocacy Community.