The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC), a federal advisory panel appointed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is set to propose nearly doubling federal investment in autism-related initiatives. According to a draft strategic plan published on the IACC’s website, the proposal suggests increasing annual spending from $390.4 million to $747.4 million across agencies such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to address a broad range of issues affecting individuals with autism and their families ¹.

The draft plan outlines two primary objectives: urgently enhancing medical care and research for autistic individuals, and providing support throughout the lifespan, with a particular emphasis on those with profound autism who have the highest support needs. Dr. Sylvia Fogel, chair of the IACC and a Harvard Medical School instructor, noted that previous strategic plans have underrepresented this group, and the new plan aims to rectify this inequity ¹. The proposal also calls for expedited improvements in the assessment and treatment of various health conditions associated with autism, such as gastrointestinal disorders, sleep disruption, seizures, speech and motor impairments, and mental health issues, as well as new research into neurodevelopmental regression, estimated to affect 30% of autistic children ¹.

Footnotes

1. Respaut, R. (2025, August 27). Kennedy advisers propose doubling US autism spending on care, family support. Yahoo News. https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/kennedy-advisers-propose-doubling-us-102322051.html ↩ ↩² ↩³

This is a summary. Read the original at yahoo.com.