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Rahall Announces $60M in Funding for Autism Research 

3/24/2009 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Nick J. Rahall, II (D-WV) today announced the availability of $60,000,000 from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to support autism research nationwide.

 

“According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention autism afflicts one in every 150 American children,” said Rahall. “This funding will allow vital research to be conducted to learn more about this disease. The Autism Center at Marshall University has served the Autism community nobly with limited dollars and scarce research to employ its many wonderful services.  It’s my hope this infusion of dollars will benefit the center through enhanced research findings.”

 

“Ultimately, this important initiative should lead to more treatment options and services for individuals affected by the autism spectrum and their families," said Marshall University President Stephen J. Kopp.  "Congressman Rahall’s support of this substantial increase in funding for autism through the NIH is deeply appreciated by families with children with autism and the professionals at the WV Center for Autism based at Marshall University, which seeks to provide effective, research-based treatment. We thank the Congressman for his tireless leadership and service." 

 

“Autism is touching more and more people every day and yet we still do not have many answers for families affected by it,” said Barbara Becker-Cottrill, Executive Director of the West Virginia Autism Training Center at Marshall University.  “It is good to know that in these difficult economic times, families that are struggling everyday to understand the cause of their child’s autism and hoping to find the right treatments for their children are receiving the attention they deserve.  This commitment to those with autism covers research topics from causes to effective early intervention to treatments across the lifespan.”

 

This allocation of the ARRA will fund four grant announcements under the title “Research to Address the Heterogeneity in Autism Spectrum Disorders.” Different funding mechanisms will be used to support a range of research topics over the next two years. Examples of research topics include developing and testing diagnostic screening tools for different populations; assessing risk from prenatal or early life exposures, such as to maternal antibodies or environmental factors; initiating clinical trials to test early interventions; or adapting existing, effective pediatric treatments for older children, teens, and adults with ASD. For a full listing of possible study topics and how to apply, see the grant announcement listing in the NIH Guide (http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/index.html).

Rachael Berkey