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March of Dimes Applauds Creation of Congressional Autism Caucus
WASHINGTON, FEB. 13, 2001 -- The March of Dimes applauded the formation of the bipartisan Coalition for Autism Research and Education (C.A.R.E.) in a statement released today.
The March of Dimes enthusiastically welcomes the creation of C.A.R.E. We look forward to working with each member of this group to expand federal research on autism and other developmental disabilities in children. Increased funding for autism research at the new National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is critical to finding better methods of diagnosis and treatment, and possibly even prevention, for autism spectrum disorders.
For more than a decade, the March of Dimes has funded research relevant to autism. Nevertheless, much about the disorder remains mysterious. Much more needs to be learned about the genes and environmental factors involved in brain development and how it goes awry in functional disorders such as autism, mental retardation, and dyslexia.
Autism is a pervasive disorder characterized by severe language, social, and behavioral abnormalities. Although no one really knows for certain, early signs of autism may be present at birth even if the condition is not recognized until early childhood.
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