Wisconsin Autism & Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Project

The Autism and Developmental Disorders Monitoring Network (ADDM Network). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is now funding researchers in many states, including Wisconsin, to develop programs to monitor the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and other developmental disabilities. The goal of the ADDM Network is to provide comparable, population-based estimates of the prevalence rates of autism and related disorders in different sites over time. For more information, please see: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/dd/ddautism.htm

The Wisconsin Surveillance of Autism and Other Developmental Disorders System (WISADDS) is a multiple-source investigation to determine and monitor the number of 8-year-old children in the population with an ASD, mental retardation, and/or cerebral palsy. This surveillance system will help establish, for the first time, an accurate count of the number of Wisconsin children and families affected by these disorders. This project is a collaboration between the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services and investigators from the Waisman Center and Department of Population Health Sciences of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The WISADDS is a joint undertaking with the CDC and other state partners, the Wisconsin State Department of Public Instruction, and many other agencies and organizations that serve children with developmental disabilities and their families.

What part of Wisconsin is included in the WISADDS? The study will initially include 10 counties of southeastern Wisconsin--Kenosha, Racine, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Waukesha, Jefferson, Rock, Dane, Green and Walworth--but could expand to include the entire state in the future. About 33,000 babies are born in these counties each year, and about half of the state's population reside in these counties.

How many people 3-21 years of age are classified as having autism by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction? In the 2002-2003 school year, 3,083 or 0.35% of Wisconsin's 881,231 public school students were classified as having autism and received special education services, while 12,750 (1.45%) were classified as having a cognitive disability. The number of Wisconsin children receiving special education services for autism tripled from 1997 to 2002.

How common are ASDs and mental retardation among children who live in Wisconsin? Are ASDs becoming more prevalent? It is clear more people are being identified with an ASD now than in the past, but public health professionals do not know how common these disorders are in Wisconsin, or whether the increase in the number of children identified with ASDs is due to improved recognition or true increases in the population. The WISADDS will help us learn how many children in Wisconsin have these disorders and will provide a baseline for monitoring trends.

What kinds of education and training programs will the project offer to people who work with children who have ASDs and other developmental disabilities? The project will sponsor workshops in early identification of developmental disorders for pediatricians and other pediatric health care providers serving southeastern Wisconsin.The goal is to improve capacity for recognizing early signs of ASDs and for standard diagnostic practices related to ASDs, including childhood autism, Asperger's syndrome, atypical autism, and pervasive developmental disorder.

What are some of the resources available in Wisconsin for children with developmental disabilities and their families? The Waisman Center of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Medical College of Wisconsin offer programs dedicated to developmental disabilities research, diagnosis, and treatment (http://www.waisman.wisc.edu or http://www.familyvillage.wisc.edu/index.htmlx).

For further information, please contact:

Carrie Arneson
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Waisman Center, Rm. 142
1500 Highland Ave.
Madison, WI 53705
PHONE: (608) 263-8222 FAX: (608)265-3441
E-MAIL:clarneso@wisc.edu