A multi-institution study of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) led by Maureen Durkin, at the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Waisman Center, has been selected as one of the top advances in 2017 ASD research by the federal Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee.
Among the study’s findings was that children living in neighborhoods where incomes are low and fewer adults have bachelor’s degrees are less likely to be diagnosed with ASD compared to kids from more affluent neighborhoods. You can learn more about the study here.
Durkin is chair of population health sciences and also a professor of pediatrics at UW–Madison.
The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) is a federal advisory committee charged with coordinating federal activities concerning ASD and providing advice to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) on issues related to ASD.
Each year, the IACC releases a list of scientific advances that represent significant progress in the field. The 2017 Summary of Advances provides short, plain language summaries of the top research breakthroughs selected by the IACC from a pool of research articles nominated by the members.