I’m a little behind on the autism news, but several significant events have occurred lately that deserve coverage, even if it’s a little belated.

First of all, check out Matt Savage (left)! This kid can play the heck out of the piano!

  • In late December of 2009, President Obama appointed Ari Ne’eman, founding president of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) to serve as a member of the National Council on Disability. Ne’eman has autism, and is well-known for his neurodiversity beliefs. You can read a nice article about him that was published in Newsweek in May of 2009.
     
  • The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) will be holding a Full Committee Meeting on Tuesday, January 19, 2010 from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM ET in Bethesda, MD. The purpose of the IACC meeting is to discuss and vote on recommendations for the annual update of the IACC Strategic Plan for Autism Spectrum Disorders Research.
    You can watch the meeting online here.
    You can see more info here.
     
  • The Center for Disease Control (CDC) released new autism prevalence statistics from a 2006 surveillance report The CDC now reports that between 1 in 80 and 1 in 240 (average of 1 in 110) children in the United State has an ASD.
     
  • The Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) is working on legislation to reduce seclusion and restraints within the schools. The organization is hoping concerned US citizens will be part of a national call-in day next Thursday, January 12st. Read More