Autism Intervention and Treatment Research -- Organization for Autism Research

Our research and information programs open life's opportunities for children and adults with autism. We are dedicated to helping parents find answers to the challenges of lifelong care.

Why do we exist?

Every year 1 in 166 children are diagnosed with autism, a rate that has increased in the past few decades, and will continue to increase each year.  There are several organizations that focus on finding the cause, and perhaps someday, a cure for autism.  Currently, however, there are hundreds of thousands of children and adults that are living with autism, all of whom need help and direction in facing the lifelong challenges that an autism diagnosis brings.

What have you accomplished?

At the start of 2003, after our first full year of operation, we funded two major research studies, granting $30,000 to each research team.  We have since worked hard to ensure that the number of major research grants (all $30,000 each) we make each year increases on a steep curve.  We are funding five major studies this year and will fund somewhere between eight and ten studies in 2005.  Some of our other accomplishments include:

• Establishing a small grant program to fund graduate students conducting applied autism research
  
• Publishing a series of user-friendly autism resource guides for parents, educators and professionals in the autism community, all of which we distribute free of charge
  
• Hosting an annual national Autism Conference for parents and educators to gather and discuss current applied autism research, including the results of the research studies that we have funded
  
• Creating and maintaining a monthly e-newsletter that provides autism resource articles and research news to the autism community 
• Co-sponsored two Zogby International polls intended to identify the level of autism awareness among the American public

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