The West Virginia Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Program

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are now funding research in several states, including West Virginia , to develop and maintain programs to monitor the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). The goal of the ADDM network is to provide comparable population-based estimates of the prevalence rates of autism and related disorders in different cites over time. The West Virginia Autism Study (link to FAQ) is working to determine and monitor the number of 8 year old children living in West Virginia in the years 2000 and 2002. The investigators are staff of the WVATC.

Click here to view the The ADDM Fact Sheet

Q: What part of West Virginia is included in the study?

A: The entire state of West Virginia is included in the study. About 23,500 babies are born in the state each year.

Q: What are the ages of the children in the study?

A: The study includes children born in 1992 and 1994.

Q: How common are autism spectrum disorders (ASD) among children who live in West Virginia ?

A: A pilot study conducted in 1999-2000 in a six-county area found that nearly 21 of every 10,000 children aged 3-21 years were diagnosed with an ASD.

Q: How many people 3-21 years of age are classified as having autism by the West Virginia Department of Education?

A: During the 2000-2001 school year, there were 326 students identified with autism who were receiving special education services in West Virginia . During the 2003-2004 school year, 534 children were receiving special education services through the autism exceptionality.

Q. When will the prevalence data be released?

A. Data for the 2000 study year (children born in 1992) should be released by late Fall, 2005.

For more information on the West Virginia Autism Study contact:

Julie O'Malley, M.A.
Project Coordinator,
West Virginia Autism Training Study
One John Marshall Drive
Huntington , WV 25755
Email: lynch29@marshall.edu