April is Autism Awareness Month! One of the many goals of Autism Awareness Month is to recommit ourselves to providing people with autism and their families with the support and quality health care they need to thrive.
The Indian Health Service is committed to supporting individuals with autism, and we are dedicated to improving our efforts. IHS is a member of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee a federal advisory committee that coordinates federal efforts and provides advice to the Secretary of Health and Human Services on issues related to autism spectrum disorder.
Additionally, the IHS Indian Children’s Program has worked to equip health care providers working in the IHS, tribal and urban Indian health system with the training and education needed to provide excellent care for American Indian and Alaska Native youth with autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. You can find past recordings of these trainings on the program's website.
In honor of this year’s Autism Awareness Month, IHS has two special activities planned:
On April 12, IHS will host a webinar entitled, “American Indian/Alaska Native Parents of Children with Autism Panel” from 12:00-1:00 p.m. ET. The purpose of this webinar is to provide American Indian and Alaska Native parents with the opportunity to share their stories as parents of children with autism. This webinar will serve as a safe place for health care providers and community members to become more aware of the unique experiences of Native families and to ask questions.
On April 27, IHS will host a webinar for health care providers entitled, “The Importance of Screening for Autism Spectrum Disorder and Use of the M-CHAT” from 2:00-3:30 p.m. ET. This webinar will focus on developing providers’ skills in the early identification of ASD markers, understanding of ASD-specific screening tools, and an in-depth discussion on the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers and utilizing ASD screening tools in clinics.
We hope these educational activities will help raise awareness and increase understanding and health care provider knowledge of this very important topic. We hope to see you there!
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