IACC head Dr. Thomas Insel has failed in his duty to effectively and responsibly allocate federal research money for autism, according to the Elizabeth Birt Center for Autism Law and Advocacy. A July 2012 report says Insel has been transparently biased against studies of environmental causes of autism, especially mercury-containing childhood vaccines.
The federal panel charged with allocating funds for autism research has squandered hundreds of millions in taxpayer money on ideological, nonscientific priorities. Its decisions have been financially irresponsible and practically ineffective. Its chairman should be fired and many board members replaced.
So says the Brooklyn-based Elizabeth Birt Center for Autism Law and Advocacy (EBCALA) in a stinging critique of autism policy under the Bush and Obama administrations titled "A Critical Review of the Performance of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee" (IACC).
"From the controversial appointment or retention of committee representatives, to the troublesome history of committee members themselves, to the lack of accountability for the few advances made in autism research, to the questionable direction of the Strategic Plan, it is fair to state that the IACC is not living up to Congress and the publics expectations," the July 10, 2012, report says.
'Autism and the Indiana Environment Blog'
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that impairs children's communication, behavioral and cognitive development. With rare exceptions, it is a lifelong condition that comprises a complex range of symptoms known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
The IACC was mandated in the Combating Autism Act of 2006, passed by Congress in response to the autism epidemic sweeping the nation and the world. A 2001 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that between 1980 and 1994, the incidence of California children with autism jumped from 1 in every 2,272 live births to 1 in 480. When the IACC formed 13 years later, the widely accepted rate nationwide was 1 in every 166 children.
"The autism rate has doubled on Dr. Insels watch. None of the research that IACC has funded under his direction has led to significant advances in understanding autism causation."
A 29-member panel composed representatives of federal agencies and the public, the IACC is overseen by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Its list of objectives and activities includes developing and annually updating a strategic plan "for the conduct of, and support for, autism research, including proposed budgetary requirements."
Dr. Thomas Insel, head of the National Institutes of Health, was appointed the IACC's first director in 2007 and remains in the post to this day. Over the past six years, he and the committee have exercised authority over hundreds of millions of dollars in federal money allocated for autism research, the Birt report says.
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Report: Insel should be fired from autism research panel