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Office of National Autism Coordination (ONAC)

The Office of National Autism Coordination (ONAC) provides support to the National Autism Coordinator (NAC). The NAC role was created by Congress to facilitate coordination and implementation of autism activities, programs, and policies across federal departments and agencies. This work is accomplished in part through the Federal Interagency Workgroup on Autism, a workgroup of federal agencies whose missions include autism- and disability-related programs.

ONAC functions include:

  • Facilitating cross-agency coordination of federal autism efforts
  • Preparing autism-relevant Reports to Congress on behalf of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
  • Communicating information about federal autism activities to Congress, government agencies, and the public
  • Overseeing management of the Office of Autism Research Coordination (OARC) and the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC)

Contact

Susan A. Daniels, Ph.D. 
National Autism Coordinator 
Director of the Office of National Autism Coordination (ONAC) 
National Institute of Mental Health 
6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 6119 
Bethesda, MD 20892 
sdaniels@mail.nih.gov

Office of Autism Research Coordination (OARC)

The Office of Autism Research Coordination (OARC) is an office within ONAC that coordinates and manages the activities of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC). The IACC is a federal advisory committee mandated by Congress to coordinate autism-related activities across HHS and provide advice to the HHS Secretary on issues related to autism. The membership of the IACC includes federal agency officials and public members including autistic adults, family members, and representatives of autism research, advocacy, and service organizations.

OARC provides support to the IACC by:

  • Assisting the IACC in its strategic planning and monitoring of federal autism activities
  • Conducting analyses and preparing reports on behalf of the IACC
  • Communicating information about the IACC to Congress, government agencies, and the public
  • Planning meetings, conferences, and other opportunities for interaction between the IACC and the public
  • Gathering input from the public to inform the IACC’s work
  • Disseminating information about autism to the public

Contact

For questions for OARC, or for more information about the IACC, please email IACCPublicInquiries@mail.nih.gov.

Detailed information about the IACC is also available on the IACC website .