IAN Community E-Newsletter – March 16, 2011

Date First Published: March 16, 2011

Contents
Research Report: Animal-Assisted Therapies
Supercharging Autism Research
What Are Animal-Assisted Therapies?
Elopement/Wandering Survey Coming Soon!
IAN Data Used to Fight for ASD Insurance Coverage

IAN Research Report: Animal-Assisted Therapies

What have families participating in IAN Research told us about their use of animal-assisted therapies (AATs)?

What disappointments or successes do they report? How much are they paying for these therapies, and what do they think are the benefits?

Learn what families are saying.

Supercharging Autism Research!

The Interactive Autism Network (IAN) is partnering with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to accelerate autism research like never before. Now anyone participating in IAN Research can become part of the National Database for Autism Research (NDAR), too. Joining NDAR through IAN Research is easy, and a great way to make the energy and time families spend answering IAN questionnaires expedite even more autism research.

Read about NDAR.

What Are Animal-Assisted Therapies?

Therapies involving animals are diverse, including everything from visits by specially trained therapy dogs to therapeutic horseback riding. What are the origins of animal assisted therapies (AATs)? What do we know about AATs and the treatment of autism spectrum disorders?

Find out about Animal-Assisted Therapies.

Elopement and Wandering Survey Coming Soon!

Individuals with ASDs are known to "wander," "elope," or "bolt," leaving safe spaces and exposing themselves to a variety of dangers. Unfortunately, virtually no research has been done on this phenomenon.

The Autism Research Institute, the Autism Science Foundation, Autism Speaks, and the Global Autism Collaboration are now working with the IAN Project to develop a national survey on the topic. The Elopement and Wandering Questionnaire will be ready for families of children and dependent adults with ASD to complete in April, Autism Awareness Month.

IAN Research Data Used in Insurance Coverage Testimony

IAN's Director, Dr. Paul Law, recently gave testimony in support of the "Coverage of Autism Spectrum Disorders" bill now before the Maryland legislature. The data he presented was provided by families participating in the IAN Research Project through the IAN Treatment Questionnaires they had completed. This demonstrates how the information families share through IAN Research contributes not just to autism research but also to policy change.

Learn More.