The Arkansas Department of Education (ADE), Special Education Office, has entered into a Memorandum of Agreement with the Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (DP-UAMS), to designate DP-UAMS as an “authorized representative” of the ADE, Special Education Office, for purposes of collecting information for autism spectrum disorders (ASD) surveillance under a multi-state system, Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network, established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia. The CDC has initiated this system to provide ongoing monitoring of ASD and other developmental disabilities in Atlanta and in other sites around the United States. Arkansas is one of 12 sites funded to conduct this research, and one of only two funded for a statewide study.
A specific goal of this project is to conduct population-based surveillance of autism spectrum disorders in Arkansas. The project will use a standardized, validated approach to estimate the annual occurrence of ASD among pre-school and school-age children in Arkansas, ages 3-21 residing in the study area. The project provides a means of accurately estimating and tracking over time the population prevalence of ASD. The first year of data collection will focus on eight-year-old children.
This Memorandum of Agreement will allow staff of the project, acting in a capacity as authorized representatives of the ADE Special Education Office, to access and review information contained in education records of children with disabilities collected and maintained by public education agencies, including state-operated and state-supported programs. These individuals are authorized to have access to information contained in the education records of children without written parent consent, as allowed under the exceptions to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). However, it should be noted that no personally identifiable information on any child would be maintained or disclosed during or upon completion of this study.
The cooperation of all parties is requested during the conduct of activities associated with this study. Direct questions or requests for additional information to Carole Canino, Project Director, at 501.682.9900; Karan Burnette at 501.682.9913; or Marcia Harding at 501.682.4221.