Tracking autism – We want to hear from you!

November 2006, the Government of Canada committed to consulting with stakeholders about the feasibility of developing surveillance on ASDs in Canada. The Public Health Agency of Canada is now in the process of considering what information would be important to track about ASDs and how this information could be collected.

Over the past few months, the Public Health Agency of Canada has been working with Autism Society Canada , the Autism Spectrum Disorders-Canadian American Research Consortium (ASD-CARC) and the Canadian Autism Intervention Research Network (CAIRN) to consult with individuals, families, doctors and ASD researchers to see what can be done to track ASDs in Canada. Now we need your help.

Tell us what you think we should be tracking

Together we have developed an on-line survey to gather input on what information about ASDs is important to track among the group of Canadians with ASDs.

We want to hear from all members of the autism community (including Autism, Asperger's Syndrome and Pervasive Developmental Disorders Not Otherwise Specified) – individuals with ASD, family members and other caregivers, doctors and service providers who diagnose and treat ASD, school teachers and early childhood educators, adult service providers, those involved in policy and program development, and researchers studying these conditions.

The survey should take no more than 10 minutes to complete, and all responses will be kept strictly confidential. The survey will be posted until May 20th at www.asdsurveillance.ca . But why wait?

Go to the web site now. Tell us what information you think is important to track about ASDs. Help us plan a better future for all Canadians.