The Texas-Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network (TX-ADDM) at the Texas Center for Disability Studies (TCDS) celebrated the completion of their first year of autism surveillance! For the first time in the history of ADDM, a collaborative network funded by the CDC that tracks the number and characteristics of children with Autism, Texas children will be represented in national prevalence estimates. The team is composed of Sandra Vanegas and Sandy Magana (Co-Principal Investigators), Hilda Torres (Project Coordinator), Record Abstractors (Adra Mersinger, Carrie Mullins, Delyla Ovalle-Bowyer, and Nico Nelson), Data Manager (Minyu Zhang), and Epidemiologist (Catherine Cubbin). The team gathered for dinner to commemorate a year of challenges and successes that come with being the first in doing something so significant.

Sandra Vanegas, PhD, Hilda Torres, LMSW, and Adra Mersinger, B.S. from the Texas Center for Disability Studies (TCDS) presented at a training hosted by Community Action, Inc of Central Texas, one of the leading early childhood education providers in rural and Central Texas communities. The presentation covered the ASPEN Program and Developmental Monitoring for an audience of Head Start Family Advocates in Hays County. The all-day training also included presentations from other community partners such as Parents Resource Network and Any Baby Can.

This month, the Texas-Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (TX-ADDM) Network at the Texas Center for Disability Studies (TCDS) attended the 2024 Texas Autism Conference hosted by the Texas Statewide Leadership for Autism Training (TSLAT) and the Texas Education Agency (TEA). The team learned about camouflaging in girls with autism, evidence-based practices, state special education resources, myths and fads in autism pseudoscience, and transition to adulthood! In addition, Sandra Vanegas, PhD and Hilda Torres, LMSW presented "Culturally Responsive Approaches to Screening and Assessment to Improve Our Understanding of Autism in Texas", a distinct and data-driven presentation that caught the eye of special education professionals, early intervention specialists, and speech language pathologists. The TX-ADDM team networked with educators and other state professionals for the TX-ADDM project and dove deeper into their interests in autism.

On February 28th and 29th, we met with national leaders (Anita Washington, Project Officer, Monica DiRienzo, Clinical Lead, and Mary Patrick, Technical Monitor) of the CDC ADDM Network! The two-day visit consisted of providing CDC with an update on the progress of the project, live technical support, and clinical guidance. Project members were able to engage and participate in discussions with CDC staff and learned of additional techniques to collect data, track progress, and define a complete surveillance area. In our first year of surveillance, we are learning how to navigate all project objectives and working diligently to identify a prevalence of autism in Texas. The CDC visit was an opportunity to learn from leaders who have been doing this work for years!