As organizations serving a large and diverse population in the autism community, we support the 2026 Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) Strategic Plan and the process through which it was deliberated, amended, and approved.
The Plan reflects years of stakeholder engagement, peer-reviewed scientific evidence, lived experience, and public comment—including extraordinary participation in 2026 that informed the Committee’s deliberations and revisions. The comments received this year consistently convey urgency, years of unmet needs and, for many, relief that critical issues they have raised for years are finally reflected in federal priorities and action.
Concerns about the timing of comment distribution, while understandable, are directed at the wrong body. Committee members had no role in processing, distributing, or posting public comments — they received them, and the record shows members repeatedly asked that comments be shared more quickly and on a rolling basis as they arrived. Amid the largest volume of public comments the coordinating office has ever received, that this proved impossible speaks not to the Committee’s diligence, but to whether the federal infrastructure supporting autism coordination has been suitably resourced to match the scale of the need. Committee members read and considered the record regardless: a comprehensive analysis of the complete public comment record was presented to the full Committee before the vote, and the Plan was amended during the meeting to incorporate language drawn directly from the public comments received.
This meaningful engagement with the substance of the public’s input is reflected in the adopted Plan itself. Suggesting otherwise does not accurately reflect the record.
The Plan addresses critical gaps families face every day—from better recognition and treatment of co-occurring medical conditions and improved access to communication, safety, caregiver respite, housing, transition and adult services, and supports for people with the most complex needs. Importantly, the Plan covers the needs of the entirety of disability that autism confers. It pairs these priorities with proposed federal actions, timelines, responsible agencies, and measurable outcomes—creating a path toward real change in people’s lives.
We support the Plan, the public process that informed it, and the next steps moving forward with implementation.
Our community is diverse, and we will not always agree. But we should be united in ensuring that the needs identified through this process are no longer simply documented—they are adequately funded and addressed.
Sincerely,
The Autism Community in Action
National Autism Association
Medical Academy of Pediatrics & Special Needs
Neuroimmune Foundation
Alliance to Solve PANS & Immune-Related Encephalopathies
Make a Stand 4 Autism
Communication 4 All
Autism Health
Autism Action Network
N of 1: Autism Research Foundation
Documenting Hope