HHS Director Kathleen Sebelius weighs in in an Op-Ed

From the Yahoo! Newsroom on October 5, 2009:

"Washington, DC — Last Wednesday, President Obama visited the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to announce the single biggest investment in biomedical research in American history. Among the $5 billion in grants he announced are new explorations of longtime research targets from cancer to heart disease. But the grants also include the largest-ever investment in an Obama administration priority that has so far gone mostly unnoticed: autism research."

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I applaud President Obama for his strong approach towards finding answers for autism. The more we learn about the spectrum of disorders, the more we realize just how many people they affect. For families facing this, there are very few answers. We do not even know exactly where autism comes from or what may cause it. I feel this is very important to know, not only to give families a peace of mind, but so we can better understand, treat, and prevent the disorder. Lack of this information has already resulted in irresponsible, rash accusations that have jeopardized public health efforts. We need solid answers so that this does not happen again.