Missouri Autism Project Registry

The Missouri Department of Mental Health is working in collaboration with the Departments of Health Psychology, Child Health, and Health Management and Informatics at the University of Missouri-Columbia to develop a Missouri Autism Project Registry. The goal of the project is to develop public policy that would enhance the system of care for children with autism spectrum disorders and their families.

In June 2004, the University of Missouri-Columbia was awarded a one-year planning grant to facilitate the development of the Missouri Autism Project (MAP) Registry. The MAP Registry will make available a comprehensive, online information resource to:

• Facilitate research that will improve the outcomes of Missouri children and adults with autism spectrum disorders.
• Direct state policies and service decisions.
• Provide supportive, relevant autism information for families, health-care providers and educators.

A task force was designated to define the Missouri Autism Research and Response Agenda (MARRA) and develop a single, cohesive database with research information as a resource that could offer families, self-advocates, policymakers, state agencies, funding sources and researchers the vital information needed to develop and implement public policy, procedures, pre-service and in-service training and services and supports.

The primary goal of the registry is to:

• Serve as a means of tracking autism prevalence, assessment of specific interventions and services, analysis of children’s responses to clinical and educational interventions, and for informing the public policy.
• A rich resource of potential participants in research studies of autism and related disorders.

The Network of Care will be the portal for families, physicians, teachers and others to access the MAP Registry when it becomes available.