Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network

In this assignment, you will analyze the CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network to understand how public health surveillance systems track developmental disabilities and identify opportunities for improving health equity.

Describe the ADDM Network. Explain what the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network is, its purpose, the populations it monitors, and the methods it uses to collect and analyze data on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) prevalence.
Identify health equity gaps. Review the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) report on ADDM Network findings. Identify at least three specific health equity gaps revealed in the surveillance data. These may relate to race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, geographic location, or other demographic factors. For each gap, cite specific data from the report.
Propose improvements to the surveillance system. For each health equity gap you identified, propose at least one concrete improvement to the ADDM Network’s surveillance methods, data collection, or reporting practices that could help address that gap. Explain how each proposed improvement would enhance health equity in autism surveillance.