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Laredo health staff to present autism surveillance data at UT Regional Campus; officials warn of gaps in local reporting
Summary
Health program staff said a data release event called “From Data to Dialogue” will present local autism surveillance findings and national comparisons; presenters cautioned the local dataset is incomplete because not every school district submitted records.
Laredo health program staff said they will present new autism surveillance findings at a public event called “From Data to Dialogue,” and warned that local data remain incomplete because some school districts did not participate.
Program staff scheduled the data-release presentation for “next Tuesday” at the UT Regional Campus hosted by LMC, and said the event will include national comparisons, local prevalence figures and an overview of the program’s methods. “We’re gonna use, you have a new data request in, so we’re gonna get one of our major health sources,” the presenter said, adding that the additional feed will mean “a large influx of data for this next surveillance.”
The event is intended to explain who the program is, the methods used for surveillance and results to date, and to provide slides and materials to attendees and partner offices. The presenter told committee members that staff can share a copy of the presentation with offices that request it and can also provide a condensed version to outside groups who request a visit.
Program staff cautioned that local prevalence estimates should be interpreted with care because not every school district contributed data. “We don’t have every school district participate,” the presenter said. The presenter urged committee members to help by contacting superintendents so the program can obtain missing records and produce a more complete picture for the county.
Committee members and staff discussed outreach to parents and the value of including testimonials at the event to help explain cultural and access-related reasons behind lower local identification rates. The presenter said slides and short presentations will be available to groups that cannot attend and invited members to request copies or to arrange on-site presentations.
The committee was told the presentation will show national findings and site-by-site comparisons, and staff said they expect to use the incoming data to expand the surveillance area and refine local estimates. Members who cannot attend were told staff will make materials available by email or direct request.
