The National Alliance for Autism Research (NAAR) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are joining forces to develop two innovative partnerships focused on genetics and behavioral sciences. These partnerships are designed to help doctors biologically diagnose autism and gain an understanding into the cause of the disorder. This collaboration between NAAR and NIH represents a joint commitment of at least .2 million to enhance research and service efforts in the quest to uncover the causes of autism.

The first partnership, the NAAR Autism Genome Project, is the largest research collaboration ever assembled to find the genes associated with autism. The second partnership, the High Risk Baby Siblings Autism Research Project, focuses on early diagnosis of autism.