THE ITALIAN NETWORK FOR EARLY DETECTION OF AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER: RESEARCH ACTIVITIES AND NATIONAL POLICIES

Background: Well-structured monitoring system is crucial to identify interventions for children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders (NDD). Subjects and methods: The NIDA Network enrolled more than 760 at risk for NDD and typically developing infants to detect early signs of NDD. Results: The NIDA Network was born in some Italian regions to engage clinical centers in a research project. It is increasingly turning out to be a national monitoring project well integrated in the Italian National Health System policies. Conclusions: The NIDA Network activities are finalized at diagnosis and interventions to improve quality of life of children with NDD and their families.