At a glance
- The goal of SEED Follow-Up is to better understand autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as children become adolescents and young adults. This information can be used to improve the health and functioning of individuals with ASD as they mature.
- From 2021-2026, CDC and five funded sites enrolled and surveyed over 2,000 families of children who had previously participated in an ASD study as young children.
- Data were collected at eight SEED sites from 2023 to 2026.
Study overview
SEED Follow-Up looks to better understand ASD as children become adolescents and young adults.
We do not have enough information about how people with ASD develop over time, from childhood to adolescence and adulthood. This makes it hard to provide the services and supports they need to thrive.
In 2021, CDC began funding SEED Follow-Up and enrolling participants. The goal of SEED Follow-Up is to better understand ASD as children become adolescents and young adults. CDC hopes to use this information to improve the health and functioning of individuals with ASD as they mature.
Enrollment wrap-up
From 2021-2026, CDC and five funded sites contacted over 3,500 families about participating in SEED Follow-Up; a longitudinal (or long-term) study to collect information on individuals aged 7-22 years who previously participated in SEED 1, 2, or 3 (when they were 2-5 years of age). Over 2,000 former SEED participants took part in this follow-up study.
CDC will use the information collected from SEED Follow-Up to learn more about the health, well-being, and needs of children with autism and other developmental disabilities as they age towards adolescence and young adulthood.
Learning through data
SEED Follow-Up is using the collected data to look at important topics affecting individuals with ASD, including
- Healthcare needs and utilization
- Community and social supports
- Safety and risk of suicide
- Everyday living skills
- Transition from high school
- Employment and vocational training
- Quality of life and interpersonal relationships
- Family and financial support needs
SEED Follow-Up sites
CDC and five funded sites collected SEED Follow-Up data from across eight SEED sites (pictured below) on individuals aged 7-22 years who previously participated in SEED 1, 2, or 3 (when they were 2-5 years of age).
Click the "+" sign on the data table below for more information on each site.
Footnotes
*A CDC funded SEED Follow-Up site.
†CDC served as an intramural study site for SEED Follow-Up—collecting data from participants in Georgia and California.
‡UNC-Chapel Hill researchers collaborated with SEED researchers from the University of Pennsylvania to include participants from Pennsylvania.