Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Supporting Peer-led Efforts to Conduct Thoughtful Research and Understand the Modalities of Autism in Women and Girls Act or the SPECTRUM Act.
Section 2. National Science Foundation grant program to strengthen opportunities for peer-led research regarding autism spectrum disorder
The Director of the National Science Foundation is authorized to award grants on a competitive basis to support participatory research approaches into autism, including with respect to women and girls. Such research may include research into any of the following:
(1) Characteristics of autism in girls and women, including the incidence of masking, camouflaging, or other psychosocial factors.
(2) Communication between autistic and neurotypical women and girls, and the phenomenon of the double empathy problem theory.
(3) Additional related topics at the discretion of the Director.