Editor's note: Principals will be available for brief interviews before and after lunch.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- As the number of diagnoses increase, autism continues to be a major concern for Alabama lawmakers and faculty at The University of Alabama. A legislative tour of UA’s Autism Spectrum Disorders Research Clinic and Speech and Hearing Center’s preschool classroom is planned for Tuesday, Dec. 4, from 10:30 a.m. to noon, followed by lunch.

State Rep. Cam Ward, R-Alabaster, is leading the Alabama Autism Task Force, a group formed to recommend changes in autism services. Ward will offer a presentation during the tour. Other legislators who plan to attend at least part of the visit are Rep. Ralph Howard, D-Greensboro, and Dr. Robert Bentley, R-Tuscaloosa.

The UA ASD Research Clinic is a collaborative program of the UA departments of psychology and communicative disorders. The program provides outpatient services to individuals with ASD and their families, serves as a personnel training site for undergraduate and graduate students and conducts a variety of ASD research programs including treatment-outcome research, brain imaging research and research on the learning styles of individuals with ASD.

The department of communicative disorders’ Speech and Hearing Center provides a preschool program for children with autism spectrum disorders. Outpatient diagnostic and therapy services and research programs are conducted at the Child Development Research Center.

Here is the itinerary:

10:30-10:50 a.m.: Tour the UA Speech and Hearing Center preschool classroom.

11:00-11:30 a.m.: UA ASD Research Clinic Tour and Presentation (Child Development Research Center Lecture Hall).

11:30-noon: Alabama Autism Task Force Presentation by Rep. Cam Ward (CDRC Lecture Hall).

Noon- 1 p.m.: Lunch, second floor of CDRC.

The University of Alabama, a student-centered research university, is in the midst of a planned, steady enrollment growth with a goal of reaching 28,000 students by 2010. This growth, which is positively impacting the campus and the state's economy, is in keeping with UA's vision to be the university of choice for the best and brightest students. UA, the state's flagship university, is an academic community united in its commitment to enhancing the quality of life for all Alabamians.