The White House invited a University of Michigan researcher to Washington today to recognize her efforts toward improving the method of diagnosing autism spectrum disorder in children.

Vice President Joe Biden spoke about the impact of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act on science and technology at a White House press conference today.

Catherine Lord, a senior research scientist and director of the U-M Autism and Communication Disorders Center, received $617,084 in federal stimulus money for her project to develop an ASD screening interview that is easier to use by health care professionals, as well as administered in less time.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, one in 110 children has ASD.

Lord’s current work could mean more healthcare professionals would be able to diagnose children with ASD more quickly. Quicker diagnosis would reduce the cost on families.

The hope is early diagnoses would lead to better long-term outcomes.

Juliana Keeping is a health and environment reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at julianakeeping@annarbor.com or 734-623-2528. Follow Juliana Keeping on Twitter