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Institute
On Disability At UNH Launches Resource Center For Autism
Unites
Teaching, Research, Service Initiatives on Autism Spectrum Disorders
By Beth
Potier, Media Relations
The Institute on Disability
(IOD) at the University of New Hampshire has aggregated its
expertise and services in the study of autism spectrum disorders
(ASD) to create the New Hampshire Resource Center for Autism.
“The IOD has long been a valuable resource for learning about,
diagnosing, and working with individuals with autism. Bringing these
various services together as the New Hampshire Resource Center for
Autism will help us communicate our capacity and, ultimately, better
serve people in the state with autism and their families, teachers,
and caregivers,” said Jan Nisbet, director of the IOD and
associate professor of education at UNH.
The Resource Center for Autism comprises professional development
and technical assistance, evaluation and diagnosis, and academic
and research initiatives, including one of the nation’s few
Ph.D. programs in the study of autism spectrum disorders.
Specific projects and initiatives of the NH Resource Center for
Autism include:
- The
Early Markers Project, a research project that aims to identify
characteristics associated with the development of ASD in babies
who have an older sibling with ASD.
- Beyond
Access, a four-year project that promotes improved learning of
general education curriculum content by students with the most
significant disabilities. Funded by the U.S. Department of Education,
Beyond Access works with schools in Windham-Pelham, Raymond, Somersworth,
and Pembroke.
- Seacoast
Child Development Clinic, which provides interdisciplinary evaluation
and consultation to families of children who have developmental
challenges, including autism.
- Jumpstart:
Early Success with Autism, which assists New Hampshire families
and providers in supporting young children who have autism or
autism-like characteristics.
- Annual
Autism Summer Institute, a five-day event providing state-of-the-art
information and strategies in educating students with ASD in general
education classes.
- Ph.D.
program in education with a focus on ASD as well as Graduate Certificate
in Autism Spectrum Disorders, providing post-baccalaureate education
to educators, social workers and psychologists, medical personnel,
and policymakers.
The
mission of the IOD is to advance policies and system changes, promising
practices, education, and research that strengthen communities and
ensure full access, equal opportunities, and participation for all
persons. Established in 1987, the IOD is a University Center for
Excellence on Disability (UCED).
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