Center on Disability and Development Awarded Two Grants Under the Autism Grant Program (TX UCEDD)
August 29, 2016
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The Center on Disability and Development was awarded two grants from the Division of Academic Quality and Workforce. Dr. Jennifer Ganz, the Project Director for both projects, is a professor of Special Education in the Department of Education Psychology and is an affiliated faculty member at the Center. She has received several grants to fund research projects involving students with autism spectrum disorders. Further, her efforts, alongside Cheryl Allen, CEO of Easter Seals East Texas, resulted in the opening of the Autism Clinic at the Brazos Valley Rehabilitation Center, currently directed by Dr. Amy Heath, which provides for children and adults with autism and their families.
In July 2016, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board presented awards under the Autism Grant Program (AGP) in three grant categories: (1) Parent-directed Treatment, (2) Board-certified Behavior Analyst Training for Teachers/Paraprofessionals, and (3) Research, Development, and Evaluation of Innovative Autism Treatment Models. All three grant categories focus on expanding and improving the treatment of Texas children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. With support from the Center on Disability and Development, Dr. Ganz authored proposals in the Parent-directed Treatment and in the Board-certified Behavior Analyst Training categories. Two Special Education doctoral students assisted with these proposals, Kristi Morin, who wrote a significant portion of the Behavior-Analyst Training proposal, and Ching-Yi Liao, who assisted with a number of components of the proposals.
Through a competitive process, a total of 14 applicants have been selected for AGP awards: six under the Parent-directed Treatment category, six under the Board-certified Behavior Analyst Training for Teachers/Paraprofessionals category, and two under the Research, Development, and Evaluation of Innovative Autism Treatment Models category.
The Coordinating Board awarded one of the six grants ($498,599) in the Parent-directed Treatment category to the Center on Disability and Development at Texas A&M University and Dr. Ganz, Project Director. The Center's parent-directed treatment project will provide training and support to parents in the Brazos Valley and throughout the state, via group instruction and assessment and individualized training with parents and caregivers of children with autism. Parents will be instructed in how to improve the communication skills of their own children. It will also provide opportunities for graduate students in School Psychology and Special Education to hone their skills in working with this population, under close supervision.
The Coordinating Board awarded one of the six grants ($465,548) in the Board-certified Behavior Analyst Training for Teachers/Paraprofessionals category to the Center on Disability and Development at Texas A&M University and Dr. Ganz, Project Director. This project will provide training to direct service providers who work with people with autism throughout Texas, via distance technology. Some recipients of this training will receive support to complete fieldwork requirements to become Master's level behavior analysts, who will be prepared to become leaders in their communities, while novice behavioral therapists will receive basic training to increase the numbers of direct service providers for this population.
The Center on Disability and Development at Texas A&M University (CDD) supports the self-determination, community integration, and quality of life of people with disabilities and their families. As a federally designated University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD), we are part of a national network of similar centers across the country, and serve as a resource to the community in the areas of education, research, and service as relates to the needs of people with disabilities.
