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Center earns two grants to support projects to aid students with autism

A woman holding a folder

Image: College of Education and Human Development

The Center on Disability and Development received two grants to fund research projects involving students with autism spectrum disorders. Jennifer Ganz, a professor in the Department of Educational Psychology, serves as the director for both projects.

In July, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s Division of Academic Quality and Workforce presented awards under the Autism Grant in three grant categories. Ganz authored proposals in the two categories: parent-directed treatment and board-certified behavior analyst training.

The coordinating board awarded $498,599 to the parent-directed treatment category. 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 also awarded $465,548 to the center’s board-certified behavior analyst training for teachers/paraprofessionals category. This project will provide training to direct service providers who work with people with autism throughout Texas, via distance technology.