Hussman Institute For Autism Inc

Programs: Program on neuroscience - pathways involved in neural circuit formation and the regulation of neural connectivity are strongly implicated in autism by genomic and neuroanatomic findings. The institute's program on neuroscience seeks to understand how genes and molecular pathways that have been implicated in autism affect neural connectivity, cell adhesion, cytoskeletal remodeling, gabaergic innervation, synapse function and cellular integrity. Better understanding of these pathways, and how they may be altered in autism, can lead to an understanding of the factors underlying difficulties in communication, movement, sensory processing and social interaction. This understanding may also inform strategies to compensate or intervene in ways that may reduce the challenges faced by individuals with autism.

program on supports - the institute's program on supports is focused on developing a continuum of resources to serve the day-to-day needs of individuals with autism, including training materials, model programs, and research? Based practices, centered around principles of positive, naturalistic, humane support, and the presumption that individuals with autism are competent-even if they face significant challenges demonstrating it through communication and initiation. The institute's primary focus is on individuals with autism who have limited or minimally-verbal communication; behavioral, sensory and motor challenges; and the need for significant day-to-day support. While the institute is not an activity center or fee-for-service clinic, the institute develops a variety of programs and activities for individuals with autism. These exploratory programs and activity groups support development of best practices that can act as models for replication in other communities. The institute works to translate research findings related to intervention, communication, and inclusive education into resources that a) have sufficient evidence as first-line approaches, and b) increase the access of families and schools to practical, implementable materials that will change how people with autism are supported day-to-day. The institute believes that naturalistic, inclusive, behavioral approaches in autism need to be expanded and demonstrated more comprehensively, and that families with autism would benefit from a stronger "roadmap" of supports ranging from the small to the comprehensive: introductory materials for families facing a new diagnosis, where existing introductions to autism are often laden with words such as "deficit," "disorder, and "impairment; core training materials (4-6 hour trainings, single manuals, brief videos) for parents, teachers, paraprofessionals, and physicians, where a large impact can be created simply by moving from nothing to something" at a low cost of implementation; comprehensive programs such as broad, manualized teaching approaches and curricula for parents and schools, as well as trainer-of-trainer approaches to maintain instructional integrity; advocacy films demonstrating the impact of educational methods, inclusion, support, and the presumption of competence through examples and personal stories; longitudinal materials such as video footage and multi-year studies of multiple individuals, tracking and supporting transition into adolescence and adulthood - to demonstrate what is possible for individuals with autism and identify "active ingredients" that best support learning, communication, and greater independence.