Projects & Research

Topic: Autism & Related Disabilities

Center for Autism and Related Disabilities CARD-USF

The Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD-USF) at the University of South Florida is a community-based project that provides information and consultation to individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and related disabilities. CARD at USF is one of six regional CARD sites funded by the Florida State Legislature and offers instruction and coaching to families and professionals through a training and assistance model.

Florida Center for Inclusive Communities-UCEDD

The Florida Center for Inclusive Communities - University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (FCIC-UCEDD) is part of a federally-funded network of 67 Centers across the United States and territories. UCEDDs have four broad tasks: conduct interdisciplinary training, promote community service programs, provide technical assistance at all levels (from local service delivery to community and state governments), and conduct research and dissemination activities.

Interdisciplinary Center for Evaluation and Intervention (ICEI)

ICEI innovative clinic is one of five in the Florida Diagnostic Learning and Resource System Network. The ICEI serves school-aged children with complex learning, behavioral, medical and socio-emotional problems as well as their families and teachers. The program is a uniqueresource for students, families, and school districts in Florida, providing comprehensive evaluation, consultation, and intervention services, parent education and support services and professional development for educators and other professionals.

Partnership for Effective Programs for Students with Autism (PEPSA)

PEPSA builds professional capacity among educators working with students with autismand related disabilities statewide. The project provides training to educators who are concerned about providing a high quality educational program to students with ASD.The project provides the following professional development opportunities: provision of regional statewide professional development activities related to serving students with ASD through regional Centers for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD); a Pre- Conference Day for educators at the Annual CARD conference; provision of support to selected teachers through mentoring with CARD staff; Summer Institutes for educators and support for teachers to earn autism endorsement.

Project Conectar: Building Capacity in a Community to Learn the Signs: Act Early

This project aims to reduce disparities in early identification of autism and other developmental disabilities (DD) and increase access to services in the largely Latino/Hispanic Little Havana community in Miami, FL. Prior to the project, families in Little Havana were not only not screening, they were seeing their children go without intervention, for the most part, until ages 7 or 8+.  

RAICES: Resources, Advocacy, Integration, Collaboration, Empowerment, and Services

The RAICES project was funded to develop a training curriculum that integrates the promotora outreach model with the local school-based case management program, known as the Family and School Support Team (FASST) to support families. This project is complete but being disseminated.

Teaching Pyramid Research Project

This project is funded by the Institute for Education Science, and is a collaborative research study conducted by investigators at Vanderbilt University, the University of South Florida, and the University of Florida.

Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention for Young Children (TACSEI)

TACSEI provides training and technical assistance to states in the adoption of effective intervention models for young children at risk for and with disabilities.