ADVOCACY, EDUCATION & SOCIAL POLICY  
Below are descriptions of the Advocacy, Education and Social Policy grants that are currently active. To view a list of past grants in this area, please click on the link below.

Advocacy, Education and Social Policy - Past Grants



Autism Consortium, Boston, MA
2007-2009


Autism Consortium Family and Clinician Support

As the Autism Consortium embarks on a Boston-wide research endeavor to develop a greater understanding of the etiology and treatment of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), this grant will enable the Consortium to provide care and support to the families and clinicians involved in their research. Through the Family Support component of this project, the Autism Consortium will provide several participating Boston-area institutions with Autism Family Resource Specialists who will provide support to families grappling with the diagnosis of autism. The Resource Specialists will be trained in how to support families dealing with the feelings that accompany a diagnosis of ASD, and how to educate others at their institutions. The Resource Specialists will provide educational materials to families including research program information. In addition, Resource Specialists will provide consultation/coaching, set up parent-to-parent support programs, and arrange topical seminars. The Resource Specialists will thus provide critical continuity with families from the time of diagnosis over the course of the research program. Through the Clinician Support component of this project, the Consortium will provide support for quarterly meetings of participating clinicians to share best practices, raise issues or concerns about the research program, learn about emerging research findings, and identify opportunities for research and improved care.

The Autism Consortium



Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
2007-2017


Principal Investigator: Stuart Altman, Ph.D.


The Creation of the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy and the Lurie Chair in Disability Policy at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management

The Foundation has provided a grant to Brandeis University to help create the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy and endow a professorship at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management. The Lurie Institute for Disability Policy will conduct research on disability policy in the United States with a special emphasis on autism, focusing on the lifespan of persons with disabilities and their families. The Institute will explore how human services and public benefits are provided to persons with developmental disabilities and their families and also how persons with disabilities can become self-advocates. The Lurie Institute will train the next generation of researchers at the doctoral level and policy makers at the doctoral and master's levels. It will offer courses on disability policy to undergraduates, raising their awareness of and interest in careers in the field of disability policy and research. The Institute will also shape public policy on issues related to autism and other disabilities as these issues affect children, the aging population, special education, health care, and transitions across the life span for persons with disabilities and their family care givers. Through this grant, the Foundation has provided an endowment to create the Lurie Chair in Disability Policy and operating funds for the first ten years of the work of the Lurie Institute.

The Heller School for Social Policy and Management



Brandeis University , Waltham , MA
2006-2008


Principal Investigator: Susan Birren, Ph.D.

Education and Research in Autism and Human Developmental Disorders


Solving the mysteries of autism spectrum disorders and developing effective therapies is critically dependent upon the recruitment of new research scientists into the field. The decision of young scientists and physicians to focus their research on problems related to autism can be influenced by educating students and young scientists about the importance of the field and the exciting, interdisciplinary science taking place. The investigator proposes a new model for autism education that includes the expansion of an innovative undergraduate course on autism and related disorders, integration of undergraduates into autism-related laboratory research, and training advanced graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in autism education and research. Guest lecturers will expose students to their research and clinical work in the autism field. Students will undertake independent research projects and participate in class colloquium including poster sessions and oral presentations. A web-based manual will be prepared, including a sample syllabus, reading lists and other published and on-line resources, as well as suggestions for student involvement developed from the experience of conducting this course. The goal of this project is to increase awareness of our current understanding of autism spectrum disorders and their impact on society, and to establish an ongoing mechanism for translating that awareness into a commitment to pursue autism research. This program will provide a blueprint for other institutions interesting in expanding programs in autism education and will have a significant impact on young scientists as they make decisions about their future research careers.

Click here to read the NLMFF Interview with Dr. Birren


Susan J. Birren, Ph.D.



Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY
2007-2011

Support of Postgraduate Courses at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory related to Autism Spectrum Disorders as part of the CSHL Brain Health Initiative: Focus on Autism and Related Developmental Disorders

The NLM Family Foundation, in partnership with other autism-focused organizations, supports educational programs at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) related to autism spectrum disorders. As part of the Brain Health Initiative being developed at CSHL, CSHL is now working on new postgraduate courses designed to promote greater understanding of the neurobiological and genetic mechanisms affecting brain health. To enhance and extend research efforts on autism and related developmental disorders, the Initiative's Focus on Autism and Related Developmental Disorders has developed two new postgraduate lecture courses led by a distinguished faculty of top researchers from around the world. One course, Workshop on Autism Spectrum Disorders takes an integrative approach to present the clinical, genetic, neurobiological and cognitive elements of autism spectrum disorders to senior postdoctoral fellows, assistant professors and neuroscience faculty interested in initiating research in these topics. The second course, Biology of Social Cognition , addresses how cognitive processes involving social behavior are developed and how they are altered or dysregulated in autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disorders.

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory



Combined Jewish Philanthropies / Hebrew College, Newton, MA
2003- End of fund


Support of the Jewish Special Education Program


This grant establishes a perpetually endowed fund for college scholarships and for increased inclusion of students with special needs into educational programs at Hebrew College.  It includes funding to develop new courses and faculty in the Jewish Special Education Program, to support student stipends, and to support a series of specialized seminars on the role of special education in the Jewish community.  It also provides outreach support to inform community families about educational opportunities for special needs students at the College. 

Hebrew College



Massachusetts Advocates for Children, Boston, MA
2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007


Establishment and Support of the Autism Special Education Legal Support Center

The goal of this project is to provide training, technical assistance, and advocacy services necessary to ensure that children with autism receive equal educational opportunities. Goals include: Providing parents with information about state-of-the-art services and programs available to meet individual needs of students with disabilities; Insuring that children with autism receive special education services necessary to reach their potential in areas impacted by their disability; Increasing public awareness and understanding of the potential and competency of individuals with autism, targeting policy makers, media, educators, service providers, as well as the general public. The Autism Special Education Legal Support Center will accomplish these goals by: providing community-based workshops for parents, educators, and medical professionals regarding legal rights and range of service options available for children with autism; providing a hotline to give legal and technical assistance to families of children with autism; training attorneys to increase representation of low-income students with autism to ensure that children receive legally mandated special education services; and providing information to the media, the legislature, and other policy makers regarding changes necessary to ensure children with autism receive services that reflect their potential.

Click here to read the NLMFF Interview with Massachusetts Advocates for Children

Massachusetts Advocates for Children



State of the Art, Inc., Washington, DC
2007-2008


Television Documentary Project: “The Science of Autism”

The Foundation provided a challenge grant to State of the Art, Inc. to underwrite the production of a television documentary on the science of autism. The film will provide an overview on the most current autism research in the areas of genetics, immunology, epidemiology and brain physiology. The documentary will be approximately one hour in length and will be a co-production of State of the Art, Inc and KCET, Los Angeles . It will be broadcast on KCET and public television stations throughout the United States. In the first broadcast release, KCET estimates audience reach will be 6 million households and 8 million individuals.

State of the Art, Inc.



Yale University , Child Study Center , New Haven , CT
2007-2009

Principal Investigator: Fred Volkmar, MD


Undergraduate Education in Autism (Co-funded with the Lurie Family Foundation)

Since 1984, the Child Study Center has conducted a Yale College seminar course on autism and related conditions. This grant supports the expansion of that course, which over 800 students have participated in over the years. As part of this course Yale College students attend a weekly 90-minute seminar on autism led by Dr. Fred Volkmar and Dr. Ami Klin. Students also spend three to four hours per week in a field placement at the Benhaven School working with significantly behaviorally and developmentally challenged students. The seminar portion of the course is designed to cover topics in diagnosis, treatment, genetics, and research with each meeting led by a different Yale faculty member under the supervision of Drs. Volkmar and Klin. Students are typically drawn from diverse backgrounds but usually include one or two siblings of a child with autism, pre-med and pre-law as well as psychology students.

Child Study Center, Yale University


 
Copyright © 2005 Nancy Lurie Marks Family Foundation