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| ADVOCACY, EDUCATION & SOCIAL POLICY |
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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
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