Message from the Director
Welcome to our SEARCH website, intended to inform campus colleagues, prospective students and the broader autism community about our research and clinical activities. With the Center for Disease Control now suggesting that autism occurs about 1 in 44, there is more of a need for autism services and supports than ever.
SEARCH is "one stop shopping" for families who need educational information for their children on the autism spectrum, from diagnosis through the transition to adulthood: Support, Education, Advocacy, Resources, Community, Hope.
What to find at SEARCH:
- An active Screening Clinic, where we utilize the "gold standard" screening instruments to determine whether or not a child falls on the autism spectrum. Screening services are offered in both English and Spanish.
- Information on evidence-based educational treatments for their child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and to learn how to differentiate those from unsubstantiated treatments.
- Opportunities for parents, teachers, and individuals on the spectrum to participate interactively in studies pertaining to: autism and school transitions, such as Smooth Sailing; the transition to adulthood; and the PEERS® social skills intervention for young Latinx teens with ASD and their parents.
- Educational trainings to assist university personnel and professors to best teach and interact with university students with ASD.
- Confidential conversations, called Faculty Office Hours, with any faculty, teaching assistants, or staff who interact with students with autism in a teaching or advisory role on campus.
We have recently established a SEARCH Fellows Fund. The center operates with a small core staff, and the weight is carried primarily by SEARCH Fellows, who are UCR graduate research assistants funded by private grants, donations, or research projects. During their doctoral program, the Fellows donate their time in providing direct service to the community of families and autism.
Please help us expand the Fellows program by supThe SEARCH center operates with a small core staff, and the weight is carried primarily by Fellows, who are UCR graduate research assistants funded by private grants, donations, or research projects. Please help us expand the Fellows program by supporting the SEARCH Center with a tax-deductible gift, so that more top-ranked students from around the country can receive their Ph.D. from UCR’s Graduate School of Education. [Make checks out to UC Regents, SEARCH Center; mail to SEARCH, Graduate School of Education, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, CA 92521.]
Finally, SEARCH has been directly involved in the production of the documentary, Autism Goes to College. The film features five college students on the autism spectrum, including UCR graduates, who talk about their postsecondary experiences, challenges, and successes. If you are interested in organizing a viewing of the documentary for your group or institution, please write autismgoestocollege@gmail.com or call 951-827-3849.
For fun, view the website and podcasts at Autism Goes to College.
And don’t forget to contact us at any time: searchcenter@ucr.edu
Finally, we recognize that the world is full of websites, and we thank you for browsing ours!
Jan Blacher, Ph.D.
Distinguished Research Professor
UCR, School of Education
UCLA, Department of Psychology
Director, SEARCH Autism Center