Celebrating 18 Years of Grandparents Support Group
Grandparents—they’re the ones to embrace you in warm bear hugs, sneak you a freshly baked cookie before the big Thanksgiving meal, and at SARRC, they have become our most dependable group of volunteers and autism advocates. This October marks the 18th anniversary of our Grandparents Support Group. The group started in 2002 as a place […]
Ignite Speaker Series: Igniting Change for a More Inclusive Community
Join SARRC this Fall 2020 and Winter 2021 for the Ignite Speaker Series. Sign up for all events or pick your interests! There is no cost to attend. Through informative, one-hour live lectures on pertinent topics centered around autism spectrum disorder, the Ignite Speaker Series will not only educate autism providers and community members, but […]
Sibling Support
By Niamh Campbell My sister Zara and I are proud to have advocated for bringing Sibshops to SARRC in 2020. I am currently a freshman in high school, and Zara is in sixth grade. Our younger brother, Euan, is 9 years old and was diagnosed with autism four years ago. As siblings to a brother […]
5 Tips to Help Ease the Transition for Students with Autism
School in 2020 looks different for students across the nation. While a new school year is always about change—new teachers, new classrooms, new friends—2020 brings the uncertainty of virtual or in-person learning (or a combination of both), masks, social distancing, handwashing, and more. Those on the autism spectrum may struggle with these changes more than […]
SARRC Announces Julie Alpert to the Board of Directors
Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center is pleased to announce the election of Julie Alpert to its board of directors. Julie Alpert has a robust background serving in leadership roles in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. She most recently served as President of the Xavier Mothers' Guild Executive Board where she managed membership, fundraising, […]
A Whole New World
By Mathilde Rispoli I remember the first time I walked into SARRC, I was in the waiting room, waiting with my leg bouncing up and down. I was nervously thinking about what my first volunteer session as a Peer Mentor in the CommunityWorks program would be like. My only experience with autism was through stories […]
A Day in the Life Of: Marisa Carroll
Marisa Carroll is a Senior Behavior Therapist at Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center (SARRC). She has been with SARRC for three years working within the Community School, an inclusive preschool program that provides high-quality early childhood education and ABA-based programming for children with autism and their typically developing peers. Marisa normally works at the […]
A Message from SARRC’s President & CEO on COVID-19
Recently, a SARRC clinical supervisor posted this picture to her Instagram. Of all the videos, images, and memes I’ve seen since we were first hit with COVID-19, this one is by far my favorite. Many people with autism struggle immensely with even the smallest disruptions in their routines. Parents often learn the hard way to […]
Discussion on High & Low Functioning Labels
By Christopher J. Smith, Ph.D., SARRC vice president & research director Background: In 2019, autism researchers from the Telethon Kids Institute and the University of Western Australia called for the term “high-functioning autism” to be abandoned because of the misleading and potentially harmful expectations it creates around the abilities of children on the autism spectrum. […]
Future of Cyber Safety and Autism
The omnipresent accessibility of the internet is easier now, more than ever, to find what you need with the click of a button. And while the availability of information and resources is extremely valuable, SARRC recognizes there are significant safety risks for people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as they navigate a sprawling online community. […]