Living Independently: First Place Transition Academy, Operated by SARRC, Helps That Become a Reality for Those on the Autism Spectrum
It’s Monday at 8 a.m., which means that Lindsey Eaton, 24, is just beginning her workday. She’ll work until noon, after which she’ll take the light rail, a bus or an Uber to GateWay Community College (GWCC) for a few classes. Later, she’ll navigate her way home to the apartment she shares with a roommate […]
Autism Through the Years: How Understanding Has Evolved Over Two Decades
Thanks to a dedicated and supportive community, SARRC has spent over two decades advancing the understanding and treatment of autism. But what did the autism landscape look like back in 1997? We asked members of SARRC’s research team to reflect on those early days. Here’s a glimpse of how far we’ve come since then. What […]
Serving Up a Job: Employment Services Helps Woman Be Successfully—and Happily—Employed
The coffee kiosk at Phoenix’s City Hall is bustling, and Joanna, one of the sales associates, is busy. She currently works part-time, four days a week, making sandwiches, parfaits and popcorn; portioning foods; cleaning up; stocking merchandise; and much more. There had been a lot to absorb at first—learning all the buttons and abbreviations of […]
New Study Investigates How Aging Affects Those with ASD
In the last decade, efforts have been focused on meeting the needs of teens with autism as they transition into adulthood. In recent years, the first people diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are now reaching old age and there are many more to follow. Christopher Smith, Ph.D., SARRC’s vice president and research director, and Leslie […]
Employment Services Helps Adult with the Chance to Shine
When Emily R. Taylor of Emily R. Taylor, Attorney PLLC was facing a large-scale planning project and needed to hire someone to handle it, someone who could create databases, process files, scan items into their correct files and more, she knew just who to reach out to. As an attorney who offers elder law, special […]
Operation Santa Claus, SARRC Celebrate 16th Year
Thanks to our friends at Sanderson Ford, SARRC has been a proud partner and charity recipient of their Operation Santa Claus event for 16 years. Throughout the 2017 holiday season, Sanderson Ford hosted numerous events around the Valley collecting thousands of food, toy and donations to support its participating charities raising more than $600,000 in […]
SARRC Welcomes Two New Members to its Board of Directors
Pearl Chang Esau, educator, advocate, policy expert and leading voice in support of excellent education for all students, and Gregory Bernosky, director of state regulation and compliance for Arizona Public Service (APS), have been elected to serve on the Board of Directors of Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center (SARRC). Beginning her career as a […]
Watch A Family’s Inspiring Journey with SARRC
Kiri and Jim Rubin were confused and overwhelmed that their young son, Dean, was non-responsive to his name and surroundings, and would occasionally cause harm to himself. He would refuse to eat at times and was terrified of water. Out of desperation Kiri would stand behind him and would exclaim his name, ‘Dean, Dean, Dean’ […]
A Cross-Country Move for Services Led the Higgins Family to SARRC’s JumpStart Program
One evening in early 2017, the Higgins family ordered Chinese food for dinner. As Cherie, the mom, opened her fortune cookie, she saw the message, “You will soon be traveling southward and learn great things.” It was a sign, she thought. “I remember telling my husband it meant that we were going to get into […]
SARRC, Autism Speaks Celebrate 12th Annual Walk
Photo Credit: Sydnee Schwartz On Sunday, Oct. 29, nearly 20,000 people and 500 teams from across the state gathered at Tempe Beach Park in support of the Autism Speaks Walk in Partnership with SARRC. The annual event raised an estimated $885,000 that will go toward supporting autism programs and research. Half of all monies raised […]