New VCU Autism Center for Excellence Website Launches!
Virginia Commonwealth University Autism Center for Excellence (VCU-ACE) launches its website!
The website provides information on training activities occurring throughout the state as well as a host of online training events for anyone who lives with, works with, or supports an individual with an autism spectrum disorder. Additionally, resources including fact sheets and summaries of journal articles on topics related to ASD are available by browsing categories of interest. We hope that you find our new site easy to navigate as you explore our rich content on individuals with autism spectrum disorder living and learning in the community.
VCU-ACE wants to be your resource of choice related to information on how to support individuals with autism. Over the coming months, our website will disseminate the most up-to-date evidence-based practices in the Commonwealth of VA and the Nation! Please visit us regularly. -- Dr. Paul Wehman, VCU-ACE Director
What is VCU-ACE?
The Virginia Commonwealth University Autism Center for Excellence (VCU-ACE) is collaboration between the Virginia Department of Education, the VCU School of Education, Department of Special Education and Disability Policy, the School of Medicine, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and the VCU Research Rehabilitation and Training Center. Primary funding is provided by a grant from the Virginia Department of Education with partial funding provided by a grant from the Virginia General Assembly through the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services.
VCU-ACE was created to address the needs of the growing and diverse population of people with ASD from birth through adulthood in the Commonwealth. The Center's mission is to build state- and system-wide capacity to improve individual outcomes through efforts in the areas of research, training, technical assistance, and collaboration. Meet the VCU-ACE Staff
Technical Assistance Activities
Call for Applications from School Divisions Wishing to Improve Service Delivery for Students with ASD!
VCU-ACE is requesting applications from school divisions who wish to become exemplary sites in the provision of high quality educational services for students with ASD. VCU-ACE will select four to eight school divisions who are prepared for a long-term commitment to systems change to receive targeted school-division wide technical assistance. School divisions who are selected to participate will receive two to three days a week of embedded technical assistance from VCU-ACE technical assistance associates. Any school division in the Commonwealth of Virginia is eligible to apply. The deadline for applications is February 25, 2011, apply now! Details
Upcoming Webcast
Teaching Communication to Young Children with Autism
Spectrum Disorder
Date: March 8, 2011, 3:30pm
Dana Childress, M.Ed.
Participate in our second online webcast! Dana Childress will provide a description of the communication characteristics of young children with ASD. Parents, educators, and early interventionists will learn effective strategies for supporting the communication development of individuals with ASD in the school, home, and community environments, with a focus on natural environment teaching strategies. Register Online
Virginia Commonwealth University's Autism Center for Excellence (VCU-ACE) is funded by the Virginia State Department of Education (Grant # 881-61172-H027A100107).