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Hussman Institute for AutismHussman Institute for Autism
Hussman Institute for Autism
Advancing Discovery. Embracing Differences. Enabling Communication. Presuming Ability.
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Program on Supports


The Institute’s Program on Supports is focused on developing a continuum of resources to serve the day-to-day needs of individuals with autism, including training materials, model programs, and research‐based practices, centered around principles of positive, naturalistic, humane support, and the presumption that individuals with autism are competent—even if they face significant challenges demonstrating it through communication and initiation.

Our primary focus is on individuals with autism who have limited or minimally-verbal communication; behavioral, sensory and motor challenges; and the need for significant day-to-day support.  While the Institute is not an activity center or fee-for-service clinic, the Institute develops a variety of programs and activities for individuals with autism.  These exploratory programs and activity groups support development of best practices that can act as models for replication in other communities.

We work to translate research findings related to intervention, communication, and inclusive education into resources that a) have sufficient evidence as first-line approaches, and b) increase the access of families and schools to practical, implementable materials that will change how people with autism are supported day-to-day.

We believe that naturalistic, inclusive, behavioral approaches in autism need to be expanded and demonstrated more comprehensively, and that families with autism would benefit from a stronger “roadmap” of supports ranging from the small to the comprehensive:

  • Introductory materials for families facing a new diagnosis, where existing introductions to autism are often laden with words such as “deficit,” “disorder,” and “impairment”;

  • Core training materials (4-6 hour trainings, single manuals, brief videos) for parents, teachers, paraprofessionals, and physicians, where a large impact can be created simply by moving from “nothing to something” at a low cost of implementation;

  • Comprehensive programs such as broad, manualized teaching approaches and curricula for parents and schools, as well trainer-of-trainer approaches to maintain instructional integrity;

  • Advocacy films demonstrating the impact of educational methods, inclusion, support, and the presumption of competence through examples and personal stories.

  • Longitudinal materials such as video footage and multi-year studies of multiple individuals, tracking and supporting transition into adolescence and adulthood – to demonstrate what is possible for individuals with autism and identify “active ingredients” that best support learning, communication, and greater independence.

“Our primary focus is on individuals with autism having limited or minimally-verbal communication; behavioral, sensory and motor challenges; and the need for significant day-to-day support.”


Learn about our research programs:

Positive Behavior Supports

Positive Behavior Supports

Augmentative and Alternative Communication

Augmentative and Alternative Communication

Communication and Inclusion

Communication and Inclusion

  • “The soul must be loved as it is.”

    Jamie Burke
  • “Autism awareness can’t stop with a list of what makes people with autism different from us. Because what is essential is the constant awareness of what makes us the same.”

    John P. Hussman, Ph.D., Director
  • “And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

    The Little Prince

    Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
  • “We agree with the view that presuming competence is the least dangerous assumption.”

    John P. Hussman, Ph.D., Director
  • “Autism is not disability.”

    Jamie Burke
  • “We are just like you, with the same desires, and just need help to be typical members of society.”

    Sue Rubin
  • “In the end, the best argument for inclusion is the simplest. It’s the one we know by heart – that all of us are created equal.”

    John P. Hussman, Ph.D., Director
Subscribe & Stay Informed
Recent Activity:
  • Autism Kit for First Responders
    April 21, 2022
  • Supporting Students with Special Needs: Online Training Modules for School-Based Professionals who Support Students with Disabilities
    April 16, 2019
  • Parental optimism, school inclusion may affect long-term progress of individuals with autism
    April 12, 2016
  • Young adults with autism increase empathic communication with training
    March 24, 2016
Contact

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Administration & Program on Autism Supports
Hussman Institute for Autism
6021 University Blvd, Ste 490
Ellicott City, MD 21043
Phone 443-860-2580 | Email info@hussmanautism.org

Research Laboratories
Hussman Institute for Autism
1011 Sunnybrook Road, Ninth Floor
Miami, FL 33136
(3 blocks from the Hussman Institute for Human Genomics)
Phone 443-860-2580 | Email info@hussmanautism.org

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