Project Common Ground: Preparing highly qualified speech-language pathologists to meet the communication needs of children with autism spectrum disorder in diverse settings
This project will provide a master's degree program focused on preparing speech-language pathologists (SLPs) to work effectively with a diverse population of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) from birth to 21 years of age across home, school and community settings. The program will train 16 students each year, yielding a total of 80 highly qualified professionals over 5 years, with targeted recruiting among underrepresented minorities. METHOD: Activities of this project include: (a) training that aligns with the standards and guidelines for SLPs working with individuals with ASD; (b) providing a partnership experience for scholars to work with a family of a child with ASD; (b) expanding the curriculum to include specialized courses in ASD and augmentative and alternative communication; and (c) offering an integrated play group seminar. Scholars will complete a practicum with infants/toddlers with ASD and a school internship with school-aged children with ASD. Formative and summative evaluations will focus on the number of personnel graduated, the quality of the program, scholar and graduate competencies, and associated outcomes for children and their families.
Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC)
Autism Research Database (AFD)
