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The Help Group – UCLA Alliance Move Science into Practice

September 17, 2007
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Taking their 10 year collaboration to the next level, The Help Group, the nation's largest, most comprehensive nonprofit of its kind serving children with special needs, and the UCLA Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior recently celebrated the launch of a new initiative – The Help Group-UCLA Autism Research Alliance.

The Alliance is dedicated to enhancing and expanding clinical research in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) education and treatment. It also contributes to the development, greater understanding and use of best practice models by educators and clinicians.

"Researchers often make recommendations about 'best practice' models based on what they observe in the University setting, but we don't always know the true effectiveness of these models in the field," said Dr. Elizabeth Laugeson, director of the Alliance, who coordinates efforts between UCLA and The Help Group. "The Alliance is devoted to developing evidence-based practices for community and school settings," she said. At The Help Group, research faculty have access to a "living laboratory" and can observe the effectiveness behind their research.

Dr. Laugeson has secured the interest of three UCLA researchers in the partnership, including Dr. Connie Kasari, a professor in the UCLA Department of Education, who submitted a grant to work with students and faculty at The Help Group's Young Learners Preschool for Autism. Her research will test the feasibility of improving the language development of 3-to-5 year-old children with ASD through treatment in both joint attention and symbolic play.

To learn more about The Help Group-UCLA Autism Research Alliance contact Dr. Elizabeth Laugeson at (310) 206-8139 or elaugeson@mednet.ucla.edu.

In the above photo from left to right are Barbara Firestone, PhD, President & CEO, The Help Group; James McCraken, MD, Director, Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Semel Insititute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior at UCLA; Philip Levin, PhD, Director, The Help Group–UCLA Neuropsychology Program; Dr. Liz Laugeson, Director, The Help Group-UCLA Autism Research Alliance; Paul Satz, PhD, Professor Emeritus, Semel Insititute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior at UCLA.