Home Center Affiliations Dr. Carr's Bio Choosing a Therapist Applied Research Contact Us Research & Training Center on Positive Behavior Support for Autism & Developmental Disabilities Stony Brook University Dept of Psychology Stony Brook, New York  11794-2500 Email Us autismcarr@sunysb.edu Site Designed by Melissa Bishop/DoIT Last Modified 10/10/2006 12:40:46 AM EDT

Autism Research & Training Center Applied Research for People with Autism and their Families Currently, many agencies exist in the community to serve the needs of people with autism.  However, all conscientious service providers recognize the importance of constantly developing new approaches for dealing with autism.  The unique contribution that a major research university can make is in the area of developing research that can be applied to benefit people with autism and their families.  For 33 years, our group has taken this mission seriously and has focused on issues related to the following: Applied behavior analysis Positive behavior support Family support Early, intensive behavioral intervention Problem behavior Social and communication skills Community integration School inclusion Biomedical issues Functional behavioral assessment Systems change Quality of life issues for people with autism and their families Two areas that we have researched heavily, namely, positive behavior support and functional behavioral assessment, have been incorporated into IDEA (the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), the Federal law that sets standards for dealing with people who have disabilities.  We are gratified by these developments as well as by awards we have received for our work from the Autism Society of America, the Association for Retarded Citizens, and the American Psychological Association. All of our research is designed to be useful to families and professionals, and directly  applicable.  We are constantly screening families and people with autism for our research protocols. These are some of our current projects, either ongoing, being planned, or just completed, with the investigator in charge shown in parentheses: Specific diagnostic features (syndromal elements) as setting events for problem behavior in Down Syndrome, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Fragile X Syndrome: Analysis and intervention (Megan Robinson) Analysis of barriers to succesful home-based intervention for children with autism (Samara Pulver) The relationship between child temperament and problem behavior in Autism Spectrum Disorder (Lauren Adamek) Intervention to remediate problem behavior associated with medication side effects (Jamie Bleiweiss) Development and validation of a contextual assessment inventory for problem behavior at home and in the community (Megan Robinson, Samara Pulver). A method to assess the impact of medication side effects on problem behavior (Jamie Bleiweiss). Mitigate and cope: A context-based approach to intervention for problem behavior at home (Mara Ladd). Developing friendship networks for adults with autism (Kaarin Anderson-Ryan). Physical illness and problem behavior in the classroom (Audrey Blakely-Smith). Contextual assessment-based intervention for problem behavior in developmental disabilities (Sanja Cale). Positive behavior support for families:  Reducing problem behavior and enhancing quality of life (John Innis). Long-term quality of life issues for adults with disabilities (Darlene Magito McLaughlin/Kim Mullen James). Early social communication between mothers and their preschool children with autism (Emily Jones). A multicomponent approach for facilitating social behavior with peers at school (Jamie Owen-DeSchryver).