Introducing Pearl Duck Autism Center
Not all children grow and develop physically, mentally, and emotionally alike. Some children may struggle with social and emotional connections, cognitive or physical barriers, or behavioral problems, which can be extremely stressful and overwhelming for parents and child care providers who aren’t sure how to cope. Studies show that early assessment and detection of a child’s possible autism spectrum disorder or developmental disorder can be the key to gaining understanding, education, and supports for living with these diagnoses.
We are pleased to introduce the Pearl Duck Autism Center, a resource dedicated to providing assessment, education, support and research findings to families and organizations in the community. Created through a partnership between the UO University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD), the Early Autism Research and Learning for the Young Child (EARLY) and the Pearl Buck Center, the Pearl Duck Autism Center provides many education and support opportunities to both families and community members surrounding issues related to these disorders.
These are some of the services provided by the Pearl Duck Autism Center that might be useful to your family or community:
- Clinic-based assessment of autism spectrum and developmental disorders
- Home-based coaching and support for daily family life and routines
- Educational programming for parents to learn about strategies related to dealing with disorders
- Ex. Social communication treatment, play intervention and behavior intervention
- Training for family and community members, current and future teachers and other early childhood professionals on research-based intervention techniques and family-centered practices
- Ex. Workshops, clinic-based training and consultations
- Conducting and publishing research on topics involving children with autism and other developmental disabilities
- Current research projects include:
- Assessment and treatment of challenging behavior in classrooms
- Social communication intervention in classrooms
- Parent implemented behavior intervention
- Parent implemented social communication intervention
- Providing hands-on training opportunities for students pursuing a career in teaching, early intervention, behavior analysis, etc. through Student Clinicians program
The goal to improve the quality of life for families of children with autism spectrum disorders or developmental disabilities can only be reached through parent and community education and engagement, and through the support of great resources like Pearl Duck Autism Center. Consultations with families and children will begin in November, or earlier for families living in rural areas, so call to find out more info today! Families of children receiving other early intervention services are still eligible to participate.
For more information about the Pearl Duck Autism Center, or to enroll your family today, please call 541-762-1680 or contact Wendy at wmachali@uoregon.edu.