Our Program
The Autism Intervention Research Program is located on the campus of the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). Under the direction of Dr. Laura Schreibman since 1984, this federally-funded research program focuses on the experimental analysis and treatment of autism. Over the years the research objectives of our laboratory have included the improved understanding of communication, social, play, and attentional deficits in this population with the ultimate goal of developing effective treatment programs. Specifically, our main focus is on the development, delivery, dissemination, and evaluation of behaviorally-based interventions, typically within a parent-training delivery model. We are primarily involved in the development and evaluation of a naturalistic behavioral treatment, Pivotal Response Training (PRT).
We are currently funded by several agencies of the National Institutes of Health (as a Core of the UCSD Autism Center of Excellence) and by the U.S. Department of Education. Our ACE Core project focuses on the evaluation of very early behavioral intervention (at ages 18-36 months) with the ultimate goal of developing individualized treatment protocols for these children. Our Department of Education project is a translational study designed to transfer empirically-based treatment for autism into community.