(Sept. 12, 2017) -- Through the San Antonio Applied Behavior Analysis Project, a joint initiative between The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), the Children’s Hospital of San Antonio (the CHofSA) and the Autism Treatment Center – San Antonio, university professors and health practitioners are working together to provide UTSA students and hospital residents with a comprehensive overview of the medical and therapeutic aspects of autism treatment. The three organizations hope that by providing the specialized training, they can make autism treatment more accessible to San Antonians.
Last summer, the partners in the San Antonio Applied Behavior Analysis Project opened an autism clinic at Children’s Hospital of San Antonio. The clinic provides direct Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services to children with autism and developmental disorders, serves as a training ground for UTSA students, conducts impactful research, and helps educate parents and practitioners.
The ABA approach, widely considered one of the most effective treatment options for individuals with autism, involves understanding an individual’s behavior and modifying the environment to encourage socially appropriate behaviors. According to Leslie Neely, UTSA assistant professor of educational psychology, researchers have demonstrated that the ABA approach is particularly helpful in finding out why a child might engage in a challenging behavior so a responsive, individualized intervention can be provided. Neely says that ABA interventions have proven effective at mitigating children’s challenging behaviors, increasing their social and communication skills and improving their academic performance.
The new cross-training program was piloted at Children’s Hospital this summer. Hospital residents spent part of the summer with Neely at the hospital’s ABA clinic, learning what happens to patients after an autism diagnosis.
“This new cross-training program is unique to San Antonio, a city which is fast becoming one of the pioneers in community-oriented ABA therapy,” said Neely. “We’ve been hearing from Children’s Hospital residents that this has been an illuminating and valuable experience for them. I know it will be a similar experience for our UTSA students, who will become the ABA practitioners of the future.”
As part of the program, UTSA educational psychology, school psychology and special education students will spend the fall semester with Neely and Dr. Melissa Svoboda, director of the CHofSA’s autism center, as well as Dr. Andrew Martinez, a specialist in clinical psychology, to learn more about autism and the many available treatment services.
This program fulfills a growing need in San Antonio. A recent study funded by the Kronkosky Foundation estimates that 1 in 79 people in San Antonio and the surrounding community are on the autism spectrum. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also reports that Hispanic children are one of the fastest growing populations experiencing autism diagnoses.
“I wish this program was something I had during my training,” said Dr. Svoboda. “Many autism service providers don’t even know about Applied Behavioral Analysis. These new doctors, in their early years of training, are getting to experience it firsthand. This is the first step in getting doctors to understand what this therapy is and how it helps patients.”
UTSA is ranked among the top 400 universities in the world and among the top 100 in the nation, according to Times Higher Education.
Learn more about the UTSA Applied Behavior Analysis graduate certificate program, and the UTSA College of Education and Human Development.
Learn more about the San Antonio Applied Behavior Analysis (SAABA) Project.
Learn more about Autism Research at UTSA.
Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn.
UTSA Today is produced by University Communications and Marketing, the official news source of The University of Texas at San Antonio. Send your feedback to news@utsa.edu. Keep up-to-date on UTSA news by visiting UTSA Today. Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.
This event will acknowledge graduating seniors from the McNair Scholars program at UTSA before inducting the new cohort of scholars into the program.
North Paseo Building (NPB 5.140), Main CampusAt this memorable celebration, UTSA graduates will be introduced one-by-one to cross the stage and accept their doctoral degrees.
Arts Building Recital Hall, Main CampusRoadrunner Walk is an event for graduating students to have a memorable walk on campus to celebrate an important milestone and their achievements. Graduates will walk along the Paseo while being celebrated by the UTSA community, friends, and family members.
Student Union Paseo, Main CampusCelebrate the accomplishments of College of Education and Human Development, College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Sciences and University College.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.Celebrate the accomplishments of Alvarez College of Business, College of Liberal and Fine Arts and Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.The University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.
We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .
The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.
