NFAR Funds CARD’s Create Opportunities to Meet Peers and Advance Social Skills study.
Last month, NFAR awarded a Community Project Grant to the Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD) research and development department to fund their Creating Opportunities to Meet Peers and Advance Social Skills (COMPASS) study. Looking for the best ways to teach social skills in a playgroup setting to children with autism spectrum disorders between the ages of 5 to 7 years, the study will specifically measure each participant’s improvement and generalization of skills in five key areas: sharing, turn-taking, initiating play, joining play, and maintaining play.
“We are grateful for NFAR’s support,“ says Dr. Jonathan Tarbox, CARD Director of Research and Development and the study’s Principal Investigator. “Many individuals with autism spectrum disorders face significant challenges in the development of social skills. Our study will conduct behaviorally oriented playgroups with the goal of enhancing foundational social skills. We are hoping the San Diego study can provide a research-based model that any community can easily duplicate.”
COMPASS will include 24 children over several 12-week playgroups, beginning in February 2012. To learn more about the study or for participation information, please contact Theresa Contreras M.A. at 858-278-6603 or via email.
About the Center for Autism and Related Disorders
The Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD) is among the world’s largest and most experienced organizations effectively treating children with autism and related disorders with state-of-the-art therapy. The mission of CARD’s research and development department is to conduct empirical research on the assessment and treatment of autism and to disseminate its research findings and derived technology through publication and the education of both professionals and the public.
