About a decade ago Dr. Felice Orlich and Dr. Raphael Bernier were discussing the challenges facing the autism field because there just weren’t enough experts out in the community to support families affected by autism. So, Dr. Bernier, while a doctoral student at the University of Washington, applied for and was awarded a Huckabay Fellowship to support his efforts to develop a graduate level educational program focused on autism. After a few years (there were lots of other things going on at the time…finishing graduate school, doing residency at UCLA, setting up a research lab, etc, etc), Dr. Bernier was able to implement this program through Professional and Continuing Education at the University of Washington.
The Certificate Program, Autism Studies: Theory and Practice, as it is now named, is now in its third year. The first two years were very successful and the team of instructors is enthusiastic about this third year.
The program is a 3 course, graduate level certificate program that provides comprehensive education about autism spectrum disorder from both the scientific and practical perspectives. Over the course of the year students explore how cutting-edge research informs our understanding of autism and the most effective approaches for autism treatment and education. The program is designed for those who live with, work with or support people impacted by autism spectrum disorder.
Each of the three courses is provided either in classroom format or an online format for individuals unable to attend in person on the Seattle UW campus. For students attending class in person, you can engage face to face with your classmates and instructors as part of a highly interactive curriculum. Assignments and other course materials are delivered through Canvas, a web-based learning management system that also serves as a communications hub. For students attending online, Courses are streamed online in real time from the classroom. You interact with your instructors and fellow students via chat, using Adobe Connect web conferencing software. Assignments and other course materials are delivered through Canvas, a web-based learning management system that also serves as a communications hub.
For more information about the program .
Or, watch this short video.
What started as a thoughtful conversation between a student and mentor nearly a decade ago has transformed in the past few years into a cutting-edge educational program that helps bridge our understanding between science and practice—and all focused on autism.
