An archive of all RCAAS-related news, from Rutgers University publications (i.e., Rutgers Today and Rutgers Magazine), research publications, and more!
In the News
11.23
Dr. Vanessa Bal, Karmazin and Lillard Chair in Adult Autism; Associate Professor & Director, LifeSPAN Autism Lab and RCAAS-Psychological Services Clinic; Co-Director of Research, RCAAS, lent her expertise to the November/December American Psychological Association (APA) Monitor’s, “How to navigate adulthood on the autism spectrum.” Dr. Bal was quoted in, and her research was cited in this insightful article. It describes the “service cliff” that exists when autistic adults leave high school, the troubling sharp decline in services available after graduation. The article also describes... read more
10.23
Dr. Kahng and team’s research addresses this issue by training the RCAAS participants in this study on how to apply for a job, how to answer interview questions, and how to advocate for oneself. He explains that “everyone in the study performed better when coached one-on-one compared to being part of a group.”
Dr. SungWoo Kahng and his collaborative research, “An individualized approach to teaching adults with autism to successfully navigate job interviews via remote instruction” was featured in the New Jersey Monitor article, "Removing employment barriers for New Jerseyans with... read more
10.23
Fox 5 featured the RCAAS partnership with THRIVE Red Bank on the October 20th, 5 pm news. Watch the video, “Housing in NJ to provide independent lifestyle for autistic adults.” In this interview, Dr. Manente described the details and benefits of THRIVE Red Bank, with the hope that it will be the beginning of similar properties to come. In addition, Fox 5 interviewed two of the RCAAS-SCALE participants, Jordan and Jasmine, about why they would love to live in an apartment complex like Thrive RB and all the opportunities that come with it.
10.23
Dr. Christopher Manente, RCAAS Executive Director; Associate Professor of Clinical Practice, GSAPP Applied Psychology Department, continues his passionate advocacy to improve the quality of life for adults on the autism spectrum. He was recently featured in the NJ.Com article, "Apartment project in N.J. town designed specifically for adults with autism.” The article addresses the urgent issue of housing insecurity in the underserved population of adults with ASD and how THRIVE Red Bank, an in-construction, neuroinclusive apartment building, is working to help neurodivergent residents live... read more
6.20
The Rutgers Center for Adult Autism Services (RCAAS) recently launched a new weekly e-newsletter, On the Spectrum in Adulthood.
As mentioned in this Rutgers Today article, in light of COVID-19, the RCAAS has been providing remote services to continue to support its participants while they adjust to routines at home. While this remote support service is provided for Supporting Community Access through Leisure and Employment (SCALE) program participants and College Support Program (CSP) students only, On the Spectrum in Adulthood offers information and resources for the... read more
5.20
Congratulations to RCAAS Executive Director, Christopher Manente, PhD, BCBA, on his new role as a member of the Leadership Advisory Board for the A Place in the World project!
A Place in the World is creating a groundbreaking report related to housing options for adults on the spectrum. This project will further define market segments, establish best practices and guiding principles, and help drive crucial partnerships that address pressing needs resulting from the current housing crisis. The study will serve as the definitive resource for the... read more
3.20
The Rutgers Center for Adult Autism Services (RCAAS) will be partnering with the New Jersey Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services (DVRS) to provide training for all DVRS counselors working with individuals with autism at three strategic geographic locations (north, central, south) throughout the state. Vanessa Bal, Ph.D., Associate Professor and GSAPP’s Karmazin-Lillard Endowed Chair in Adult Autism, Robert LaRue, Ph.D., BCBA-D, GSAPP Clinical Professor, and Christopher Manente, Ph.D., BCBA, Founding Executive Director of RCAAS, will be facilitating the training. The... read more
3.20
In January 2020, Rutgers Center for Adult Autism Services (RCAAS) Founding Executive Director, Christopher Manente, Ph.D., BCBA, and SungWoo Kahng, Ph.D., BCBA-D, Associate Professor and Director of Academic Programs in Autism and ABA at GSAPP, visited Kolkata, India for the India Autism Center's Second Annual International Conference. This was a holistic three-day-conference on “Autism: Diversity and Integration.” The conference brought together professionals, researchers, educators, and parents from around the globe and opened conversations on the leading research and... read more
2.20
Jordan Hines, a participant in the Supporting Community Access through Leisure and Employment (SCALE) program, was awarded Employee of the Semester at the Cook/Douglass Recreation Center on Thursday, February 6th. SCALE is a unit within the Rutgers Center for Adult Autism Services (RCAAS) that works with adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and provides them with vocational training and employment opportunities on campus. Jordan was hired at the Cook/Douglass Recreation Center last year. Every semester, one of the over 600 employees at the Rutgers Recreation Centers is awarded... read more
6.19
Rutgers University broke ground yesterday on the new state-of-the-art facility that will house the Rutgers Center for Adult Autism Services (RCAAS), which provides employment, vocational training, and other services to individuals with autism.
The center, located on the Douglass Campus of Rutgers University-New Brunswick, is the first of its kind at a higher education institution in the United States. The new building, expected to open in 2020, will allow the center to more than double its capacity from 12 to 30 participants. The project, estimated to cost $9.5 million, is... read more
12.18
This holiday season, the Rutgers Center for Adult Autism Services (RCAAS) participated in the Rutgers Against Hunger (RAH) Adopt-A-Family Program, an annual campaign sponsored by the Rutgers University community in conjunction with local social service agencies. Once registered, the RCAAS was matched with a local family and provided a family profile form with specific information on the family’s needs. RCAAS staff and participants generously donated over $850, enabling the center to purchase all of the family’s wish list needs in addition to holiday gift cards for the family to purchase other... read more
7.18
Participants at the Rutgers Center for Adult Autism Services and the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center took part in a basketball clinic led by Walk On America Foundation co-founder and Duke University basketball player Brennan Besser. The event marked the final day of Besser’s continent-wide bicycle journey, from Seattle to Manhattan, in which he promoted awareness of and support for individuals affected by intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and raised funds for the Walk On America Foundation.
In welcoming Besser, GSAPP Associate Dean and Director of Applied and... read more
3.15
Pediatric neurologist Sue Ming and pediatric geneticist Beth Pletcher, professors at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, have worked with children with ASD for more than a decade and have seen firsthand the struggles parents face in educating themselves on how to work effectively with the medical community.
Read the full article here:
http://news.rutgers.edu/news/guiding-parents-autistic-children-through-medical-m...
5.20
The College Support Program (CSP), a unit of the Rutgers Center for Adult Autism Services (RCAAS) that supports matriculated undergraduate students on the autism spectrum, was recently featured in the College Autism Network (CAN)'s monthly newsletter! In the article, CSP Coordinator Courtney Butler, MS, BCBA, discusses the key academic and social supports the CSP continues to provide via online platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic. CAN is a national nonprofit organization linking various stakeholders engaged in evidence-based efforts to improve access, experiences, and... read more
6.19
We hear much about the crisis of securing a productive future for New Jerseyans on the autism spectrum when they "age out" of their educational entitlement at 21. But the Garden State comes up short on resources available to train those who want to work with these adults toward that goal.
That was at least the thinking behind the 2016 establishment of the Rutgers Center for Adult Autism Services, headquartered at the university's New Brunswick campus. On Monday, the center is breaking ground on what will eventually be its new home, something Christopher Manente, the center's founding... read more
6.19
Rutgers University broke ground Monday on a $9.5 million facility to expand services to a growing community of adults with autism who have aged out of school-funded programs.
Read the full article here:
1.17
Rutgers University recently hired Dr. Christopher Manente, Ph.D., BCBA, as the Founding Executive Director for Rutgers Center for Adult Autism Services’ (RCAAS) to continue development of a state-of-the-art complex designed to provide vocational training and clinical services to 60 adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Furthermore, the center will include a residence designed to house 20-30 adults with ASD, as well as 20-30 Rutgers University graduate students from diverse academic backgrounds who will all receive immersive training in providing support to adults with autism.... read more
2.13
NJ's incidence of childhood autism is almost twice the national rate, fueling concerns about a growing population of autistic adults.
Rutgers University -- long a center for research into childhood autism -- could also become a leader in studying the challenges faced by autistic adults.
Two families with children with autism are endowing a faculty position at the New Jersey school that will be dedicated to academic research on adult autism and to training people who will provide services to these adults.
Stanley Messer, dean of the Rutgers Graduate School of Applied and Professional... read more
2.13
The needs of adults with autism will be the focus of a new professorship at Rutgers University thanks to a $1.5 million gift from two Princeton families raising children diagnosed with the developmental disability, university officials announced today.
Located at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, the Karmazin and Lillard Chair in Adult Autism will pay for research and training future professionals to work in the growing field.
Read the full article here:
http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/02/princeton_families_make_15_mil.html
1.13
There are certain dreams every parent has for his or her child: good health, a great job and happiness at home. But for the parents of children with autism, that future can be "uncertain," says Michael Lillard, chief investment officer of Prudential Fixed Income, and the father of two teenage boys who are on the autism spectrum. "As a parent, you're trying to help them reach the highest potential that they can reach. That's your goal."
Read the full article here:
http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324610504578276291650120604