As many as 1.5 million Americans live within the walls of autism, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One in 150 children is developmentally and emotionally challenged by the condition.

Research shows that almost half of children with autism who participate in early, intensive behavioral intervention (30 to 40 hours of weekly therapeutic interaction for two or three years between the ages of 3 and 5) become indistinguishable from other children and go on to live relatively normal lives without support or with minimal support.

UNT is home to the first graduate training program accredited by the Association of Behavior Analysis. Widely recognized as a pioneer in training behavior analysts, UNT's graduates help thousands of children each year. In fact, most board-certified behavior analysts in Texas are graduates of UNT's program.

UNT is sharing its research findings and intervention successes globally through its international research and training collaborations, online certification in Applied Behavior Analysis and participation in regional and international conferences.

The North Texas Autism Project is a service-learning project in UNT's Department of Behavior Analysis. The project was created in response to a growing local and national need for qualified providers of behavior analytic services. The project consists of:

• Global learning community
  This project began in cooperation with the University of Stockholm and is a training program supporting professionals who provide high quality, evidence-based interventions to children with autism. Several countries will participate in the program and the model is being prepared for global availability. Evidence-based interventions have consistent scientific evidence showing that they improve client outcomes.
• Community partnership programs
  By working with private providers, non profit organizations and government agencies, behavior analysis students experience learning through service to children with autism. The students and faculty work with groups that advocate for evidence-based autism programs and share their knowledge through workshops and distribution of research results locally and internationally.
• The Family Connections Project
  The program addresses the needs of families with toddlers with autism. FCP teaches parents to look for or create opportunities to interact with their children in ways that will increase motivation and social responsiveness. By doing this, children learn increasingly complex skills through everyday family routines and activities.
• Teaching Partners in Early and Intensive Behavioral Interventions Program
  The EIBI model is similar to that of a teaching hospital. The North Texas Autism Project director and senior-level masters and doctoral students demonstrate for and closely supervise trainees. Students are critiqued during individual intervention sessions with autistic children and attend weekly clinics with supervisors to review case data and participate in clinical decision making.