Research & Advocacy
The Help Group – UCLA Autism Research Alliance is an innovative partnership between The Help Group and the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. It is dedicated to enhancing and expanding clinical research into ASD education and treatment and to contributing to the development, greater understanding, and use of best practice models by educators and clinicians. The students and families of Village Glen School are very lucky to benefit from the state-of-the-art research projects that are designed to improve academic, social, and independent skills in children and adolescents.
The following studies are currently underway at Village Glen:
Autism Speaks Family Services Community Grant
National Institutes of Health (NIH) Grant
This research involves the use of a cognitive behavioral therapy intervention to treat social anxiety in children 7-14 years of age.
- Istvan Molnar-Szacaks, Ph.D.
Grammy Foundation Grant Program
Using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), this project will identify the neural pathways associated with the understanding of emotion in music for children 9-13 years of age.
UCLA Center for Autism Research and Treatment Grant
This project will identify the neural pathways associated with the processing of emotion in dynamic facial expressions for youth 8-18 years of age using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI).
- Elizabeth Laugeson, Psy.D.
Nathan and Lilly Shapell Foundation
This study is testing the effectiveness of a teacher-facilitated social skills intervention known as PEERS in improving the social functioning of Middle School students with Autism Spectrum Disorders.
SEARCH Fellowship Program
This study is investigating the factors associated with successful school adaptation for children 5-11 years of age.
UCLA Division of Head and Neck Surgery Fellowship
This study is examining differences in auditory processing in children 10-14 years of age with Autism Spectrum Disorders, in comparison to typically developing children.
