Chestnut Hill College Professional Certificate Autism Spectrum Disorders

I have been working for the past year with the faculty and staff at Chestnut Hill College, Philadelphia, PA to develop a twelve graduate credit post-bachelors program designed for professionals currently living or working with transitioning students and adults with ASD.  I am proud to announce that the program is being offered this fall.  The classes occur twice monthly on designated Saturdays.  The first session is on  October 29, 2011 and the final session is  June 30, 2012.  There is still plenty of time to enroll.  For additional information, go to Chestnut Hill College website:  www.chc.edu/graduate. 

Why is this program so important? 

According to the latest Pennsylvania Autism Census, the number of adults with autism living in Pennsylvania will increase from 3,800 in 2010 to 10,000 by 2014.   As a result there will be a need for 

• High-level planning for thousands of children with ASD who will soon transition to adulthood; 

• Appropriate housing in order to accommodate the growing population of adults with ASD;

• Cross-systems coordination to maximize resources each service system has to offer;

• Consistent data collection methods to better prepare and strategize for the current and future ASD population; and

• Increased education to assist professionals in their evaluation, diagnosis, education and provision of services to their clients. 

I will be providing additional information about the Chestnut Hill College's ASD professional certificate program and the crucial need to establish supports and programs for adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders.