VCU partners with Region 1 schools to form autism consortium

By Community Member | January 7, 2016 4:58 pm

Virginia Commonwealth University’s (VCU) School of Education is partnering with the state’s Region 1 school divisions to establish the Region 1 Autism Education Consortium.

The region, including the school districts of Charles City and New Kent, will help serve approximately 2,200 students who identify or exhibit characteristics of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and receive services at the school. The consortium will allow participating school divisions to build upon shared resources and expertise among the schools and VCU to respond to the increasing demand for effectively trained educators to serve students with ASD.

“We are extremely excited to partner with VCU-ACE on this next phase of our regional autism consortium,” said Dr. James F. Lane, superintendent of Goochland County Public Schools and chairman of the Region 1 Superintendents’ Study Group. “We have worked as a region for many years to foster strong professional development across Region 1, but this new partnership with VCU-ACE will allow us to expand our program and access the best research-based techniques in supporting students with autism.