About the UVM Autism Collaborative

The UVM Autism Collaborative believes that health care should be autistic-centered.

We believe that care should concentrate on the quality of life and community inclusion of autistic people and their caregivers. We wholeheartedly believe that our goals will be achieved through engagement and partnership with autistic people, along with interdisciplinary practice. “Interdisciplinary practice” translates to multiple health care providers from many different backgrounds working together to achieve the same goals.

Please note: We use both identity-first “autistic people” and person-first language “person on the autism spectrum” to reflect the different preferences of our team members who are autistic.

We believe:

  • Health care should focus on the family. This is known as “family-centered care”.
  • Care should concentrate on the quality of life and community inclusion of those on the autism spectrum and their caregivers.
  • Our goals will be achieved through interdisciplinary practice. This translates to multiple health care providers from many different backgrounds working together to achieve the same goals.

Our Structure

The UVM Autism Collaborative is housed at the Center on Disability & Community Inclusion (CDCI) at the University of Vermont. This allows us to draw support from CDCI’s infrastructure team, as well interacting with and being sustained by the work of other scholars at the University of Vermont.

Additionally, locating the Collaborative at the University of Vermont provides us with the support of the UVM Institutional Research Board (IRB), UVM Sponsored Project Administration, and an institutional connection to the UVM Medical Center research network.