New Designation Conveys NECC Graduate Students’ Distinction as Autism Educators
Southborough, Mass. – January 28, 2019 – The New England Center for Children® (NECC®), a global leader in autism education and research for children with autism, in partnership with Simmons University Department of Education, is excited to announce an Autism Specialization designation within the Master of Science in Education degree (MSEd) earned on-site at NECC.
“The new designation conveys the prestige and distinction of an NECC graduate’s credentials,” said Chris Evans, Associate Professor of Practice/Graduate Program Director at Simmons University. “In addition, the designation adds recognition to the excellent work NECC graduate students do for students with autism.”
NECC established a graduate training partnership with Simmons in 1992 to provide NECC staff with easily accessible graduate training opportunities at little to no cost to the teacher. Graduate students in this program are full-time staff at NECC and work daily with students with autism. Classes are taught on-site at NECC in the John and Diane Kim Autism Institute or via video conference for graduate students working at NECC’s Abu Dhabi school: The Mohammed bin Rashid Center for Special Education.
To date, the Simmons/NECC on-site program has graduated 1,103 master’s level special education teachers.
Part of NECC’s Core Values include a commitment to staff professional development, so that children with autism receive effective services from highly skilled teachers. The result is a growing pool of exceptional teachers, whether they continue their careers at NECC or move on to public schools or private agencies.
The Autism Specialization has been added to the degree to reflect the program’s autism-focused coursework and the graduate students’ field-based experiences using applied behavior analysis (ABA) with the autism population at NECC.
Upon successful completion of the program, graduates will now receive an MSEd with the Autism Specialization designation, MA DESE licensure as a Teacher of Students with Severe Disabilities – All Levels, and the DESE Sheltered English Immersion Endorsement.
The designation will officially begin in the fall of 2019 with the new Simmons graduate course catalogue.
About The New England Center for Children
The New England Center for Children® (NECC®) is a world leader in education, research, and technology for children with autism. For more than 40 years, our community of teachers, researchers, and clinicians have been transforming lives and offering hope to children with autism and their families. NECC’s award-winning services include home-based, day, and residential programs; public school partnerships and consulting; the John and Diane Kim Autism Institute; the ACE® ABA Software System (www.acenecc.org) currently used by more than 6,100 students and teachers in 27 states and 10 countries; and ABAplus®, an online professional learning platform for educators. NECC received the 2017 Award for International Dissemination of Behavior Analysis from the Society for the Advancement of Behavior Analysis (SABA). A 501c3 non-profit, The New England Center for Children is based in Southborough, MA, and operates a center in Abu Dhabi, UAE. More information is available at www.necc.org.
Contact:
Michele Hart
The New England Center for Children
(508) 481-1015 x4049
[email protected]
Sasha Goodfriend, Assistant Director, Communications & Public Affairs
Simmons University
(617) 521-2473
[email protected]