Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center
About Us
A key component of GSAPP's Autism Training Hub, the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center (DDDC) was built on the pioneering work of Dr. Sandra Harris. Dr. Harris founded the center in 1972 to address a lack of services available to children with autism and to train the professionals who were so desperately needed to support individuals with autism in the community. Dr. Harris also worked to build a research base to examine how to best meet the needs of autistic individuals. Until her retirement in 2001, her work had a tremendous impact on the availability of services for individuals with ASD and the training of professionals to provide those services in New Jersey, across the nation, and around the world.
Our History
In September 2022, the DDDC celebrated 50 years since its 1972 founding. Part of the Autism Training Hub within Rutgers University's Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP), the DDDC is a community-based center that focuses on the application of applied behavior analysis (ABA) to the delivery of service, training, and research to support individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).
The Douglass School Program
The Douglass School Program serves children ages 3 to 21 diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder using the evidence-based principles of ABA with emphasis on the development and generalization of instructional readiness, adaptive behavior, functional communication, social skills, functional academics, prevocational skills, and independent adaptive living skills. Functional behavioral assessment is the cornerstone for all behavior interventions.
Douglass Outreach
Douglass Outreach Services is dedicated to providing the highest quality consultation and training to meet the needs of individuals with autism spectrum disorders, their families, and the professional community. Experienced staff and consultants, all of whom are board-certified behavior analysts, use the data-based principles of ABA in service delivery through school consultation services, evaluation services, and training.
Douglass Adult Program Joins Rutgers Center for Adult Autism Services
The Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center (DDDC) has proudly served autistic adults since 1997. In 2017, the Rutgers Center for Adult Autism Services (RCAAS), a sister program within GSAPP's Autism Training Hub, was established. The DDDC and the RCAAS have worked in concert for many years to advance a shared mission of providing services, training, and research to meet the needs of adults with autism.
On July 1, 2024, the DDDC's adult clients transitioned to the RCAAS as part of Rutgers' efforts to streamline adult autism services. This transition provides former Douglass Adult Program participants with access to the RCAAS' innovative community-based and employment-focused service model and reflects the longstanding collaboration between the two programs.
Learn More About the DDDC