We are proud to share that Laurel Benjamin, a student in the SDSU/UC San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology (entering class of 2023), has been awarded a Graduate Research Grant by the Organization for Autism Research (OAR). The OAR supports research that serves the immediate needs of the autism community.
Mentored by Dr. Lauren Brookman-Frazee (UCSD), Laurel’s research focuses on advancing the implementation of evidence-based autism interventions within publicly-funded mental health and educational service systems. A key aspect of her work involves elevating the voices of caregivers to inform both implementation science and autism services research.
Laurel’s OAR-funded project will use a mixed (quantitative and qualitative) methods research approach to conduct a community needs assessment of autistic parents’ experiences navigating Early Intervention (EI) services for their child. Findings from this work will help guide the development of parent-mediated intervention adaptations, strengthen EI service supports, enhance provider training, and inform service guidelines to promote more accessible care for autistic parents and their families.
Learn more about this project and other OAR initiatives.