National Autism Spectrum Disorder and Community of Research and Practice (NASD-CORP)

Sponsors

The Center for Autism & Related Disabilities (CARD-USF)

CARD-USF is a community-based project that provides information and consultation to individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders and related disabilities across a 14-county region. CARD-USF offers instruction and coaching to families and professionals through a training and assistance model. In 2014, CARD-USF partnered with the Hillsborough HIPPY Parent Involvement Project, another USF project, to train HIPPY Parent Educators to serve families with children diagnosed with ASD.

Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY)

HIPPY started in Israel in the 1960’s funded by the Ford Foundation. The program has spread to 15 countries and, in the US, almost 130 sites. HIPPY’s mission is to partner with parents of children ages two through five to prepare their children for school; however, HIPPY does much more than that. A wide range of studies using many different methodologies have been conducted worldwide showing that children are better prepared for school, parents feel more confident in their ability to teach their children, and Parent Educators recruited from among program participants, develop skills and training needed for college and career development.

The Florida HIPPY Training & Technical Assistance Center (T&TAC)

T&TAC at USF is the administrative office of HIPPY programs in Florida and is funded by the Florida Department of Education Division of Early Learning. Each year, Florida HIPPY serves more than 2,000 families with children ages two through five residing in 20 counties. Two studies using statewide data from the Florida DOE demonstrate the significant effects HIPPY has on children’s school performance. In 2024, the T&TAC secured funding from the Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County to develop NASD-CORP to accomplish this important work.