ALLIANCE, Ohio — The Spectrum Education Center, which provides training and education for those interested in autism advocacy and intervention, recently held an open house for its new offices located at 1725 S Arch Ave. in Alliance.

The Center, which is affiliated with the University of Mount Union, has supported the University’s students interested in autism intervention and advocacy through internships and coursework since 2014. In addition to helping Mount Union students explore careers in disability services, the Spectrum Education Center also offers professional development opportunities and Registered Behavior Technician training. 

New to the Center is intervention services for autistic members of the community. Services include the PEERS Program (social skill group intervention), individual assessment, ABA intervention and parent training. 

“Our goal is that this new space allows the Spectrum Education Center at Mount Union to provide much needed services to members of the community with autism and their families,” said Dr. Kristine Turko, founder and director of the Spectrum Education Center and professor of psychology at Mount Union. 

Those who attended the open house included interested administrators and school psychologists from districts throughout Stark County.

“The newly developed Spectrum spaces on Arch Ave. provide easy access for the community to take advantage of the exceptional services Dr. Turko and her students will offer to families,” said Dr. Sandra Madar, founding dean of the College of Natural and Health Sciences at Mount Union. "We look forward to these efforts, and other community-based health programming in this new facility in the near future." 

The Center will also host an upcoming workshop at the Arch Ave. space entitled, “Visual Supports in Practice” on Saturday, November 13. The workshop will provide an understanding on how to create and use visuals to better support individuals with autism and related developmental disabilities (DD) by increasing independence, promoting communication, and reducing challenging behaviors in the classroom and at home.

Learn more | Spectrum Education Center