Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is among the most widely known and complex of disabilities. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in 31 8-year-olds is now diagnosed with ASD, and the number of people known to have ASD has risen dramatically in the past 20 years.
For most families, an ASD diagnosis marks the beginning of a long, uncertain journey. While each family's path is distinctive, they all share the same goal: optimizing their child's potential to live a full, productive, and happy life.
Through the work of the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD) and the Mailman Center for Child Development, the University of Miami is setting the standard for autism care and neurodevelopmental support. Together, CARD and the Mailman Center are shaping the way South Florida understands and supports children with autism and their families through screening, assessment, intervention, family programming, and engagement with community resources.
Now, thanks to a gift from The Batchelor Foundation, Inc., clinicians and researchers from across the University will have the opportunity to gain pilot funding to drive innovation in autism research, care models, and other interventions.
Modeled on the highly successful Micah Batchelor Awards for Excellence in Children's Health Research, the Batchelor Bridge for Autism Grant Program will leverage the expertise and experience of CARD and the Mailman Center to award annual competitive, peer-reviewed grants supporting research and evidence-based interventions through the Department of Psychology and the Mailman Center. Projects must include cross-campus collaboration and meaningful engagement of individuals with lived autism experience.
"The Batchelor Foundation is proud and honored to build on our long-standing support of CARD and the Department of Pediatrics through the Bridge for Autism grant program," said Jon Batchelor, executive vice president and trustee of The Batchelor Foundation.
"The many programs that CARD offers, all of which are free to those families affected by autism and related disabilities, are invaluable and so needed in our communities," Batchelor added. "The Mailman Center and the Department of Pediatrics are trusted resources for evaluations and therapeutic services for families across South Florida. By jointly supporting these two stellar programs at the University of Miami, we hope to maximize their impact and results."
A vision for innovation in children's health research
Established in 1990 by the late George Batchelor, the Batchelor Foundation has had a transformational impact on pediatric research and clinical care at the University. Its generosity led to the creation of the Batchelor Children's Research Institute, the Micah Batchelor Awards, and the Batchelor Children's Cancer Research Initiative, as well as support for the Miller School of Medicine's Department of Pediatrics and pediatric community health programs.
Beyond health care, the foundation has funded research projects at the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science to deepen our understanding of climate and the ocean; and multiple initiatives in the Department of Psychology.
The Batchelor Bridge program represents the first time the foundation has funded an initiative that spans the University's medical and academic enterprises.
Daniel Armstrong, professor of pediatrics and psychology and director of the Mailman Center, knew George Batchelor well. "Twenty-plus years ago, when he started the Micah Batchelor Awards, George Batchelor said that he wanted his money to be used for people who are willing to think beyond the box and innovate," Armstrong recalled. "And the foundation, under the leadership of Sandy Batchelor, Jon Batchelor, and others, has carried that [vision] forward with the Batchelor Bridge for Autism award."
Cross-campus collaboration
Armstrong and his counterpart, Michael Alessandri, professor of clinical psychology and executive director of CARD, highlighted the cross-campus collaboration that will anchor the Batchelor Bridge for Autism program.
"The Mailman Center is really a matrix center across the University and Miller School, and we're focused on being able to bring together people to collaborate," Armstrong said. "This gift makes that concrete because it creates the infrastructure where the Mailman Center will work very closely with CARD and the psychology department in this joint effort."
For his part, Alessandri looks forward to the next chapter of autism research that the Batchelor Bridge program will initiate.
"One of the most exciting aspects of the Batchelor Bridge program was our desire to promote intentional collaboration across our campuses," Alessandri said. "Those of us who have been in the field for decades understand that true impact only comes through meaningful sharing of ideas and approaches, and multidisciplinary coalitions are the key."
As a federally designated University Center of Excellence for Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) and one of the largest centers of the Miller School of Medicine, the Mailman Center is cross-disciplinary by design. It brings together 85 affiliated faculty members and more than 100 master's doctoral and post-doctoral trainees across multiple disciplines, all focused on developmental and neurodevelopmental disabilities. In 2025, the center served about 25,000 children through its 30-plus clinical programs.
Housed in the Department of Psychology, CARD is one of seven university-based, state-funded outreach and support centers in Florida dedicated to optimizing the human potential of people with ASD and related disabling conditions. It currently serves more than 20,000 clients in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Monroe Counties, providing programs, resources, and referrals designed to help these individuals live and work as independently as possible.
Families from across South Florida look to CARD for step-by-step assistance that includes referrals for schools, speech therapists, behavioral analysts, neurologists, and pediatricians. The CARD team includes psychologists, behavior analysts, social workers, mental health counselors, and special education practitioners.
Opportunities for early-career researchers
On the research side, Alessandri points to the benefits for younger researchers presented by the Batchelor Bridge for Autism program. "The most challenging part of academia for early- to mid-career researchers is access to critical pilot funding to test their ideas," he said. "By providing this kind of support, the Batchelor Bridge program will enable faculty to be more competitive for federal and other larger grants that are proving more difficult to obtain in such a crowded and competitive grant landscape."
Armstrong emphasized the advantages that younger investigators bring. "They're the ones who can say, 'well, why couldn't we do this?' It does get people thinking out of the box at the start of their careers. And sometimes, some of our big findings are things we didn't anticipate," he said.
"That's the kind of thing I hope we see come out of this gift—that people will come up with great research ideas," Armstrong continued. "A student or young Ph.D. or new faculty member is going to say, 'What if?' Even more importantly, by including people with autism and autism experience, both those who are diagnosed and family members, we might have someone who is part of our team who says, 'What about?'
"And then, all of a sudden, we've gone in the direction that I think George Batchelor wanted us to go in."
