Thanks to a $489,000 grant the University of North Texas’ Kristin Farmer Autism Center (KFAC) will continue to provide support to families across the state who have a child with autism spectrum disorder.

The grant from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s Autism Grant Program will enable the center and the Texas Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters to continue its partnership for the next two years.

“The new grant will allow UNT’s KFAC and the Texas HIPPY collaborative program to reach even more families around the State of Texas, especially in areas where autism support services are challenging to find,” said Kevin Callahan, executive director at KFAC. “The A+HIPPY curriculum will ensure that all the children enrolled in the program are better prepared to maximize their success in public schools.”

The collaboration, which is currently serving 82 families around the state, is aimed at children 3 to 5 years old and their parents and can serve up to 100 families. The Kristin Farmer Autism Center is providing training to Texas HIPPY staff, who then conduct weekly home visiting services.

The program aims to improve the family’s knowledge of autism spectrum disorder, teach basic skills associated with evidence-based autism interventions, increase key developmental and school readiness skills and reduce parental stress.

To find out where the programs are available visit, http://locations.texashippy.org/.