News

On April 28, nearly 1,800 guests came together to celebrate SARRC's Annual Community Breakfast themed Revolution: Redefining the Status Quo. 

For Tempe residents, Whitney and Chad Wilkinson, finding the perfect preschool for their 3-year-old daughter, Charlie, was important. A school that not only emphasized academics, but social readiness as well. Through Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center’s (SARRC) Community School, Charlie is getting a head start on all of those lessons.

When Whitney and Chad learned of SARRC’s Community School through a relative, they were interested in learning more about the school’s inclusive model.

It was 1997. Packed inside a ballroom of the Phoenix Country Club were families and individuals who were there to learn more about autism and Phoenix’s newest nonprofit. Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center— then the Southwest Autism Research Center—was holding its inaugural Community Breakfast event, marking the organization’s first fundraiser. This was an opportunity to share SARRC’s mission of supporting individuals with autism and their families.

Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center (SARRC) is kicking off Autism Awareness Month with "Spotlight on SARRC," a week-long radio campaign airing on KTAR-92.3!

Starting Monday, March 27 through Friday, March 31, interviews with our experts will air around 5:50 a.m., 7:50 a.m. and 12:10 p.m. Interviews will share hopeful stories and provide important information about the latest news with our research, programs and services. 

On Saturday, April 8, the Arizona Diamondbacks will host Autism Awareness Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness to autism!

Tickets are available at a special discounted rate and a portion of each ticket purchased through this offer will be donated to SARRC. Simply choose "SARRC" as the receiving nonprofit at check-out. The first 200 tickets purchased will include a Diamondbacks Puzzle Piece baseball hat.  

There will also be an Autism Resource Fair in centerfield with a variety of activities. SARRC will be onsite with a special booth, so be sure to stop by and say hi! 

This week, Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center (SARRC) opened its second Beneficial Beans Cafe location, nestled inside of Burton Barr Central Library. The cafe, which is part of SARRC’s social enterprise program, is now accessible Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and serves coffee and a variety of food items to library visitors and employees. But its most distinct feature is serving as a workplace-training program for young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Recent statistics show that, nationally, more than 90 percent of adults with autism are unemployed or underemployed. SARRC’s Beneficial Beans program is working on a local level to empower young adults with ASD to combat this statistic and achieve career success by offering employment preparation internships within their Beneficial Beans Café and Beneficial Beans Garden businesses.

Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center (SARRC) announced their first-ever Diagnostic Services Program where skilled clinicians work with individuals of all ages to accurately diagnose or rule out autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

When Beca found out that her 4-year-old son Miles was diagnosed with autism, she called a friend to share the news and seek advice. Little did she know that one phone call would have a major impact on her family’s experience with the diagnosis.

“She [the friend] had taken a tour of the facility with a group of elementary school counselors, therapists and psychologists,” Beca says. “She told me about her visit to SARRC and put me in contact with a school psych intern who had worked there. A few months later, Miles and I were walking in the front door to our first session.”