The Division of Developmental Services, located at RCHSD, focuses on improving developmental and behavioral outcomes for children at risk for developmental disabilities and other special needs. Developmental Services programs identify, evaluate and treat children with developmental delays, disabilities and injuries, as well as children at risk. Through early identification, developmental treatment and parent training and education, the Division teams work to remediate the areas of delay and prevent secondary behavioral and developmental problems, helping children to reach their full learning and social potential.

The Division is in the process of strengthening its autism programs by integrating research and clinical expertise and creating the Autism Discovery Institute (ADI). The ADI at RCHSD will focus on clinical service and research, and will participate with the Center for Autism Research at UCSD to provide a comprehensive umbrella of support and services. The new center will house three toddler inclusion classrooms (replicas of the current Toddler School on campus) and two preschool inclusion classrooms, as well as a diagnostic and treatment wing for children at risk for Autism Spectrum Disorders of all ages. Construction is expected to begin in the fall of 2009.

Currently, there are a number of clinical programs and funded research programs at RCHSD and UCSD that provide identification and treatment of neurobiological or behavioral research for children with autism and their families. Through the center efforts we will continue to focus on the translation of research to practice and will ensure that clinical treatment informs ongoing research.

The Center for Autism Research is directed by Dr. Eric Courchesne and is dedicated to uncovering the brain bases and causes of autism. Functional MRI (fMRI) studies of autism aim to identify the brain structures that are abnormal and to describe their atypical growth trajectories from late infancy through adulthood. Collaborative studies of the postmortem autistic brain will provide further detail on these identified anatomic abnormalities. Current fMRI and ERP techniques are used to establish links between autistic symptoms and the brain sites responsible for them. The laboratory is funded through grants from the National Institutes of Health, private foundations and private donations.

Developmental Services Departments and Programs
•Audiology/Hearing
•Cochlear Implant program
•Neurophysiology
•Hearing aids
•Children’s Autism Intervention Center (CAIC)
•Parent-Child Developmental & Behavioral Therapy
•Child Care Center and Inclusion Program (CCC)
•Toddler School (to be merged with Child Care Center)
•Children’s Care Connection (C3)
•Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics Teaching Clinic
•Developmental Evaluation Clinic
•Developmental Screening and Evaluation Program (DSEP)
•Feeding Team
•High Risk Infant Follow Up Program (HRI)
•Occupational Therapy
•Physical Therapy
•Orthopedics
•Motor milestones clinic
•Speech-Language Pathology