Research: How CABER uses science and service to help people thrive
The first time Tyler-Curtis Elliott heard about the Center for Autism and Behavioral Education Research (CABER), he was working at a summer camp for people with developmental disabilities. His younger brother was living with cerebral palsy and autism, which gave the 15-year-old Elliott an early understanding of the challenges many families face.
He remembers one camper in particular whom the camp almost had to turn away because of destructive behavior—until CABER stepped in to train counselors and staff in how to manage such outbursts.
CABER is a research and service unit in the University of Georgia’s Mary Frances Early College of Education, blending service, teaching, and research to support individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities across the lifespan.
“We had some people from CABER come out and do trainings on behavior support and I just distinctly remember, as a 15-year-old implementing the most basic behavior analytic principles with these campers, seeing such a stark difference,” Elliott said, now in the third year of his doctoral program in special education. “I thought it was the coolest thing in the world that we’re able to actually implement a science that improves behavior.”