News
Our video entry selected for finals in NSF 2026 Idea Machine competition
Jun. 4, 2019—The National Science Foundation (NSF) received more than 800 idea submissions for the NSF 2026 Idea Machine competition. Entries were judged and 33 are still in the running for the grand prize, including our entry, NSF announces: we need YOU to help NSF determine which entries will advance to the next stage by watching entrants’ video pitches...
Neurotypical Women with Spouses on the Spectrum Announce Support Group
May. 7, 2019—A support group for Neurotypical Women with life partners who have Asperger’s Syndrome, now a part of the Autism Spectrum Disorder, have announced regular meetings in the Nashville area. As many people on the spectrum struggle with social norms, neurotypical spouses of those individuals may struggle with an apparent lack of needed nonverbal support from such...
A few answered questions about our center
Apr. 26, 2019—Recently, an individual reached out to us with some questions. While answering these, we wondered if others out there may have similar questions about us, so we’re posting them here for everyone to see: How much is the tuition of the program? We’re trying to help people find innovations, programs, and supports that will help them...
College Inclusion Summit puts out “Call for Programs”
Apr. 12, 2019—Vanderbilt University, Nashville TN October 23-25 Call for Programs The College Autism Network is all about its members, so we rely on you for Summit presentations that share your ideas, practices, and challenges with one another during our breakout sessions. These sessions are roughly one hour in length. We are particularly interested in programs on the...
2019 College Inclusion Summit to be held at Vanderbilt University
Mar. 28, 2019—We’re proud to announce our collaboration with the College Autism Network (CAN) to host the 3rd annual College Inclusion Summit, Oct. 23-25, here in Nashville Tennessee. This summit brings together scholars, practitioners, administrators, and self-advocates to discuss evidence-driven strategies to support college students with autism and other learning differences. Visit their website to learn more,...
TPI gives 2018 update on jobs for Nashville folks on the spectrum
Mar. 8, 2019—Our partners at The Precisionists (TPI) established a presence in Nashville in 2017 by opening a local branch, an Innovation and Technology Center, in the Metro Center section of Nashville. They specialize in contracting out autistic employees to local companies looking to hire neurodiverse talent. In 2018 (particularly the second half of the year), TPI formalized contracts with...
Spring retreat for our center successfully concluded
Mar. 5, 2019—On Monday (March 4, 2019), representatives of leadership throughout the Vanderbilt community gathered for a spring retreat to discuss the future of our center. We reviewed how we got to today, what we learned from our successes and struggles, and explored such questions as: What does success mean for the center in the first two...
Frist Center for Autism and Innovation featured in Vanderbilt Magazine
Feb. 22, 2019—Vanderbilt Magazine published an article, The Innovation of Autism: The newly endowed Frist Center for Autism and Innovation seeks to unlock unique talents. This article explores how our center came into being and highlights a number of staff, with a lovely side article about one of our Vanderbilt University undergrads who’s also on the spectrum,...
Construction underway for our center
Jan. 24, 2019—Construction has begun on the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation, located on the main floor of the Wond’ry, where the Au Bon Pain used to be. Construction should be complete by late spring.
Photos from Nov. 29 Conference now available
Jan. 4, 2019—Anyone interested in seeing some photos from our conference featuring Temple Grandin are welcome to see them here.