The Marquette Autism Initiative offers a number of programs and services serving autistic children, teens, and adults, and their families. Student trainees, supervised by credentialed faculty within and across their discipline, participate in the provision of programs. Marquette also has several programs, outside of the Initiative, for which individuals on the spectrum and their families might be interested.

Marquette Autism Initiative Programs 

CUES (Coping with Uncertainty in Everyday Situations): Starting in spring of 2024, we plan to introduce a new program to the Milwaukee area, the CUES program. CUES, which stands for Coping with Uncertainty in Everyday Situations, is an 8-week parent training program designed by Dr. Jacqui Rodgers and colleagues, with autistic stakeholder input, at Newcastle University in the UK. We will be training on the program in Fall of 2023 with the intention of running our first groups in Spring of 2024. The program is appropriate for families of children on the spectrum aged 6-16, who are hoping to improve their child’s and family’s ability to handle anxiety-provoking situations in everyday life.  Please reach out to us at autism@marquette.edu to be placed on our email list for more information.

 
MUSCLES Camp: Marquette offers a summer camp addressing literacy and social communication skills for children on the spectrum, aged 6-11. The MUSCLES (Marquette University Summer Communication, Literacy, and Enhanced Socialization) camp occurs during three weeks in summer. Contact MUSCLES at mary.carlson@marquette.edu, or doris.walker-dalhouse@marquette.edu for information about the camp.

 
On Your Marq, Office of Disability Services: The Office of Disability Services, in partnership with members of the Marquette Autism Initiative, offers the On Your Marq college support program for Marquette students on the autism spectrum. Please see the OYM webpage for more information.

Affiliated Marquette Programs Addressing Autism

Next Step Clinic: The Next Step Clinic, funded by the President’s Challenge award from Marquette and Johnson Controls Foundation, is a partnership amongst Marquette University, Mental Health America of WI, and NextDoor Foundation, and area churches and community organizations. The Next Step Clinic aims to bridge service gaps, ensuring that all children, regardless of race, ethnicity, language, or home zip code, have access to early developmental and mental health care, while also serving as a training site for area graduate students, who can then go on to serve more families in their careers.  The Clinic’s services include: 1) Family Navigation for all families, wherein an experienced community member and trained employee of the Clinic guides the family through the assessment and therapy process, serving as an initial connection in to services and a transition service to the next step on their journey, 2) developmental/autism assessments (medical diagnosis) for children aged 12 months to 12 years (40 families each year), and 3) child-caregiver therapeutic services (20 children with and without autism and caregivers each year; Parent-Child Interaction Therapy), and Compassion and Resilience Training for caregivers.  A 10-member Community Advisory Board, consisting of parents and community stakeholders of color, with lived experiences in coping with children’s developmental or mental health needs, steers the vision, services, and operations of the Clinic.  

 
The Marquette University Speech and Hearing Clinic: The Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology offers evaluations and therapy services for children and adults with communication difficulties, including individuals on the autism spectrum. Services are free to Marquette students who qualify for services. Please see the Speech and Hearing Clinic webpage for more details or email at speechandhearingclinic@marquette.edu.

 
Special Needs Dental Clinic: The School of Dentistry offers dental services with regard to special needs and sensory sensitivities for adults and children 13 years old and above. Marquette students may also be eligible. Contact the Advance Care Clinic for more details.