Sandra L. Harris, Ph.D.

Sandra L. Harris is a Board of Governors Distinguished Service Professor of Clinical Psychology at GSAPP and the Department of Psychology in SAS. She is also executive director of the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center, a university-based program for the treatment of children with autism. Her research and clinical interests focus on people with autism and their families. She has written extensively in this area, including several books and dozens of journal articles and book chapters. Dr. Harris consults nationally to schools and organizations that serve people with autism and has served as an expert witness in legal cases concerning the rights of people with developmental disabilities. She is an associate editor of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, a fellow in the APA divisions of Clinical Psychology and Child and Youth Services and a fellow in the American Psychological Society.  Dr. Harris is a licensed practicing psychologist. Dr. Harris's book, Siblings of Children with Autism received the 1995 Autism Society of America Award for Literary Achievement.
 

Research Interests and Clinical Work

Behavioral treatment of autism and other severe developmental disabilities; parent training and the impact of the handicapped child on functioning of the family.

Email: sharris@rci.rutgers.edu

Professor Sandra Lee Harris recalls a time when the parents of children with autism were routinely told one of two things—autism was the parents’ fault, or there was nothing to be done about it. "There was no way for parents to win," she says. "Either it was the tragedy of losing the child to an institution, or being blamed about the autism, or both."

As a pioneer in the research and treatment of autism, Harris knows differently. In 1972, when most people did not even know what autism was, she founded the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center to meet the needs of children and adults with autism and their families. The center’s school program now employs Applied Behavior Analysis, an intensive form of treatment, to help those with autism respond to others and make their way in the world. Earlier this year, Harris received the first President’s Award for Research in Service to New Jersey from the university in recognition of her work at the center and her dedication to understanding autism and its effects.

We talked to Harris about the amazing strides in treating autism since the early 1970s.

How would you describe the general perception of autism in 1972, when you started the center?
Most people had never heard of it. I remember shortly after we opened, getting a phone call from a woman who said she was interested in the center. She heard we had a center for artistic children, and her daughter could draw very well. Times have changed.

What were the challenges and obstacles facing parents in those days?
In the first five years or so after we opened, it was very routine for me to have an interview with a family in which they would say they had been to see Dr. So-and-So who had said it was their fault. They would begin to cry. It was terribly painful. This is a hard enough road to walk, but then to have someone say you did this to your child was devastating for families.

And now?
That doesn't happen anymore. To the contrary, now my experience is that when families come to us, they're very enthusiastic about collaborating, they ask really intelligent questions, and they’re much more sophisticated about what the process is and what their child needs.

In its early days, how did the center’s approach differ from the prevailing notions about autism treatment?
From the day we opened our doors, we included parents as partners in the treatment process. We taught them the methods that we used, and they used them at home. We sent people into the home to support the parents from the very beginning. There were very few places in the whole country at that point where parents could find that. And we set about this work with a kind of optimism that we could teach these children the skills they need to function more effectively - and we did. We took children who might otherwise have been destined for state institutions and gave them enough skills and abilities to cope in the world.

And how far have we progressed?
I’m still amazed at the transformation in what we do today. When we get a child at the preschool level—a three-year-old, for example—about half the time we’re able to help that child move into a regular kindergarten by the time he turns five or six. That was something nobody dreamed of 30 years ago.

What gives you the most hope about the future for children and adults with autism?
We keep getting better at being teachers. Applied Behavior Analysis becomes more potent. Every time you turn around, we’ve learned something new that we’re able to apply. And the other thing is happening all over campus in the labs of my Rutgers colleagues, who are working on the biological aspects of autism. It’s going to take time, but I am optimistic, ultimately, about finding the genetic factors that are involved, and if there are other things involved, like environmental and stress-related factors. That kind of understanding points to this tremendous potential, ultimately, to put schools like ours out of business—not tomorrow, but eventually.

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Distinguished Service Award

Sandra Lee Harris, an expert on autism and children, named Distinguished Service Professor by Rutgers Board of Governors

December 13, 2002

NEW BRUNSWICK/PISCATAWAY, N.J. - The board of governors of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, named Sandra Lee Harris a Distinguished Service Professor during its Dec. 13 meeting.

Harris is a professor of clinical psychology at Rutgers' Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology and a professor in the department of psychology in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences - New Brunswick. An expert in the field of autism and children, she has earned international recognition for her pioneering work.

"The Board of Governors Distinguished Service Professor is one of the highest honors that the university can bestow upon a professor," said Joseph J. Seneca, university vice president for academic affairs. "This professorship is an affirmation of Sandra's groundbreaking work, which has so deeply influenced practice, and of the compassion she has shown to so many individuals with disabilities and their families. It also recognizes the inspiration that she has provided to generations of Rutgers students by dedicating her career to the service of those in need."

The Distinguished Service Professorship was established in 1999 to recognize sustained and exceptional service by a faculty member at the full professorial rank to the university, to the academic profession, to the state or nation, or to the broader community.

The board's resolution stated, in part, "professor Harris has been acclaimed in the documented testimonies of nationally distinguished leaders and scholars for her extraordinary leadership, her exemplary career, and her seamless integration of path-breaking research with applied outreach and practice to the great benefit of children with autism and their families."

For more than 30 years, Harris' research and clinical interests have focused on children with autism and their families. In 1972, she founded the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center (DDDC) and provided leadership as its long-serving executive director. The DDDC was one of the first programs in New Jersey to develop behavioral programs for autistic children and train psychologists to treat this disorder. The center has become a world leader in assisting children with autism and their families, and for teaching undergraduate and graduate students the most advanced treatment procedures.

Harris, a resident of Piscataway, is the author of several books, including "Right from the Start: Intensive Behavioral Intervention for Young Children with Autism" and "Siblings of Children with Autism: A Guide for Families." The latter received the 1995 Autism Society of America Award for Literary Achievement. She is also an associate editor of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

Harris consults nationally to schools and organizations that serve people with autism. She has served as an expert witness in legal cases concerning the rights of people with developmental disabilities. She is also a former dean of Rutgers' Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology.

"I am honored to receive this professorship," said Harris. "Thanks to years of support from many facets of the university, Rutgers has been able to develop one of the leading programs in treating autism. The work we are doing here is so important to the well-being of children and their families. This professorship will only enhance and further that work."

More than 50,000 men, women and children in America are afflicted with autism, a neurological disorder. Autism is a lifelong developmental disability, usually diagnosed in the first three years of life, that impacts the normal development of the brain, resulting in difficulties with behavior, social interaction and communication skills.

  

President's Award for Research in Service to New Jersey

Autism Expert Sandra Harris Receives First Research in Service to New Jersey Award; President Awards Seed Money to Five Projects

May 11, 2005

NEW BRUNSWICK/PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Sandra Lee Harris, whose pioneering work with autistic children and adults has touched thousands of individuals and families in the state, has received the first President's Award for Research in Service to New Jersey from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Harris was honored by Rutgers President Richard L. McCormick as part of his new Program for Research in Service to New Jersey, recognizing outstanding research and programming initiatives that service the interest of New Jersey citizens.

Harris, Board of Governors Distinguished Service Professor of Psychology, has taught for 36 years at Rutgers in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology. She is the founder and executive director of the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center, which provides educational and therapeutic services to children and adults with autism and to their families. She was recognized for her work at the center and her dedication to understanding autism and its effects on sufferers and their families.

"Dr. Harris has touched the lives of thousands of individuals and their families and profoundly enhanced that most fundamental of human conditions, the ability of each person to reach his or her potential," McCormick said.

Harris came to Rutgers in 1969 and started the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center on the Douglass campus in 1972 to provide an opportunity for undergraduates to work closely with developmentally disabled people. Children with autism and their families soon became the center's main focus.

Harris' own epiphany came when she worked with an autistic boy who had severe self-injury problems, and for whom none of the traditional therapies seemed to work. Harris' experience with him was both rewarding and frustrating. She and her colleagues were able to help him some, but not enough to make a profound impact on his life.

"That experience was a big part of what captured me," she says. "And the other part was that with other kids and their families we did see significant improvement, and my colleagues and I thought this was a population we could help."

Today, the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center operates a school, offers outreach to schools throughout the state, and performs diagnostic work and academic research. Graduate students come from around the country to work with people with autism and to study at the center.

The original reason for the center's founding - undergraduate education - is still an important part of the program. Undergraduates come from all over the university and from many disciplines to work with children on the autistic spectrum, and many go on to specialize in autism as therapists or educators. Reflecting on more than 30 years of work at Rutgers, Harris says, "I've been very fortunate, because Rutgers has allowed me to integrate my research with service to the community in just the right way."

  

Recognition by Acting Governor Codey

May 23, 2005

NEW BRUNSWICK/PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Acting Governor Richard J. Codey today recognized Rutgers Professor Sandra Lee Harris, whose pioneering work with children and adults with autism has touched thousands of individuals and families in the state, on being the first recipient of the President's Award for Research in Service to New Jersey from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.

Codey acknowledged Harris' work in Trenton during welcoming remarks before 36 Rutgers faculty members, who began the university's second annual New Faculty Traveling Seminar today with Rutgers President Richard L. McCormick. The five-day traveling seminar is designed to give faculty who have been at the university for up to three years a deeper understanding of the state and the issues facing its residents.

"Dr. Harris' outstanding work helping people with autism and simultaneously creating a learning environment for her college students is a glowing example of the role that higher education can play in the lives of New Jersey's citizens," Gov. Codey said. "As you continue your tour around our great state and learn about our challenges and aspirations, I hope that you are inspired to follow Dr. Harris' example in your own fields of research, making New Jersey an even better place to live and work."

Harris was honored as part of President McCormick's new Program for Research in Service to New Jersey, recognizing outstanding research and programming initiatives that serve the interests of New Jersey citizens. McCormick announced the creation of the President's Award for Research in Service to New Jersey during his Annual Address to the University Community Sept. 10, 2004.

Harris, Board of Governors Distinguished Service Professor of Psychology, has taught for 36 years at Rutgers in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology. She is the founder and executive director of the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center, which provides educational and therapeutic services to children and adults with autism and to their families. She was recognized for her work and dedication to understanding autism and its effects on sufferers and their families.

"Dr. Harris has touched the lives of thousands of New Jerseyans and profoundly enhanced that most fundamental of human conditions, the ability of each person to reach his or her potential," McCormick said.

Harris came to Rutgers in 1969 and started the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center on the Douglass campus in 1972 to provide an opportunity for undergraduates to work closely with developmentally disabled people. Children with autism and their families soon became the center's main focus.

Harris' own epiphany came when she worked with an autistic boy who had severe self-injury problems and for whom none of the traditional therapies seemed to work. Harris' experience with him was both rewarding and frustrating. She and her colleagues were able to help him some, but not enough to make a profound impact on his life.

"That experience was a big part of what captured me," she said. "And the other part was that with other kids and their families we did see significant improvement. My colleagues and I thought this was a population we could help."

Today, the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center operates a school, offers outreach to schools throughout the state, and performs diagnostic work and academic research. Graduate students come from around the country to work with people with autism and to study at the center.

The original reason for the center's founding - undergraduate education - is still an important part of the program. Undergraduates come from all over the university and from many disciplines to work with children on the autistic spectrum, and many go on to specialize in autism as therapists or educators. Reflecting on more than 30 years of work at Rutgers, Harris said, "I've been very fortunate, because Rutgers has allowed me to integrate my research with service to the community in just the right way."