Autism MVP Foundation

Thank you for helping meet the urgent need for autism-focused educators and therapists

More than 60,000 autism diagnoses annually in the U.S. have led to a serious shortage of autism-focused educators and therapists. Your donation of time or money can make a difference.

Or learn about upcoming events to support.

The Autism MVP Foundation is a nonprofit, volunteer-based organization that provides scholarships to graduate students who are pursuing careers that will improve daily life skill outcomes for individuals with autism.

Our Mission

Our mission is to increase the number of autism-focused educators and therapists to meet the current and future needs of students on the autism spectrum.

We accomplish this by supporting unique training and professional development programs for teachers, therapists and paraprofessionals, and by providing scholarships to graduate students.

UPCOMING AND PAST EVENTS

A group of people standing on a each on a clear, sunny day,

10th Annual Walk Fundraising Event Set for Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024 on Manasquan Boardwalk

November 3, 2024 @ 12:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Adult Tickets are only $40 and student/child tickets are $20.
Pickleball Social

Inaugural Autism MVP Pickleball Social Raises $17,000

June 20, 2024 @ 6:30 pm - 9:30 pm
In cooperation with the Monmouth Pickleball Club and to honor the legacy of Dwight Macock, Autism MVP is proud to team up and present Pickleball
A group of five people standing in front of a sign, all smiling and happy.

2024 Brewing Awareness for Autism Raises $18,000

May 1, 2024
Food, drink, fun, live music and prizes at Bar-A! Join us as we raise money for our scholarship programs!

Spotlight

Our 9th Annual Walk Event in November 2023 raised more than $20,000 for our Scholarship Programs! Thanks for your support!

Our 9th Annual Walk Event in November 2023 Feature

Autism MVP Initiatives

Autism is a serious neurological disorder that can impair an individual’s ability to communicate, socialize, focus and learn.

It has been proven that various therapies can help individuals on the autism spectrum show dramatic improvement to help them reach their maximum potential.

The autism diagnosis rate in the U.S. is a staggering 1 in 44 among 8-year old children. That figure equates to roughly 150 new diagnoses a day and approximately 60,000 children with autism entering our school systems each year. In New Jersey, where the foundation is located, the diagnosis rate is 1 in 35, which is the highest in the country and equates to 3,000 children each year receiving an autism diagnosis. The challenge is that there are simply not enough educators and therapists to work with children with autism.

  • Forty-eight states and the District of Columbia lack sufficient special education teachers.
  • Special education teachers leave teaching at almost double the rate of general education teachers.
  • More than half of all school districts struggle to staff well-qualified special education teachers.
  • 90% of high-poverty school districts struggle to staff well-qualified special education teachers.
  • Up to 29% of vacated special education teacher positions are due to attrition.
  • To date, Autism MVP has granted more than $200,000 to fund more than 20 scholarships at three partner universities to incentivize students to get into and stay in the fields of ABA/special education.
A collage of scholarship winners smiling and happy, holding signs

LATEST NEWS

Instagram Feed

@autismmvp_foundation
  • Thank you to everyone who was able to come out and donate to our 10th Annual Walk Event and made it such a success!! A special shoutout to our sponsors @leggettssandbar @circlebmw @centralreach_ @circleautogroup for making this event possible!
  • It’s a great day for our 10th Annual Walk Event in Manasquan! Thanks to our walkers as well as our sponsors @circlebmw @circleautogroup @centralreach_ @leggettssandbar and media partner @959therat !
  • We hope to see you all TOMORROW at noon for our 10th Annual Walk Event. Join us for a 1 Mile Walk followed by a buffet lunch at Leggetts included in the price of your ticket. Register now to secure your exclusive Autism MVP beach towel and come out for the chance to win additional prizes through our raffle!!

#walk #boardwalk #fundraiser #autismawareness #manasquanNJ #Leggetts #autismmvp
  • Throwback to our winners of our scholarships from previous years at our Walk Event!! Being able to help graduate students who will go into a field where they work with individuals with autism is why we do what we do! Make sure to come support our programs our 10th Annual Walk Event this Sunday! Register now to secure your spot and Autism MVP towel, or purchase day of at Leggett’s if you don’t get a chance to get yours before hand. We hope to see you there! 

#autismmvp #autismawareness #autismacceptance #abaprofessionals #graduatescholarships #newjersey #manasquannj
Thank you to everyone who was able to come out and donate to our 10th Annual Walk Event and made it such a success!! A special shoutout to our sponsors @leggettssandbar @circlebmw @centralreach_ @circleautogroup for making this event possible!
Thank you to everyone who was able to come out and donate to our 10th Annual Walk Event and made it such a success!! A special shoutout to our sponsors @leggettssandbar @circlebmw @centralreach_ @circleautogroup for making this event possible!
2 weeks ago
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It’s a great day for our 10th Annual Walk Event in Manasquan! Thanks to our walkers as well as our sponsors @circlebmw @circleautogroup @centralreach_ @leggettssandbar and media partner @959therat !
2 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
2/4
We hope to see you all TOMORROW at noon for our 10th Annual Walk Event. Join us for a 1 Mile Walk followed by a buffet lunch at Leggetts included in the price of your ticket. Register now to secure your exclusive Autism MVP beach towel and come out for the chance to win additional prizes through our raffle!!

#walk #boardwalk #fundraiser #autismawareness #manasquanNJ #Leggetts #autismmvp
We hope to see you all TOMORROW at noon for our 10th Annual Walk Event. Join us for a 1 Mile Walk followed by a buffet lunch at Leggetts included in the price of your ticket. Register now to secure your exclusive Autism MVP beach towel and come out for the chance to win additional prizes through our raffle!! #walk #boardwalk #fundraiser #autismawareness #manasquanNJ #Leggetts #autismmvp
3 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
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Throwback to our winners of our scholarships from previous years at our Walk Event!! Being able to help graduate students who will go into a field where they work with individuals with autism is why we do what we do! Make sure to come support our programs our 10th Annual Walk Event this Sunday! Register now to secure your spot and Autism MVP towel, or purchase day of at Leggett’s if you don’t get a chance to get yours before hand. We hope to see you there! 

#autismmvp #autismawareness #autismacceptance #abaprofessionals #graduatescholarships #newjersey #manasquannj
Throwback to our winners of our scholarships from previous years at our Walk Event!! Being able to help graduate students who will go into a field where they work with individuals with autism is why we do what we do! Make sure to come support our programs our 10th Annual Walk Event this Sunday! Register now to secure your spot and Autism MVP towel, or purchase day of at Leggett’s if you don’t get a chance to get yours before hand. We hope to see you there! #autismmvp #autismawareness #autismacceptance #abaprofessionals #graduatescholarships #newjersey #manasquannj
3 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
4/4

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