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.

Autism MVP Foundation Announces $100,000 Endowed Scholarship Program for Rutgers University Graduate Students

*The gift is the largest in the foundation’s history and will support graduate students who want to work with children on the autism spectrum*

LITTLE SILVER, NJ (May 15, 2025) — The Autism MVP Foundation is proud to announce the establishment of the Autism MVP Dwight Macock Memorial Endowed Scholarship at Rutgers University through a $100,000 gift, the largest in the Foundation’s history. The scholarship program will support graduate students at the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center, an ABA program in the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP) on the Rutgers University-New Brunswick campus.

Read the full press release here.

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.

Autism MVP Initiatives

UPCOMING AND PAST EVENTS

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Spotlight

Autism MVP Partner Circle Hyundai Making Donation for Every Car Sold During April 2025

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.

REGISTER HERE FOR OUR 2ND ANNUAL PICKLEBALL SOCIAL FUNDRAISER AT PICKLEBALL HQ IN CLIFFWOOD ON TH., JUNE 26!

Autism MVP Foundation

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