Drexel University in Philadelphia has announced a $3.6 million gift from an anonymous donor in support of research efforts at its A.J. Drexel Autism Institute.

The gift will help launch four initiatives within the institute's Life Course Outcomes research program, which is focused on understanding and improving quality-of-life issues for people on the autism spectrum. Led by Autism Institute associate professor Paul Shattuck, Ph.D., the programs include the Indicators Initiative, which will assess community-level and national indicators of outcomes and services for people on the autism spectrum; the Promising Practices Initiative, which will work to develop innovative approaches to service provision and policies; the Research Leadership Initiative, which aims to expand the field of useful research by training additional scholars; and the Long-Term Knowledge Initiative, which will conduct studies designed to discover how life unfolds over a long period of time for people on the autism spectrum and their families.

"About five hundred thousand adolescents on the autism spectrum will enter adulthood in the next decade," said Shattuck. "We believe people on the autism spectrum are valuable members of our communities. They have roles to play, dreams to achieve, and contributions to make. We see an urgent need for research aimed directly at understanding what strategies, beyond clinical interventions, promote positive outcomes and prevent negative ones — both for people on the autism spectrum and the families and communities they are part of."