Southeastern Pennsylvania Autism Resource Center

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Devereux National

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Student Opportunities

Thank you for your interest in SPARC! Part of our mission is to provide quality opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to work with individuals with autism spectrum disorders, behavioral concerns or other developmental disabilities.

Students work with children and adolescents in our clinic, as well as in their homes, schools and communities. Student opportunities range from volunteering to practicum experiences.

Students interested in participating in an opportunity at SPARC, do not need previous experience working with individuals with autism spectrum disorders. We provide all necessary training.

However, any student involved with SPARC must obtain the following clearances before beginning any program:

  • Child abuse check
  • Criminal background check
  • FBI background check

Practicum Experiences

SPARC offers opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to participate in field placements, internships and practicums experiences. Your major and the requirements within that major will determine if these opportunities are applicable to you.

SPARC has a long history of partnership with West Chester University and Temple University. SPARC also has students from other universities, including Villanova, Penn State and Immaculata. SPARC welcomes student interns from a variety of majors including psychology, special education, communicative disorders, nutrition, adaptive physical education, social work and other related disciplines. Student interns are able to fulfill field experience, research and volunteer requirements, while gaining valuable training in the field of behavior challenges and behavior analysis.

Most students will work with our individuals in the clinic. Students completing a practicum at SPARC will be involved in all aspects of the clinic, including meeting with patients, conducting treatment sessions, obtaining and analyzing data, creating graphs, writing notes, conducting school/home visits, conducting literature searches, reading relevant articles, attending weekly practicum supervision, and learning assessment techniques. All experiences are supervised by one of our BCBAs. Students spend approximately 10 hours per week on these activities.

If you have any questions or would like to set up an interview, please contact us at sparc@sparcwc.org.