The Center for Innovative Research in Autism (CIRA) facilitates interdisciplinary, innovative research on autism spectrum disorder at the University of Alabama; provides research and training opportunities for faculty and students; serves as a collaborative foundation for autism researchers across the University, the State of Alabama, and the nation; and disseminates research findings to improve outcomes for children and adults with autism and their caregivers. The five guiding pillars that form the foundation of CIRA’s mission are research, education, service, clinical care, and community outreach.

Recent advances in autism research have revealed important findings related to genetics, identification, and intervention. Currently, autism affects an estimated 1 in 54 children. As more individuals are diagnosed and children with autism move toward adulthood, new gaps in the research have been identified and prioritized. The purpose of CIRA is to facilitate basic and translational research that can help understand the cognitive and neurobiological bases of autism, and to apply this knowledge to achieve early diagnosis and to design evidence-based intervention practices, ultimately leading to improving the lives of people with autism.