Truman State University Greenwood Autism Center

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Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and congratulate Truman State University in my district in Missouri. Since 2015, Truman State and its partners have been working to create the Greenwood Interprofessional Autism Center. The Greenwood Center is now fully operational.

But before I talk more about the new Center, let me tell you about Truman State University. Truman State was founded in 1867 in Kirksville, Missouri and is Missouri's only statewide public liberal arts and sciences university. Truman is consistently ranked among the nation's best colleges. For 26 consecutive years, U.S. News and World Report has recognized Truman as the No. 1 public university in the Midwest Regional category. They also gave Truman a No. 1 ranking for ``Best Undergraduate Teaching,'' and Truman has rated No. 1 on the list of ``Best Value Schools'' in the region.

Autism is the fastest-growing developmental disorder in the United States. The Center will provide in-depth, interdisciplinary assessment and intervention for those with autism or suspected autism, as well as other neuro-developmental disorders in Northeast Missouri where these services do not exist. The Center will provide applied behavior analysis (ABA) services internally and work with a variety of external partners to meet the needs of the people the Center will serve. All partners will work within the Center's model and guidelines to ensure consistency, quality, and collaboration.

The Center also provides high-quality training for students at Truman State University. Licensed professionals will supervise Truman students enrolled in health-related academic programs (Applied Behavior Analysis, communication disorders, counseling, education, exercise science, health science, nursing, and psychology).

I congratulate Truman State and its partners for creating this Center that will bring invaluable and much needed resources to the families and children of Northeast Missouri.

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