Hands-on training is critical to a career in supporting kids with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Whether you’re planning to begin your career directly after college or if you’re preparing for graduate level education, Marcus Autism Center offers structured training for undergraduate students.

We offer internships for the following programs:

• Complex Behavior Support Program
  The Complex Behavior Intensive Outpatient Program is our most intensive service for the assessment and treatment of severe problem behavior. Clients attend services daily (Monday-Friday) for 5 hours per day for approximately 12-week admissions. Clients who are appropriate for this service engage in significant problem behavior (e.g., aggression, self-injurious behavior, disruptive behavior, elopement, noncompliance, etc.) that is causing harm to themselves or others or destruction to property. Students work directly with clients and learn to collect data, conduct assessment and treatment sessions as the therapist, manage problem behavior, physically transition clients, assist with caregiver training and may also assist with administrative tasks related to the program.
• Multidisciplinary Feeding Program
  The Multidisciplinary Feeding Program at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta is designed for children with chronic and severe disruptions in their relationship with food. Many of the children we treat struggle to gain weight because they eat too little or no food at all during meals or because they rely on formula from a bottle or through a tube. Other children may consume enough calories but will eat only a few types of food. They often reject one or more food groups, like fruits and vegetables. Our patient population meet diagnostic criteria for avoidant or restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), which negatively affects a child's physical, social, and psychological well-being. Trainees will primarily receive training in our outpatient clinics working directly under the supervision of a psychologist. The caseload will involve a combination of follow-up support for families who have graduated from our intensive multidisciplinary intervention. The focus of follow-up involves maintaining progress achieved in day treatment and continue advancing their feeding goals to improve the child’s relationship with food. Our patient population ranges from 8 months to 21 years old.
• Research Program
  The goal of the Research at the Marcus Autism Center is to better understand children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and to change the future of Autism through our various research cores. As a research intern, you will be tasked with data collection, analyzing and interpreting data using statistical software or other tools and implementing study procedures and protocols.
• Skill Acquisition Program
  The Language and Learning Clinic (LLC) provides clinical services and support to families whose primary concerns are related to the development of language and communication. In the LLC, personalized interventions are provided to meet the unique needs of children with autism and their families. Our interventions are based on the science of applied behavior analysis and reinforcement-based methods. All clients within the LLC receive one-to-one intervention services.

Application deadlines

• Summer term: March 1st Applications will be reviewed and processed between March 1st to April 30th.
• Fall term: June 15th Applications will be reviewed and processed between June 15th to July 31st.
• Spring term: Oct. 31st Applications will be reviewed and processed between October 31st to December 13th.

Apply today

Complete the Marcus Autism Center Practicum Internship Application. When prompted, upload your current resume and cover letter. Your cover letter should explain how your past experience or education would make placement at Marcus Autism Center an appropriate next step in your education.