Happy Father’s Day to the New SARRC CEO

A great need can only be heard if one is listening for it.
Daniel Openden heard the words of mentor Lynn Koegel loud and clear. He would obtain his Ph.D. in Special Education, Disability and Risk Studies and begin to impact the world of autism research.
With a passion for furthering his learning experience in education, Openden signed up for more than he had ever anticipated during his junior year of college. Joining the world-renowned Koegel Autism Center’s doctoral program at the University of California Santa Barbara, Openden saw a challenge that offered him an incredible opportunity to work in a clinic known for its innovative cutting edge treatments.
“I had these amazing early experiences of working with kids with autism by having access to incredible technologies and watching kids before my very eyes get better,” Openden says.
Upon graduating, Doctor Openden joined the Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center (SARRC), an Arizona nonprofit working to advance research and provide a lifetime of support for individuals with autism and their families. Serving as Clinical Services Director for several years, Openden will now take the reins as President and CEO July 1, 2013, along with being a father, again!
“For the last three or four years, we’ve worked on making our programs stable, not only clinically but financially, and building an infrastructure to support growth. The next steps will be to really help expand those programs and services,” Openden comments.
He will spend his time on SARRC’s school-based autism services like the inclusive preschool program that serves 50 kids, 18 of which have autism.
There are only about five of these types of programs that exist in the United States. The preschool program is a model recognized by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Since autism impacts language, social interaction, repetitive and restrictive behaviors, it’s a highly language enriched program.
Roughly about eight to ten of the typical kids in the Community School come from low income neighborhoods on state scholarships. The kids come to SARRC with a history of being highly disruptive and behind on their language development.
“What we’re good at doing better than anything is getting kids talking. If we’re able to get kids with a severe language disability talking, imagine what we’re doing with kids that don’t have autism,” Openden says.
“The results are impressive. “We’re seeing kids making 18 months progress in language development in just ten and a half months,” Openden shares.
Openden’s son has been a student in the preschool program since he was 17 months old. To Dr. Openden, it’s very rewarding. “My four-year-old gets the benefit of being in an environment that’s completely diverse. His ability to empathize and sympathize and to help others greatly improves because he’s in an inclusive environment,” Openden says. A path Dr. Openden sees a similar path for his youngest newborn child.
With one teacher to every three students, the school practices a lot of intentional instructing that follows a contact model of engagement to keep kid interacting. “My own son has the benefit of being in a classroom where they’re thinking about improving his language every single time they interact with him,” Openden says. It’s a curriculum that is organized, systematic and strong.
But it’s not just a learning model for kids with autism. It’s an investment that can be leveraged to improve outcomes for all types of kids in the classroom.
“We have to stop thinking of people with autism as so different. We have to stop the separation and focus on the inclusion. In doing so, we will better prepare people with autism to be in the community and we will prepare out community to accept and include people with autism,” Openden concludes.
For the new CEO and father of two, Dr. Openden’s got a lot ahead.  He’s humbled, confident and excited to take the passionate SARRC team to the next level.
“We’ve got all the things in place, all the right people in place. The next three to five years are really taking what we’ve done and helping those things grow, so at the end of the day our mission can be expanded to help more families and build a better community,” Openden says humbly.
With this new dad at the helm, there is no doubt that SARRC’s  vision will flourish just in time for everyone’s Father’s Day.