The University of Houston-Clear Lake's Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities in Webster will serve about 220 families through March 2028 after receiving a $500,000 state grant.

The funding, awarded through the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's Autism Grant Program, began May 1 and runs through March 31, 2028. UHCL announced the grant May 26. The competitive program, established by the Texas Legislature in 2015, has served more than 82,000 children statewide since 2016, according to the coordinating board.

The grant supports the center's Connecting the Dots program, which pairs children ages 2 to 18 with caregivers over six- to eight-week cycles. Each cycle focuses on a family's individual goals, working to reduce challenging behavior and strengthen communication skills. The center has received $500,000 every two years since 2016 to fund the program, The Signal reported.

All services are free to qualifying families.

The latest round of funding also launches a new offering called Group Social Skills. The four-week program teaches conversational skills, internet safety and how to handle winning or losing.

Patricia Turnmire, program manager of Connecting the Dots, told The Signal that services extend beyond a single caregiver. Extended family members and other providers in a child's life can participate if the legal caregiver gives permission.

"We really want to provide services not only to the one caregiver … We want to make sure that when those children leave here, the people in their environment, the people in their community, know how to best support them," Turnmire told The Signal.

The center also plans to expand through telehealth, aiming to bring its Applied Behavior Analysis services to families across Texas who cannot travel to the Webster clinic.

The 89th Texas Legislature continued funding for the Autism Grant Program through the next fiscal biennium. UHCL's grant falls under the program's Parent-Directed Treatment category, which carries a maximum award of $500,000 over two years.

Families interested in Connecting the Dots or Group Social Skills can visit the center's website for enrollment information.