Regional News
The Miranda Family Fund to Support Autistic Theatre Program in Philadelphia
The program harnesses the power of theatre to develop social confidence and connections for autistic adolescents.
February 20, 2026 By Margaret Hall
A new grant from the Miranda Family Fund, a donor-advised fund at the Hispanic Federation led by Lin-Manuel Miranda, will support the public launch of an evidence-based improvisational theatre program for autistic youth in Philadelphia.
The Socio-Dramatic Affective Relational Intervention (SDARI) program, designed and developed by Dr. Matthew Lerner through the Social Connections & Treatment Lab at Drexel University’s A.J. Drexel Autism Institute, harnesses the power of theatre and improvisation to develop social confidence and connections for autistic adolescents.
While SDARI has been previous been available in research settings, the support from the Miranda Family Fund grant will make it available to more families outside of the research sector, offering accessible, community-facing programs to implement the SDARI model.
Created in 2004, SDARI's improv-based approach was developed, studied, and refined over the last 20 years to create a fun and engaging environment that fosters a sense of belonging, where differences are celebrated and participants have opportunities to improve their social-emotional confidence and competence in a neurodiversity-affirming group format.
“Autistic teens and their families often seek programs that can build social capacities while still allowing them to explore and flourish in their own identities, and so the demand for a program like SDARI in Philadelphia is great,” said Lerner in a statement. “The grant from the Miranda Family Fund will allow us to fully launch SDARI for the Philadelphia autism community, bringing these proven results to more autistic youth who will make substantial personal growth and enduring friendships through the power of improvisational theater.”
Visit LernerLab.com.
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