Q: Who or what inspires you to work in the autism field?

 

A: "My first experience in the autism field was as an in-home ABA provider with a 4-year-old boy with autism in the mid-1990s. The family I worked for was frustrated by the lack of evidence-based services in the community and hired me, along with several other other college students, to work with their son. I was greatly inspired by the dedication of this family, and impressed by the lengths that they, and other families, go to help each other. This experience inspired me to develop more effective interventions and ways to better disseminate and implement treatments with empirical support in community settings – so that all families can access quality intervention. Here is a link to an article from MSU Today that provides more details on what inspires me to work in the autism field."

 

Q: How has ASD personally affected/influenced your life? Do you know anybody outside of the workplace that has ASD?

 

A: "I have been highly influenced by the many children and families whom I have worked with over the years."
 

Q: What is the MSU Autism Lab? Provide a brief overview of your current research projects. 

 

A: "The MSU Autism Lab focuses on the development, dissemination, and implementation of evidence-based, community-viable interventions for children with ASD and their families, with the goal of improving meaningful outcomes. We currently have several projects examining the use of telehealth to deliver parent coaching for families of young children with or at-risk for ASD. We are also conducting work how to best train providers to use this approach and to better understand how parent coaching interventions work. In our work, we often partner with community organizations serving children with ASD to help them improve their ability to provide quality parent coaching."

 

Q: Explain your role as a Lab Director. What do you do? How do you make a difference?

 

A: "I lead the various research projects and training efforts conducting in my lab. I also work closely with graduate students in our Clinical Science Program to help them develop expertise in this area." 

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Q: What is Project ImPACT? How do you provide training for parents and providers?

 

A: "Project ImPACT is coaching program for parents of young children with ASD and related social communication delays. Project ImPACT teaches parents strategies they can use to help their child develop social, communication, imitation, and play skills during daily routines and activities. This program is supported by research and based on developmental science and applied behavioral analysis (ABA) principles. It was recently recognized as a Manualized Intervention Meeting Criteria by the National Clearinghouse on Autism Evidence and Practice (NCAEP). We have developed a parent coaching model that can be delivered individually or groups, both in person and over telehealth. Our training for providers involves the use of a self-directed online tutorial, an interactive workshop, and consultation."

 

Q: In your opinion, how can we, as a society, move forward from preconceived, negative ideas surrounding those with ASD?

 

A: "I think fully engaging the autism community in research, training, and outreach efforts is key to changing societal perceptions."

Q: Where do you hope to go with your career in the future?

 

A: "My goal is to increase access to high quality, evidence-based interventions for children and families through continued research, training, and policy changes."