ABA for SLPs: Interprofessional Collaboration for Autism Support Teams

Lynn Kern Koegel, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is a clinical professor at the Stanford School of Medicine. She has been active in the development of programs to improve communication in children with autism, including the development of first words, grammatical structures, pragmatics, and social conversation. In addition to her published books and articles in the area of communication and language development, she has developed and published procedures and field manuals in the area of self-management and functional analysis that are used in school districts and by parents throughout the United States and have been translated in other major languages. Dr. Lynn Koegel is the author of Overcoming Autism and Growing Up on the Spectrum with parent Claire LaZebnik, published by Viking/Penguin and available in most bookstores. In addition, she appeared on ABC's hit show “Supernanny” working with a child with autism.

Eric V. Larsson, Ph.D., LP, BCBA-D implements the intensive early intervention program at the Lovaas Institute Midwest using behavior therapy and conducts extensive evaluation research on the program. He engages in active advocacy on behalf of families to access healthcare coverage for treatment. He teaches courses in behavior analysis and autism at the University of Minnesota.

Alison Moors Lipshin, M.A., BCBA, LBAA., is a passionate and dedicated teacher, behavior therapist, and educational consultant helping to improve the lives of students and their families for over 25 years. She has had the pleasure of working with a wide variety of private and public-school systems throughout the United States and is also very proud of her international work within many developing countries worldwide. She is the program founder for the Academy for Precision Learning, a non-profit private school in Seattle, WA. Since 2007, APL is dedicated to the success of all students—including typically developing and those across the autism spectrum—learning withinan academically challenging and socially vibrant environment.

Joseph McCleery, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology, and Executive Director of Academic Programs in the Kinney Center for Autism Education and Support, at Saint Joseph&aspo;s University. He earned an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Rutgers University, and both a Masters Degree and Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of California, San Diego. Dr. McCleery's research is focused on social, communicative, and emotional functioning and development in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder, including the development and testing of behavioral and cognitivebehavioral interventions. Dr. McCleery's research and ideas have been published in leading peerreviewed journals in the fields of Clinical Psychology, Psychiatry, and Neuroscience; and his research has been supported by a number of organizations, including the National Institutes of Health, Autistica, Autism Speaks, the M.I.N.D. Institute, the Economic and Social Research Council, the Leverhulme Trust, and the McMorris Family Foundation.

Mary E. McDonald, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LBA is a Professor in the the Special Education Department at Hofstra University where she directs the advanced certificate program in Applied Behavior Analysis. Dr. McDonald completed her Ph.D. in Learning Theory at the CUNY Graduate Center and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst - Doctoral Level and a licensed behavior analyst. She serves as the Associate Executive Director for Eden II’s Genesis Program where she supervises clinical work and research with individuals with autism using applied behavior analysis methodology. She continues to serve the community by serving on advisory boards, presenting nationally and publishing chapters and articles on topics related to intervention for individuals with ASD.

Ian Terrell Melton, Ph.D., received his doctorate from Endicott College in applied behavior analysis. His research interests include evidence-based practices, effective interventions, and ethics of practice in autism spectrum disorder.

Daniel Openden, Ph.D., BCBA, Dr. Openden serves as the president and chief executive officer for the Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center, an internationally recognized nonprofit organization dedicated to autism research, education, evidence-based treatment, and community outreach to support individuals with autism and their families throughout their lifetimes. As a Board Certified Behavior Analyst-Doctoral, Dr. Openden has expertise in developing training programs for teaching parents and professionals to implement Pivotal Response Treatment. Dr. Openden is an adjunct professor at Arizona State University, is a founding member of the Council of Autism Service Providers, and serves on the Autism Speaks Mission Delivery Committee and the Scientific Council of the Organization for Autism Research.

Sally J. Rogers is a developmental psychologist who has been the principal investigator of several autism research programs, including a ten-year CPEA program project from NICHD and two NIMH/NICHD funded Autism Centers of Excellence (ACE) network projects. She is the director of an NIMH funded T32 interdisciplinary postdoctoral training grant for interdisciplinary autism research and a LENDinterdisciplinary training grant for professionals in NDD funded by the US Dept of Health and Human Services. She has carried out major clinical and research activities involving autism at the national and international levels, including past vice presidency and presidency of the International Society for Autism Research, associate editor of the journal Autism Research, member of the Autism Speaks Global Autism Public Health Initiative, and a fellow of the American Psychological Association, the Association for Psychological Science, and the International Society for Autism Research. She was a member of the Autism, PDD, and other developmental Disorders workgroup for the DSM 5. She has received many awards of her teaching, research, and clinical contributions, including the UC Davis School of Medicine Research Award in 2008 and the John W. Jacobsen Career Award from the American Psychological Association in 2013. The intervention model that she first developed with colleagues at University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and then elaborated with Geri Dawson and colleagues at the University of Washington, and her own team at University of California Davis –- is internationally known and was recognized by Time.com and Autism Speaks as one of the 10 main medical breakthroughs of 2012. The treatment manual. Early Start Denver Model for Young Children with Autism: Promoting Language, Learning and Engagement, and instrumentation for this approach have been translated intomany languages and are being used across the globe. The self-help treatment manual for parents, An Early Start for your Child with Autism, was awarded the #1 Consumer Health publication of 2012 by the American Journal of Nursing.

Samantha Russo, Ph.D., received her doctoral degree from Endicott College in Applied Behavior Analysis, where she continues as an adjunct professor in the Master's in Applied Behavior Analysis and Autism program. She is the director of the Intensive Behavior Support Program at Elwyn New Jersey, where she works with young adults with autism who engage in severe challenging behavior. Her research interests include functional analysis, feeding disorders and biofeedback.

Coleen Sparkman, M.A., CCC-SLP, iis a licensed and certified speech-language pathologist. She is Cofounder and President of Therapeutic Pathways, Inc., an organization that provides evidence-based treatment to individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). She has published research focusing on treatment outcomes for children with autism. Ms. Sparkman helped write the Guidelines for Effective Interventionas a member of the Advisory Committee for the State of California Developmental Disabilities Task Force on Autism Spectrum Disorders. In addition, she was a conceptual reviewer for the National Standards Project, a national task force devoted to the identification of evidence-based treatment for individuals with ASD.

Aubyn C. Stahmer, Ph.D., BCBA, Research Scientist, Psychologist, Rady Children’s Hospital, 3020 Children’sWay,MC5033, San Diego, California 92123. Dr. Stahmer is a research scientist and clinical psychologist at Rady Children’s Hospital and the Child and Adolescent Services Research Center. She has published many scholarly articles on inclusion and early intervention services in the area of autism. Her current interests include the study of early intervention systems for children with autism and the translation of evidence-based practices into community settings.