The ability to engage with others and to communicate are primary targets of early interventions for children with autism. This talk will focus on an early intervention model, JASPER, that has been tested using randomized controlled trials across multiple implementers (therapists, teachers, parents) with children at different ages and developmental levels. New research approaches to personalizing interventions will be addressed, emphasizing what research can contribute to clinical practice.

Objectives:
• Participants will be able to identify two specific targets of early intervention that are important to the development of autistic children.
• Participants will identify an effective approach for learning spoken language in children who are minimally verbal.
• Participants will identify a research method that aims to individualize interventions and better meet children’s unique needs.

Presented by:
Connie Kasari, Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles
Connie Kasari is the Distinguished Professor of Human Development & Psychology in the School of Education with a joint appointment in the Department of Psychiatry. She received her Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and has been on the faculty at UCLA where she teaches both graduate and undergraduate courses and has been the primary advisor to more than 70 PhD students. She is a founding member of the Center for Autism Research and Treatment at UCLA. Her research aims to development novel, evidence-tested interventions implemented in community settings. Recent projects include targeted treatments for early social communication development in at-risk infants, toddlers and preschoolers with autism, and peer relationships for school aged children with autism. She leads several large multi-site studies including a network on interventions for minimally verbal school aged children with ASD, and a network that aims to increase equity in access to interventions for children with ASD who are under-represented in research trials. She is the current president of the International Society of Autism Research.

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