Dr. Prizant has more than 40 years experience as a clinical scholar, constant, research and program consultant to children and older persons with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and related developmental disabilities and their families. He is a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist and holds the Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC-SLP) of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Dr. Prizant has served as a tenured Professor of Communication Disorders at Southern Illinois University and Emerson College, where he developed specialty tracks in language disabilities and autism in the Master's and Doctoral programs. He also was Founder and Director of the Communication Disorders Department at Bradley Hospital, with an Associate Professor Appointment in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in the Brown University Program in Medicine, and was an Advanced Post-Doctoral Fellow in Early Intervention at UNC-Chapel Hill. Dr. Prizant has developed family-centered programs for newly diagnosed toddlers with social-communication disabilities and ASD and their families in hospital and university clinic settings, and consults widely to schools and agencies in New England as well and nationally and internationally, from early intervention through high school. 

Dr. Prizant and his colleagues' recent work has focused on developing the SCERTS Model for children who have or are at-risk for social-communicative difficulties including autism, and their families. The SCERTS Model is now being adopted nationally and internationally, with the manuals having been translated into Japanese with other translations in process, providing many unique opportunities for international collaboration and travel. 

Presentation Topic: " Fostering Positive Parent-Professional Relationships"

Presentation will:
1. Define family-centered practice
2. Discuss challenges faced by families
3. Discuss elements of collaboration
- active engagement in assessment
- selecting appropriate goals and objectives
- selecting appropriate therapies
4. Discuss what parents want and need from professionals

The overwhelming focus of research and treatment efforts in Autism Spectrum Disorders has been on selecting and implementing appropriate therapies.   The great impact of ASD on the family has been recognized for years, however, considerably less attention has been paid to the development of successful family-professional collaboration.  This is despite the fact that parents often report that they feel more challenged by insensitive professionals and poorly organized systems of services than by their child’s disability.  Given that one of the predictors of more positive outcomes for children is active engagement in treatment by family members, it is essential that practitioners focus more attention on the elements that result in successful family professional collaboration.  In this presentation, a number of critical elements will be discussed along with strategies for achieving greater success in collaborating with families.  These elements include implementing family-centered practice principles, developing trust with parents, learning to listen and communicate with parents and providing innovative supports that make a difference in the life of the family.  


Science Panelists
​Gayle C. Windham, PhD:
Division of Environmental and Occupational Disease Control, CA Department of Public Health. Dr. Windham is a Research Scientist (Supervisor) at the CA Department of Public Health where she is Acting Chief of the Environmental Epidemiology Section.  Dr. Windham’s research focus is on reproductive and developmental outcomes, including children’s health, in relation to environmental risk factors. She has been studying the prevalence and etiology of autism for 10 years as an investigator in the California Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities Research and Epidemiology.

Joachim Hallmayer, MD:
Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine.  Dr. Hallmayer is Principal Investigator on projects to characterize genes that contribute autism, as well as the California Population-Based Twin Study of Autism.  The Twin Study investigates the heritability of autism, the contribution of genetic factors to variation in symptoms, and the relative contribution of genetic and non-genetic factors. Dr. Hallmayer is well known for his 2011 paper finding that non-genetic factors appear to be playing a surprisingly large role in autism risk.

Jill Escher, MA, JD:
Escher Fund for Autism. In her role as an autism science philanthropist, Ms. Escher has spearheaded several research projects investigating the role of gene-environment interaction and epigenetics in the etiology of autism spectrum disorders. Learn more at www.germlineexposures.org

Presentation Topic: "The Latest in Autism Research: Genetics, Epigenetics, and the Environment"

Research into the etiology (causes) of autism and related disorders has traditionally focused on the brain and genetics, but recent studies have revealed a significant non-genetic component for this spectrum of disorders. Numerous studies are under way to investigate what environmental factors play a role and how they interact with genetic factors. This panel will address new findings and new directions in autism causation research, from the perspective of genetics, epigenetics (one type of regulation of gene expression), gene-environment interaction, and environmental factors.

Anna Wang, Vice President of Programs - Friends of Children with Special Needs www.fcsn1996.org
Presentation Topic: "Investing and Inventing New Models for Adult Housing"

Presentation Topic: "Housing for Adults with Autism and Developmental Disability"
As the population of adults with autism, intellectual disability, social challenges, and behavioral disorders climbs rapidly, options for supported housing have not kept up. This panel will present some of the established and emerging models for serving dependent adults over the lifespan, while addressing the dramatic shortfall our developmentally disabled population is now facing. For more information, visit www.sfautismsociety.org


Breakout Speakers
Grace Gengoux, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Dr. Gengoux is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University. She is a licensed clinical psychologist and Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA-D) with expertise in the clinical evaluation and behavioral treatment of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Dr. Gengoux completed her internship and postdoctoral fellowship at the Yale Child Study Center. Dr. Gengoux has specialized training in Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) for children with ASD and conducts clinical research and treatment on this topic. She has conducted research evaluating the effects of PRT on the social-communication competence of young children with autism, co-authored several papers and chapters on naturalistic behavioral treatments for autism, and regular presents research at national and international conferences. At Stanford, Dr. Gengoux is continuing to develop a program of treatment services, clinical training, and applied research related to naturalistic behavioral treatments for children with autism and their families. She has a particular interest in evidence-based strategies for supporting friendship development for children with ASD. Dr. Gengoux teaches the Lifespan Development course for PAU PsyD students.

Presentation Topic: "From First Words to First Friends: Pivotal Response Treatment Strategies for Parents and Professionals"

Dr. Ruth O'Hara, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University

Presentation Topic: "Sleep in Children with ASD: A Treatment Opportunity"