2016-2017 Presentations
June 14th, 2017
Mirella Dapretto, Ph.D. presented, “Early Biomarkers of Risk for ASD: Recent Advances in Neuroimaging.” The presentation covered information on different developmental trajectories in brain growth in infants who later develop Autism Spectrum Disorder, and recent findings of altered brain function and connectivity in infants who are at high familial risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder.
May 17th, 2017
Olivia Raynor, Ph.D., Artha Gills, M.D., Melina Melgoza; Violeta Chavez- Serrano, and Cindy Lu, presented, “Broadening the Training Experience: Cultivating Champions in Public Policy for People with Disabilities”. The presentation covered information how to increase the awareness of the Tarjan Center’s advocacy for policies ad issues important to individuals with disabilities and their families at the local, state and national levels; and how to engage trainees in advocacy work as a means to enhance their professional development and future careers.
April 12th, 2017
Panelists Deaka McClain; Andrew Hain; Kecia Weller; and Susan Hain, moderated by Dr. Olivia Raynor presented, “Insights from Self-Advocates about Research and Interventions for People with Developmental Disabilities”. The presentation covered information on understanding the research process from the perspective of self-advocates; identifying strategies for engaging self-advocates in research; and identifying ways to disseminate research so that it is usable and meaningful to self-advocates.
March 15th, 2017
Stephanny F.N. Freeman, Ph.D., Clinical Professor at the UCLA Department of Child Psychiatry and Co-Director of the Early Childhood Partial Hospitalization Program presented, “Linking Therapy Outcomes: Potential Successes and Areas of Need for Children with ASD”. Her presentation covered information on longitudinal research on therapy for autism spectrum disorders and understand the diversity of outcomes and factors involved in change; the relationship between broad service provision for younger children with autism and shorter term outcomes; and the broader implications of the strengths and weaknesses of current community services.
February 15th, 2017
Shafali Spurling Jeste, M.D., Associate Professor in Psychiatry, Neurology, and Pediatrics at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine presented, “Genetically Informed Biomarkers of Autism Spectrum Disorder: Insights Gained from Dup15q Syndrome”. Her presentation covered information on the definition of a biomarker and the challenges around biomarker development in ASD; the clinical and electrophysiological phenotype of Dup15q, particularly as a model of a rare disease within the autism spectrum; and the potential for brain based biomarkers to improve clinical trials in ASD.
January 11th, 2017
Ariana Anderson, Ph.D., Assistant Research Statistician, Semel Institute at UCLA. Dr. Anderson presented, “ChatterBaby: Speech Recognition of Infants to Identify Distress and Developmental Delays”. Her presentation covered information about the ChatterBaby algorithm for infant speech recognition to predict whether and why a baby is crying; how MHealth smart-phone apps may be usable for large-scale data collection of developmental and vocal history; and the implications of speech recognition algorithms for predictive analytics in other disorders, including stroke and schizophrenia.
November 16th, 2016
Shulamite Green, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow, Psychologist, Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. Dr. Green presented “Sensory Over-Responsivity and the Brain: Neuroimaging Insights Into Sensory Process in ASD”. Her presentation covered information about understanding what sensory over-responsivity is and who is at risk for it, the role of the brain in over-responding to sensory stimuli, and how to identify how the brain bases of sensory over-responsivity informs intervention.
October 26th, 2016
Elizabeth Laugeson, Psy.D., Training Director, Tarjan Center; Director, UCLA PEERS Clinic; Assistant Clinical Director, UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. Dr. Laugeson presented “Evidence-Based Social Skills Training for Youth with Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities: UCLA PEERS Program”. Her presentation covered information about understanding the common social challenges faced by youth with developmental disabilities, understanding evidence-based methods for teaching social skills, and ecologically valid strategies for making and keeping friends.
