UW READi Lab Early Autism Detection Intervention

Dr. Wendy Stone is a Professor of Psychology and Director of the READi Lab at UW. She joined the UW Department of Psychology in May 2010, having spent the previous 20+ years at Vanderbilt University. While at Vanderbilt, she founded and directed the Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (TRIAD), which has a threefold mission of research, clinical services, and community outreach. Read more

Dr. Lisa Ibañez is a Research Scientist and Assistant Director of the READi Lab where she originally began working as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Summer of 2010. Her journey to the READi Lab began as an undergraduate at the University of Miami where her curiosity about the early building blocks of development was piqued after working with infants at the university’s preschool. To learn more, she joined a lab at UM that was studying social-emotional functioning in infants and later transitioned to examining early behavioral and neurophysiological markers of ASD. She went on to be a National Research Service Award (NRSA) Pre-doctoral Trainee in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities as a graduate student at UM, where she received her Ph.D. in Applied Developmental Psychology in 2010. Over the last several years, she has developed a line of research that revolves around identifying deficits in infants at risk for ASD and improving screening and intervention practices in the community. From 2013-2015, she was the Project Manager for the ASAP! Project, which aimed to improve the early identification of ASD and ASD-specialized interventions by providing trainings to interested birth-to-three providers throughout Washington (WA) State. As part of this program, 31 free workshops were provided to nearly 700 birth-to-three providers and educators. She is currently Co-Investigator and Project Manager for the Screen-Refer-Treat (SRT) Project, which implements and evaluates an innovative service delivery system for toddlers at risk for ASD by engaging both primary care providers and early intervention providers. Lisa’s work has led to: (1) scientific articles in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Autism, and Infancy;(2) a chapter in the Handbook of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders; and (3) numerous presentations at national conferences. She is also Co-Chair of the Improving Practice and Policy Action Team for the WA Help Me Grow Partnership that aims to increase universal screening using validated tools and ensure subsequent referrals and optimal care coordination. During her time in Seattle, she has enjoyed the company of her funny, dedicated lab mates, the great Pacific Northwest cuisine, and the long Summer days.

If she could have one super power, it would be... "to conquer the space-time continuum, because, among other benefits, it would allow me to be at multiple places at once…and I’m sure the lab, my friends, and my mom would greatly appreciate it!"

Dr. Karen Bearss is Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington (UW). She earned her B.S. in Psychology as well as her M.S. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the University of Florida. Prior to joining the UW community, she served as an Associate Research Scientist at the School of Nursing and Child Study Center at Yale University and Assistant Professor at Emory University where her work focused on parenting interventions for children with disruptive behaviors, as well as the dissemination and implementation of evidence-based treatments into community mental health centers. At UW, she works at the Seattle Children’s Autism Center where she oversees the RUBI Parent Training Clinic while continuing to focus on developing, evaluating and implementing evidence-based parenting interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder.

Jill Locke, PhD, is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences at the University of Washington (UW) and core faculty at the UW School Mental Health Assessment Research and Training Center and research affiliate at the Seattle Children’s Autism Center. Dr. Locke received her doctorate in Education from UCLA in 2010 and completed her postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania in 2013. Her research focuses on the: 1) social functioning of children with autism; 2) identification and implementation of evidence-based practices for individuals with autism in real-world settings; and 3) factors that predict successful implementation of evidence-based practices in schools. She is currently the principal investigator of an NIMH K01 Career Development Award that uses mixed methods to examine the individual and organizational factors that predict successful implementation and sustainment of evidence-based practices for children with autism in public schools. Most recently, Dr. Locke was the PI of a pilot grant to study the feasibility and acceptability of a peer-mentoring program, MOSSAIC, for college students with ASD and the co-PI of a pilot grant that launched the PREP for IT program focused on career development and employment for college students with ASD interested in IT. Her research has highlighted the importance of collaborating with community stakeholders such as public schools and the reality of working within the constraints of large, publicly funded systems, their timeline (e.g. school calendar year), and with their personnel.

Colleen is a child clinical psychology graduate student at UW. She is originally from the East Coast, where she worked at the University of Pennsylvania Center for Mental Health Policy and Services Research (CMHPSR) on a research study in the Philadelphia School District. Colleen is interested in researching the best ways to build community capacity to implement evidence-based interventions for individuals with autism and their families.

If she could have one super power, it would be…“MINDREADING!”

Sarah is a child clinical psychology graduate student at UW. She is originally from North Carolina, and she attended Cornell University in upstate New York. There, she discovered her passion for researching the way that children develop language and interact with the world by working with Drs. Michael Goldstein and Jennifer Schwade to study the social influences on infants’ language learning. Subsequently, she worked with Drs. Patricia Kuhl and Sarah Roseberry at ILABS at the University of Washington to investigate the influences of social contingency on infants’ speech learning from video. In the READi Lab, Sarah is interested in identifying early behavioral risk factors of ASD by studying the way that language and social skills develop in children at high and low risk for ASD.

If she could have one super power, it would be… "flying. As a kid, I was always flying in my dreams; I would literally swim through the air!"

Lizzy is a child clinical psychology graduate student at UW. Originally from Los Angeles, she became interested in working with children with ASD and their families through her work as an interventionist at UCLA's Center for Autism Research and Treatment. Lizzy is interested in researching stress and emotion regulation in parents of children with ASD as they relate to the effectiveness of early intervention programs.

If she could have one super power, it would be… “the ability to fly, because that sounds amazing!”

Catherine is a child clinical psychology graduate student at UW. She is originally from Upstate NY, and attended McGill University in Montreal for her undergraduate degree. During her undergraduate years, she was involved in research at McGill and at the University of Rochester that helped to cultivate her research interests. Subsequently, she worked at the Center for Autism and the Developing Brain with Dr. Cathy Lord on a multi-site language intervention study for minimally-verbal children with ASD. Catherine is interested in researching social communication development and intervention in ASD.

Trent is a child clinical psychology graduate student at the UW. Prior to entering graduate school, he was involved in research at the UW investigating typical and atypical social cognitive development, which led to a specific interest in ASD. Trent primarily uses psychophysiological and behavioral methods to explore mechanisms underlying core ASD symptoms. He is also particularly interested in investigating individual differences in ASD etiology and presentation to help inform the development of tailored treatment approaches for different people on the autism spectrum.

A Virginia native, Sarah graduated from the College of William & Mary with a B.S. in Neuroscience in 2009. She earned her Ph.D. in neuroscience in 2013 from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston where she used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to understand how the brain integrates auditory and visual stimuli in speech. She then completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Vanderbilt University where she began to work with children with autism with an emphasis on using fMRI to understand sensory processing differences, especially as they relate to speech and communication skills. In 2015 she was awarded the Meixner Postdoctoral Fellowship in Translational Research from Autism Speaks to examine mechanisms of sensory processing differences in autism in order to help shape treatment strategies. She joins UW co-mentored by Wendy Stone, director of the READi Lab, and Adrian KC Lee, director of the Laboratory for Auditory Brain Sciences & Neuroengineering. Her goal is to use magnetoencephalography (MEG) in addition to fMRI to better understand both structural and functional connectivity in sensory processing in children with autism.

Katie is a Research Study Coordinator in the READi Lab. Her primary roles include leading the behavioral assessment team for ImPACT and coordinating the UW baby siblings cohort for ECHO. A Colorado native, Katie graduated in the Spring of 2016 from Pacific Lutheran University with a BS in Psychology and minors in Statistics and Biology. Katie is very passionate about working with children with developmental disabilities and has worked with this population for over 10 years as a behavioral technician, respite care provider, and camp counselor. She hopes to pursue a Masters in Occupational Therapy and work in a clinical setting with children with a wide array of diagnoses.

Elyanah is a research study coordinator working on the SRT study.  She graduated from UC Berkeley with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and a minor in education.  During her undergraduate career, Elyanah conducted research at the Gopnik Cognitive Development Lab, completing her honors thesis on the presence of the desire bias in young children’s statistical reasoning, and the Zhou Family and Culture Lab, where she assisted in spearheading a study on the impact of preschool teachers on students’ emotional regulation. Elyanah wants to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology where she hopes to study the effect and treatment of trauma, specifically in children with ASD and other developmental disorders. Elyanah enjoys working with children in all capacities, especially hanging out with her ridiculous 6-year-old niece.

John is a research study assistant in the READiLab. Born and raised in New York City, John has grown to love the Pacific Northwest. He is pursuing a second career in child developmental research after working in children's media as Brand Manager at the Pokémon Company International. His time working with children at Pokémon sparked his interest in learning more about how children's minds grow over time. He is excited to be involved in scientific research firsthand at READi Lab. In his spare time, John enjoys hiking, video games, and occasionally acting on stage.

Pascale is a Research Study Assistant at the READi Lab, working primarily on the Pathways Study. Born in Santiago, Chile, she immigrated to the Pacific Northwest with her family when she was 7 years old. Pascale graduated from Whitman College with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a minor in Chemistry in May 2017. During her undergraduate career, she spent several years volunteering as a mentor for elementary school children at local schools in Walla Walla, WA. Before joining the READi Lab, Pascale worked as a Research Assistant in Dr. Sommerville's lab where her research focused on cognitive development in infants. Her ultimate career goals are to continue working in research and hopefully pursue a PhD in child clinical psychology.

Hailee is a research study assistant in the READi Lab. She currently works on the Screen-Refer-Treat study and assists with behavioral assessments for the ImPACT study. Hailee graduated from the University of Washington in March 2018 with a B.A. in Psychology. Her passion for working with children with autism sparked in late middle school when she was introduced her soon-to-be stepbrother with ASD. The special bond she formed with him inspired her to tutor and provide in-home care for children with special needs throughout her high school years. Her ultimate goal is to pursue a Doctorate of Psychology (PsyD) degree, focusing on the development and practice of one-on-one therapies for children with neurodevelopmental disorders.

Danielle is a Research Study Assistant at the READi Lab. She began her time in the READi Lab as an undergraduate research assistant, and now provides in-home intervention to parents and their infants at risk for ASD as a part of the ImPACT Study. Danielle graduated from the University of Washington in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood and Family Studies. Previously, she has worked with many families in a variety of settings in schools and early childhood settings as an after school counselor, preschool teacher, tutor, and more! Through these experiences she has found her passion for helping children and families to overcome various challenges, and the importance of building support and community. She hopes to continue her education later to pursue a career in School Psychology or Applied Behavior Analysis.