UW READi Lab

Research in Early Autism Detection and Intervention

An animated series starring a little boy with autism is now on Netflix!

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The British children’s television series “Pablo” centers on the adventures of the title-character, who is a five-year-old boy with autism, and his imaginary animal friends, the Book Animals, who go on adventures in Pablo’s Art World. A typical episode will begin in the real world where Pablo is performing a daily activity and when he encounters a problem or experience he does not understand, the show transitions into his animated art world.  Through each episode’s story, the audience gets a glimpse into the real-life experiences of children with autism. The show is also unique in that it is entirely voiced and co-written by people with autism. If you would like to check it out, the show is available for streaming on Netflix here!

Hannah Benavidez, MS, Graduate Student

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Hannah is a child clinical psychology graduate student at UW. She completed her undergraduate degree at UCLA. During that time, she was involved in various research labs and clinical fieldwork focused on developmental psychopathology, which sparked her interest in ASD. Following graduation, she became a research fellow at the Yale Child Study Center in Dr. Katarzyna Chawarska’s lab. There she worked on multiple studies including the Autism Center of Excellence grant focused on early indicators of ASD as well as a multimedia ASD screener study within the community. Her research interests include early intervention for children with ASD and accessibility to diagnostic and intervention services for families in the community.

Shana Attar, MEd, Graduate Student

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Shana is a child clinical psychology graduate student at UW. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Connecticut and her Master’s degree from Harvard University. She became interested in ASD research while working as a phenotyper in an autism lab at Boston Children’s Hospital. She subsequently worked on an early detection study at Total Child Health in Baltimore and on an early intervention study at Drexel University in Philadelphia with Dr. Diana Robins and Dr. Giacomo Vivanti. Shana is interested in researching strategies that improve early detection rates and early intervention utilization in community settings.