Dr. Kristin Christodulu (pictured above) is the Director of the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities. The Center brings researchers and practitioners together in community settings. It provides evidence-based training and support to families and professionals, and, through ongoing research, contributes knowledge to the field of autism spectrum disorders. The Center has been awarded over $5 million in state and federal funding to develop and implement state-of-the-art treatment and intervention programs for children with autism.

In 2007, the Center for Autism formed partnerships with six university-affiliated programs across New York State to establish and operate additional Regional Centers for Autism Spectrum Disorders which each provide high quality, cost-effective services to school personnel and parents of children with autism. The UAlbany Center for Autism currently serves as the headquarters for this statewide network, with partners at the University of Rochester, the University at Buffalo/Summit Educational Resources, Inc., Binghamton University, Hunter College-CUNY, Queens College-CUNY, and New York Medical College/Westchester Institute for Human Development.

Dr. Christodulu’s current research projects include the study of the effects of a classroom-wide peer modeling program on the social skills of children with autism spectrum disorders; evaluating the effectiveness of an intervention program for siblings and parents of children with autism spectrum disorders; teaching parents to use evidence-based interventions to reduce challenging behavior in children with autism spectrum disorders: the Prevent-Teach-Reinforce model; preventing challenging behavior with positive family intervention; and, non-aversive behavioral interventions for reducing sleep disturbances in children with disabilities.

Dr. Christodulu serves as a consultant to the New York State Department of Education. She was recently invited to provide testimony at the New York State Assembly and Senate Joint Public Hearing on the Rising Rate of Autism.

May 16, 2008