Patricia Prelock, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, BCS-CL, is Provost and Senior Vice President, University of Vermont. Formerly the Dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at the University of Vermont for 10 years, she is also Professor of Communication Sciences & Disorders, and Professor of Pediatrics in the College of Medicine at the University of Vermont. Dr. Prelock studies the nature and treatment of autism spectrum disorder with a specific focus on theory of mind and the development of interventions to support social cognition by using a family-centered approach. She is a board certified specialist in child language, a University of Vermont Scholar, an ASHA fellow and honoree, and a fellow in the National Academies of Practice in speech-language pathology.

Rebecca J. McCauley, Ph.D.is a professor in the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences at The Ohio State University. Her research and writing have focused on assessment and treatment of pediatric communication disorders, with a special focus on speech sound disorders, including childhood apraxia of speech. She has authored or edited seven books on these topics and co-authored a test designed to aid in the differential diagnosis of childhood apraxia of speech. Dr. McCauley is a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, has received Honors of the Association, and has served two terms as an associate editor of the American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology.

Ashley R. Brien, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Dr. Brienâ (TM)s research focuses on the development, implementation, and social validity of family-centered interventions to support social learning and episodic memory in individuals with autism. She has also designed intervention materials to support social cognition and communication in a variety of populations with social learning challenges.

Erik Carter, Ph.D. is a Professor in the Department Special Education at Vanderbilt University and a member of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center. His research and teaching focuses on evidence-based strategies for supporting access to the general curriculum and promoting valued roles in school, work, and community settings for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Prior to receiving his doctorate, he worked as a high school teacher and transition specialist with youth with significant disabilities. He has published widely in the areas of educational and transition services for children and youth with significant disabilities. He was the recipient of the Distinguished Early Career Research Award from the Council for Exceptional Children and the Early Career Award from the American Association for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. His research interests include adolescent transitions from school to adult life; peer relationships and peer support interventions; students with severe disabilities, access to the general curriculum; and religion, congregational supports, and disabilities.

Geraldine Dawson, Ph.D., Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Pediatrics, and Psychology & Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC. Dr. Dawson is Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Pediatrics, and Psychology & Neuroscience at Duke University. She is Past-President of the International Society for Autism Research and a member of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee. She is Director of the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development, an interdisciplinary autism research and treatment center, and Chair of the Faculty Governance Committee for the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences. Dr. Dawson is Director of a National Institutes of Health Autism Center of Excellence Award at Duke focused on understanding early detection, neural bases, and treat-ment of autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Dr. Dawson has published extensively on early detection, brain function, and treatment of autism. With Sally Rogers, she developed the Early Start Denver Model, a comprehensive early behavioral intervention for young children with autism. She completed a Ph.D. in developmental/child clinical psychology from University of Washington and clinical internship at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Dr. Durand was awarded the University Award for Excellence in Teaching at SUNY-Albany in 1991 and in 2007 received the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Research and Creative Scholarship at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg. Dr. Durand is currently Co-editor of the Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, is a member of the Professional Advisory Board for the Autism Society of America, and is on the Board of Directors of the international Association of Positive Behavioral Support. He serves on a number of editorial boards, has reviewed for dozens of journals, and has more than 100 publications on functional communication, educational programming, and behavior therapy. His books include several best-selling textbooks on abnormal psychology, Severe Behavior Problems: A Functional Communication Training Approach (Guilford Press, 1990), Sleep Better! A Guide to Improving Sleep for Children with Special Needs (Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., 1998), and When Children Don't Sleep Well: Interventions for Pediatric Sleep Disorders, Therapist Guide (Oxford University Press, 2008). In his leisure time, he enjoys long-distance running and just completed his third marathon.

Ann Kaiser, Ph.D. is the Susan W. Gray Professor of Education and Human Development at Vanderbilt University. She is the author of more than 175 articles on early intervention for children with autism and other development communication disabilities. Her research focuses on therapist- and parent-implemented naturalistic interventions.

Dr. Connie Kasari is Professor of Human Development and Psychology at UCLA with a joint appointment in the Department of Psychiatry. Since 1990 she has been on the faculty at UCLA where she teaches both graduate and undergraduate courses, and has been the primary advisor to more than 40 Ph.D. students. Her research projects include targeted interventions for early social communication development in at risk infants, toddlers and preschoolers with autism, and peer relationships for school-aged children with autism. She is on the science advisory board of the Autism Speaks Foundation, and regularly presents to both academic and practitioner audiences locally, nationally, and internationally.

Lynn Kern Koegel, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is a clinical professor at the Stanford School of Medicine. She has been active in the development of programs to improve communication in children with autism, including the development of first words, grammatical structures, pragmatics, and social conversation. In addition to her published books and articles in the area of communication and language development, she has developed and published procedures and field manuals in the area of self-management and functional analysis that are used in school districts and by parents throughout the United States and have been translated in other major languages. Dr. Lynn Koegel is the author of Overcoming Autism and Growing Up on the Spectrum with parent Claire LaZebnik, published by Viking/Penguin and available in most bookstores. In addition, she appeared on ABC's hit show "Supernanny" working with a child with autism.