April is Autism Acceptance Month, an opportunity to raise public awareness and support for people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Florida State University experts work to promote interdisciplinary research that advances our understanding of autism and bridges the gap between scientific knowledge and clinical/educational practice.

Faculty from the College of Medicine and the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences are available to speak to media reporting on autism.

Veronica Fleury
Associate Professor, College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences
vpfleury@fsu.edu

Fleury researches how to optimize learning opportunities for individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Her work explores how core behavioral characteristics of ASD promote or inhibit students’ ability to participate in learning activities and how to identify instructional strategies to address academic and social-communication difficulties for young children with ASD. She also researches how to promote the adoption of evidence-based practices for individuals with ASD in school and community settings.

“The number of children identified with ASD has increased markedly over recent decades — one in 36, according to a recent Centers for Disease Control survey. Consistent with these figures, the number of students identified with ASD being served in school special education programs has risen. Now, more than ever, we need effective, sustainable and socially valid strategies to help this population succeed in various educational settings. My research focuses on optimizing learning opportunities for individuals with ASD by developing and validating instructional strategies to address early academic difficulties, with an emphasis on early literacy; investigating factors that influence consumers’ understanding and acceptance of ASD interventions; and systematically identifying areas of strength and gaps in our knowledge to inform future research.”

Amy Wetherby
Distinguished Research Professor, College of Medicine, and director of FSU Autism Institute
amy.wetherby@med.fsu.edu; (850) 644-4367

Wetherby develops and implements screening tools for ASD and communication delays in large population-based samples of children 9-24 months of age. She is a fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and has more than 40 years of clinical experience. She also served on the DSM-5 Neurodevelopmental Workgroup of the American Psychiatric Association, which revised the diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disorders.

“We know that early detection of autism is crucial for improving treatment for children. By identifying autism early, intervention can take advantage of the plasticity of the brain in the first three years of life. With early diagnosis and intervention, children with autism are more likely able to be included in regular classrooms from preschool to kindergarten and beyond. Tools developed by the team at the FSU Autism Institute, such as Autism Navigator and Baby Navigator, help to speed up diagnosis during this critical period.”

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A researcher in Florida State University’s College of Social Work is being recognized by the National Institutes of Health with a KL2 Mentored Career Development Award, aimed at helping emerging researchers in patient-oriented research.  

Kristy Anderson, assistant professor of social work, focuses her research on social policies and financial security of children and adults on the autism spectrum. The KL2 award will help her focus on research that translates directly toward practical applications. 

“My research until now has been on the disparity in access to social programs designed to help children and adults with autism,” she said. “I realized that the next step in my research is in implementing clinical interventions.” 

The award will help Anderson take that step. 

According to the NIH, the KL2 Mentored Career Development Award combines “didactic training, mentoring, exposure to multidisciplinary research, and ongoing evaluation to prepare young investigators for careers in patient-oriented research (POR). The award serves as a bridge by which young junior faculty can achieve research independence.” 

The award runs for two years and will cover 75% of Anderson’s salary and provide other financial support. One of the big benefits the award provides, Anderson said, is that it frees her up to pursue new research.   

Anderson’s work will help her develop and test the feasibility of an online social needs screening and referral tool for underserved families of children with autism and make adjustments based on this feedback.  

Her work will incorporate the online Baby Navigator platform, developed at the FSU College of Medicine’s Autism Institute. Baby Navigator offers parents access to online resources to inform and gauge early childhood development and information on early signs of autism. Thanks to the award, Anderson will be able to work directly with renowned autism researcher Amy Weatherby, distinguished research professor and director of FSU’s Autism Institute.

About one in four families with children with autism are living in poverty. Anderson said part of her goal is to bridge the information gap so that these families have the information they need to access resources crucial to their child’s development.  

“No researcher is going to be knowledgeable about everything,” she said. “The KL2 is helping me to carry my research forward and make an impact on autistic families and communities.”

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