Keynote: “Emotion Dysregulation in Autism – What Have We Learned and How Can We Help?”

Breakout Session: “Mental health issues in adults”

Dr. Mazefsky conducts research on autism spectrum disorder (ASD), investigating mechanisms, correlates, assessment, and treatment for this disorder. She is known as one of the few investigators who has studied the full spectrum of severity in autism. Dr. Mazefsky is regarded by the field as a pioneer of and the foremost expert in emotion regulation in ASD, which was previously understudied in autism research. She is one of the creators of the Emotion Dysregulation Inventory (EDI), the first measure developed and validated for autism following the scientific standards developed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH)’s Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System initiative.

Keynote: “Autism and interventions – which factors shape outcomes?”

Breakout Session: “Understanding and reconciling conflicting narratives in autism intervention”

Giacomo Vivanti, PhD, is an Associate Professor at the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute, Drexel University, Philadelphia, USA, where he leads the Early Detection and Intervention program.

His research focuses on services and supports for children on the autism spectrum, with a focus on factors that shape outcomes in early childhood and across the life span.

Dr Vivanti is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, and the author of over 100 peer-reviewed scientific articles in the field of autism and developmental disorders.  

Keynote: “Cognitive-behavioral interventions for children and youth on the autism spectrum”

Breakout Session:  “In depth discussion of cognitive behavioral therapy for autistic individuals”

Professor Wood received a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the UCLA Psychology Department, specializing in clinical trials of cognitive behavioral therapy for childhood anxiety disorders and OCD. As a doctoral student of Dr. Marian Sigman’s and a psychology intern at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute, he acquired expertise in the assessment and behavioral treatment of school-aged children with autism spectrum disorders.

Session: "Sleep and autism: A Stanford update"

Dr. Baker obtained a Bachelor of Psychological Science and Ph.D. from La Trobe University (Melbourne, Australia) where she studied sleep and circadian dysregulation in autistic adults. Dr. Baker also obtained a Master of Clinical Psychology from Swinburne University (Melbourne, Australia). Her primary research interests are to understand the clinical phenotypes of children with neurodevelopmental conditions, including those with a known genetic cause, particularly the co-occurring conditions experienced by these individuals (e.g., sleep problems and anxiety). Dr. Baker is currently supporting research into sleep disruption and its treatment in autistic children within the Stanford Center for Sleep in Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Session: “Navigating New Horizons: Supporting Families Through Autism Transitions”

Dr. Lin brings over 18 years of experience in California’s Regional Center system, where she served as the Director of Clinical Services at the Golden Gate Regional Center for 11 years. Motivated by a deep commitment to improving care for children with developmental disorders, she is currently completing a three-year fellowship in Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics at Stanford to help bridge the critical gap between community services and academic research. Dr. Lin's primary research focus centers on creating a holistic, integrated system of care for children with developmental disorders.

Session: "Understanding individual differences in restricted and repetitive behaviors"

Dr. Spackman obtained a Bachelor of Science (Psychology) and PhD from the University of Melbourne, Australia where she studied restricted and repetitive behaviours in autistic children and adolescents. Her research efforts focus on understanding how these behaviours vary across individuals and contexts, with the goals of improving assessment and working towards the development of more personalised clinical support. Dr. Spackman is currently supporting further development of the Dimensional Assessment of Repetitive Behaviours (DARB) instrument.

Session:   "AI-derived brain fingerprints of childhood autism"

Kaustubh Supekar is a Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University. He received his PhD from Stanford and also completed postdoctoral training at Stanford. Dr. Supekar oversees a neuroscience-informed clinical research program, which focuses on determining aberrations in structural and functional organization and the development of the human brain that give rise to atypical behavior and cognition in psychiatric disorders, by combining cutting-edge computational methods, including artificial intelligence (AI), with multimodal neuroimaging, molecular, and phenotypic data. A major focus of his research is also developing brain-based biomarkers for early, accurate psychiatric diagnoses and creating more effective targeted interventions to address their neurobiological causes. Among other honors, Dr. Supekar has received the Tad Taube Family Foundation Endowed Transdisciplinary Investigator award for Maternal Child Health, the Stanford Psychiatry Innovator award, the Chairman's Advancing Science Award, recognition for one of the Top 100 Scientific Discoveries of the Year, the Kathryn Grupe Award for Excellence in Research, and the NARSAD Young Investigator award.