The ESDM is an early intensive behavioral intervention program for young children with an autism spectrum disorder that has been shown to be effective in the context of a 1:1 intensive implementation. Despite the importance of these results, concerns are often raised regarding the sustainability of the ESDM in community based and group settings. Series: "MIND Institute Lecture Series on Neurodevelopmental Disorders" [Health and Medicine] [Professional Medical Education] [Show ID: 28932]

Leanne Chukoskie, Institute for Neural Computation at UC San Diego, presents both the benefits, as well as the challenges, in her experience with delivering a home-based video game intervention designed to train spatial attention control in teens on the Autism Spectrum. The ability to deliver interventions in the home offers both convenience and greater access for families. However, the need to evaluate the success of the interventions in the home also poses some challenges. Series: "Exploring Ethics" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 30013]

This presentation will offer examples of how community integration has been achieved through a partnership between UC Davis and a non-profit organization, Team Davis, in the areas of sports, recreation, work, and other important parts of life. Series: "MIND Institute Lecture Series on Neurodevelopmental Disorders" [Health and Medicine] [Education] [Professional Medical Education] [Show ID: 30166]

As people with developmental disabilities explore post-secondary education and employment opportunities, the customization of services and supports is vitally important. This presentation will describe the new self-determination service model, the outcomes of the completed pilot project, and plans for expanding self-determination services in California. Series: "MIND Institute Lecture Series on Neurodevelopmental Disorders" [Health and Medicine] [Education] [Professional Medical Education] [Show ID: 30169]

With the passage of SB 946 (Autism Insurance Legislation), there is a requirement for health care service plans and health insurers to provide coverage for behavioral health treatment for autism, but what exactly does this mean? This presentation will provide a basic overview of what “behavioral health treatment” is, including the evidence based practices on which it is based. Series: "MIND Institute Lecture Series on Neurodevelopmental Disorders" [Health and Medicine] [Education] [Professional Medical Education] [Show ID: 30167]

This presentation will report on the successful collaboration of MIND Institute staff and educators implementing evidence based social skills interventions in an inclusive high school program. Series: "MIND Institute Lecture Series on Neurodevelopmental Disorders" [Health and Medicine] [Education] [Professional Medical Education] [Show ID: 30168]

Findings reveal that: 1) children with autism show a distinctly anomalous pattern of motor learning, with a bias towards reliance on proprioceptive, rather than visual, feedback; 2) this anomalous pattern of motor learning is associated with the severity of motor skill deficits, as well as the social skill deficits that define the core features of autism; and 3) children with autism show decreased intrinsic visual-motor connectivity in functional MRI that is associated with the core symptoms exhibited by children with autism. Evidence of anomalous motor learning in autism and its association with motor skill impairments and deficits in social and communicative skills will be presented, as will convergent data from neuroimaging techniques, revealing that these motor and social skill impairments may be related to abnormalities in visual-motor connectivity. Series: "MIND Institute Lecture Series on Neurodevelopmental Disorders" [Health and Medicine] [Professional Medical Education] [Show ID: 28240]

The defining characteristics of autism have changed and expanded over the past two decades in large part due to substantial research progress and expanded clinical and

educational resources. Natacha Akshoomoff, UC San Diego, looks at autism from a variety of perspectives, including genetics, brain structure and function, early behavioral features, outcome predictors, and community diagnostic practices. In this presentation, she describes results from recent genetics studies that influence our understanding of autism and developmental disorders. She also describes the continuing challenges of diagnostic identification in community settings. Series: "MIND Institute Lecture Series on Neurodevelopmental Disorders" [Health and Medicine] [Education] [Professional Medical Education] [Show ID: 29511]

Child psychiatrist Dr. Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele explores the two main approaches for developing autism medicines. The first and most common approach is to evaluate a treatment in the total group of people affected by ASD, usually with a small number excluded due to the presence of a known genetic syndrome. The second approach is almost the exact opposite, to study a medication for ASD-related symptoms in a defined genetic syndrome that confers substantial risk of ASD but comprises less than 2% of individuals with ASD. Transformative treatments, though possibly not “cures,” seem most likely to emerge from the second approach, but in a small group of children. In contrast, if the first approach is successful, we can expect a treatment that benefits a larger group of children, but likely benefits them less. Series: "MIND Institute Lecture Series on Neurodevelopmental Disorders" [Health and Medicine] [Education] [Professional Medical Education] [Show ID: 29512]

Shafali Jeste, MD, provides a review of diagnostic practices and challenges in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with focus on the tremendous clinical heterogeneity of the disorder. Series: "UCLA Pediatric Grand Rounds" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 29424]