About the SCERTS™ Authors
Barry M. Prizant, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, has more than 30 years of experience as a clinical scholar, researcher, and consultant to young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and related communication and developmental disabilities and their families. Dr. Prizant has published more than 90 articles and chapters on ASD and pediatric communication disabilities, serves on the advisory board of six professional journals, and has presented more than 500 seminars and numerous keynote addresses at national and international conferences. Dr. Prizant also served on the Committee on Screening and Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders at the National Institutes of Health and co-authored the Practice Parameters published by the committee. He is co-editor (with Amy M. Wetherby) of the book Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Developmental, Transactional Perspective (Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., 2000), a volume in the Communication and Language Intervention Series. Dr. Prizant is a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and has received numerous awards as well as widespread recognition for his clinical and scholarly work.
Amy M. Wetherby, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, has more than 20 years of clinical experience and is a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Dr. Wetherby has published extensively and presents regularly at national conventions on social and communicative profiles of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and early identification of communication disorders in infants and toddlers. She served on the National Academy of Sciences Committee for Educational Interventions for Children with Autism. Dr. Wetherby is the Project Director of the FIRST WORDS Project, which is funded by a U.S. Department of Education Field-Initiated Research Grant on improving early identification of young children at risk for ASD, a Model Demonstration Grant on early intervention for very young children with ASD and their families, and a Doctoral Leadership Training Grant specializing in autism.
Emily Rubin, M.S., CCC-SLP, is Director of Communication Crossroads, a private practice in Carmel, California. She is a speech-language pathologist specializing in autism, Asperger syndrome, and related social learning disabilities. As an adjunct faculty member and lecturer at Yale University, she has served as a member of its Autism and DevelopmentalDisabilities Clinic. She has also served as an instructor for the Communication Sciences and Disorders Department of Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts, where she has developed courses to prepare graduate-level students to address the needs of children with autism and their families. Her publications have focused on early identification of autism, contemporary intervention models, and programming guidelines for high-functioning autism and Asperger syndrome. She has participated as a member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s Ad Hoc Committee on Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), a committee charged with developing guidelines related to the role of speech-language pathologists in the diagnosis, assessment, and treatment of ASD. She lectures internationally and provides consultation to educational programs serving children and adolescents with autism and related developmental disorders.
Amy C. Laurent, Ed.M., OTR/L, is a pediatric occupational therapist who holds a master’s degree in special education. Currently in private practice, she is a New England affiliate of Communication Crossroads and of Childhood Communication Services. Ms. Laurent specializes in the education of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and related developmental disabilities. Through her practice, she provides comprehensive evaluations, direct therapeutic services, and consultations to educational programs for children with ASD. She also provides extensive educational and emotional support to families of children with ASD. Ms. Laurent has co-authored several journal articles and frequently lectures throughout the United States on topics related to therapeutic and educational intervention for children with ASD. Her areas of clinical interest include therapeutic intervention as it relates to the development of self-regulation and socialadaptive functioning across contexts (e.g., school, home, and community settings).
Patrick J. Rydell, Ed.D., has been in the field of autism and communication disorders for more than 24 years in public school, hospital, university, administration, and private practice settings. Dr. Rydell is the owner and director of Rocky Mountain Autism Center, a private center dedicated solely to working with children with autism spectrum disorders and their families. The center provides comprehensive center-, community-, and homebased assessments, programs, interventions, and training to individuals with autism, their families, and professionals. Dr. Rydell earned his doctoral and master’s degrees in the field of communication disorders and special education, with a primary program emphasis in autism and early childhood education. Dr. Rydell is a Fulbright Senior Specialist grant recipient (2005) and has previously co-authored five book chapters and numerous research articles on autism and unconventional verbal behaviors. In addition, he frequently speaks at international, national, and state levels on topics related to autism.
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