Professional Training Program

The mission of the Autism Center’s training program is to increase the Puget Sound area's capacity to serve children with autism by providing high-quality training to community professionals and to undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students. [Inquire about these services]

Summer Intensive Workshop Series: July 13 - 24, 2009

This summer, the Autism Center offers five one-day, six-hour workshops in addition to our annual one-week summer intensive course. The one-day workshops are instructed by clinicians from a variety of disciplines, and participants will have the opportunity for in-depth discussion with our expert instructors. Participants may register for any or all of the workshops.

One-Week Workshop
July 13-17, 2009
9am – 4pm daily
Classroom, Clinic, and In-Home Interventions for Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders, $500

One-Day Workshops
July 20, 2009
9am – 4pm
School Psychologists: Identification of and Recommendations for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders, $100

July 21, 2009
9am – 4pm
Speech-Language Pathology and Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: From Early Communicators to Adolescents, $100

July 22, 2009
9am – 4pm
Occupational Therapy and Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Classroom- and Clinic-Based Assessment and Intervention Strategies, $100

July 23, 2009
9am – 4pm
Therapeutic Interventions for Children and Adolescents with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders, $100

July 24, 2009
9am – 4pm
Applied Behavior Analysis & Early Intervention, $100

In addition to our summer workshops, we offer the following training experiences:

In-service training and consultation
In-service training and consultation is available for school districts, community agencies, and mental health settings. Our clinicians will travel to your site to provide workshops, classroom consultation, observations, and feedback. Possible workshop topics include

Social skills and emotion regulation
General overview of autism spectrum disorders
Classroom strategies for children with Asperger’s
Early intervention
Language and social communication for children with autism spectrum disorders
Applied behavior analysis
Visual structure
Sensory-motor development

Predoctoral internship
We will sponsor one nine- to twelve-month, part-time predoctoral psychology internship beginning in the summer/fall of 2009. Potential applicants should be current students in an accredited graduate program, have experience working with children and adolescents, and have a demonstrated history of interest in autism spectrum disorders (practica, graduate coursework, etc.). Interns may conduct diagnostic and neuropsychological evaluations of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders and may be involved in individual therapy, social skills groups, and school consultations.

Postdoctoral fellowship
The postdoctoral training program is open to postgraduate-level clinicians in the fields of clinical psychology, developmental psychology, school psychology, and education. Applicants should have a minimum of two years of clinical experience with children and adolescents, experience with children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders, and a desire to increase their clinical skills with this population. Postdoctoral positions are full-time, twelve-month fellowships. A half-time appointment may be arranged if needed. The training includes weekly staff meetings and at least two hours of individual supervision per week. Supervision and training are provided by clinical psychologists and neuropsychologists.

The application procedure for pre- or postdoctoral positions involves submission of the following items:
1. Cover letter, including preference for the Seattle or Tacoma training site
2. Current resume or curriculum vitae
3. Three letters of recommendation
4. Written sample of a recent clinical evaluation performed in your practice
5. Completed application form

Please send all application materials to
Heather McConaghy
UW Autism Center
Box 357920
Seattle, WA 98195-7920

Hands-on, supervised training is available for home therapy assistants (TA) who are privately employed by current Autism Center clients. TA supervision is provided by our early intervention consultants and may be applied toward certification requirements to become a Board Certified Associate Behavior Analyst. For more information about TA supervision, please click here. The UW Autism Center provides professional training but is not a licensing agency.

Students interested in special education or teaching certification with a specialization in autism should contact the Department of Special Education.