Debra Eisert is an associate professor/research associate at the University of Oregon in the Institute on Violence and Destructive Behavior and the University Center of Excellence on Developmental Disability in the College of Education. She is the Co-Director of the Oregon Institute on Autism in Early Childhood within the UCEDD. She is also an associate professor at the Oregon Health Sciences University, Department of Pediatrics, where she has worked for 25 years as a psychologist, focusing on children and adolescents with disabilities and mental health issues. She is a licensed psychologist in the State of Oregon. She has published in the areas of preschool play development and assessment of behavior problems and mental health in young children. Her current interests focus on preschool mental health, and developmental disabilities, especially autism. She serves on the Oregon Council on Developmental Disabilities, and is on the Board of Directors for Jasper Mountain Center.