Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (TN UCEDD) Online Training Available for STAT Autism

September 22, 2009

Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (TN UCEDD) Online training available for STAT autism screener A wide variety of professionals can now become certified for independent use of the STAT (Screening Tool for Autism in Toddlers & Young Children) through successful completion of the STAT Tutorial, now available online. The STAT is an empirically derived, interactive measure that was developed to screen for autism in children between 24 and 36 months of age. The STAT consists of 12 items and takes about 20 minutes to administer. Activities assess key social and communicative behaviors including imitation, play, requesting, and directing attention. It can be used by community professionals such as psychologists, pediatricians, speech-language pathologists, social workers, preschool teachers, and early intervention specialists, who work with young children in assessment or intervention settings. The STAT Test Kit includes the User's Manual, Test Protocols and Scoring Sheets, Test Materials and a web-based Training Tutorial. The STAT Tutorial provides thorough instruction on item administration and scoring, and includes video examples and practice tests. Information about interpreting STAT results and explaining results to parents is also provided. Certification is earned by the successful completion of the Tutorial Post-Test. Continuing education credit for psychologists and pediatricians is available upon successful completion of the STAT Tutorial. The STAT was developed by Wendy Stone, Ph.D., director of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (TRIAD), and by Opal Ousley, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Emory School of Medicine. One-day STAT Training Workshops also are available at Vanderbilt University. For more information or to order a STAT Test Kit visit: http://TRIAD.vanderbilt.edu/STAT, call (615) 322-6533, or email: [email protected] TRIAD (Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders) is a Vanderbilt Kennedy Center program dedicated to improving assessment and treatment services for children with autism spectrum disorders and their families, while advancing knowledge and training.