AUCD Experts

Leann Smith DaWalt, PhD

Center:

WI-Waisman Center, UCEDD/LEND

Contact Information:

608-890-1390

[email protected]

Leadership:

UCEDD Director

Discipline Coordinators:

Discipline(s):

Interdisciplinary
Psychology
Family Studies
Research

AUCD Council Membership:

Council on Research and Evaluation

Vita/Bio:

Drawing from my training in lifespan developmental psychology, I have a strong record of work using multilevel modeling and other sophisticated statistical approaches to answer questions of behavioral change for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities across the life course, with a specific focus on adolescents and adults with disabilities and the contextual factors associated with positive outcomes. My work also focuses on developing and evaluating intervention programming for youth and young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). For example, I am currently a co-principal investigator for a national center on secondary education for students with ASD (CSESA) funded by the Institute of Education Sciences which aims to test a comprehensive treatment model for high school students with ASD. This study includes a sample of over 500 students with ASD from 60 high schools across the country, with 20 schools enrolled at the Wisconsin site. I also have a strong passion for applying research to practice and designing interventions with end users and contexts in mind. My lab has developed and evaluated three multi-family group psychoeducation interventions for youth and young adults with ASD and their family members: Transitioning Together for adolescents, Working Together for young adults, and Juntos en la Transición for Spanish-speaking families.

Service:

Linked Projects

Transitioning Together: An Intervention for Adolescents with ASD & Their Families

Qualitative Evaluation of Special Olympics Health Community Programs

Wisconsin Living Well

Clinic: Waisman/UW Health Specialty Clinics

Promise Family Advocacy Network

Promise Grant Wisconsin Executive Committee

Promise Grant Wisconsin Parent Training

University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities - Core Grant (UCEDD)

Wisconsin Living Well

Autism Learning Health Network