Connie Kasari
By appointment
Since 1990, Connie Kasari has been in the faculty at UCLA where she teaches both graduate and undergraduate courses and has been the primary advisor to more than 70 Ph.D. students. She is a founding member of the Center for Autism Research and Treatment at UCLA. Her research aims at development of novel, evidence-tested interventions implemented in community settings. Recent projects include targeted treatments for early social communication development in at-risk infants, toddlers and preschoolers with autism, and peer relationships for school aged children with autism. She has led many multi-site federally funded projects investigating the efficacy of interventions for children with autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions. She is on the science advisory board of the Autism Speaks Foundation and regularly presents to both academic and practitioner audiences locally, nationally and internationally.
Titles and Positions
- Distinguished Professor of Human Development and Psychiatry
- Founding Member of Center for Autism Research & Treatment
Education
- Ph.D., University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
- M.A., Peabody College at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
- B.S., Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
Awards, Honors, and Fellowships
- 2021-2023 President, International Society of Autism Research
- 2019 INSAR Fellow
- 2017 Autism Speaks Acceleration Award
- 1985-1987 Postdoctoral Fellow, UCLA School of Medicine
Select Publications
- Shih, W., Shire, S., Chang, Y. C., & Kasari, C. (2021). Joint engagement is a potential mechanism leading to increased initiations of joint attention and downstream effects on language: JASPER early intervention for children with ASD. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.
- Kasari, C., Shire, S., Shih, W., & Almirall, D. (2021). Getting SMART About Social Skills Interventions for Students With ASD in Inclusive Classrooms. Exceptional Children, 00144029211007148.
- Sturm, A., & Kasari, C. (2019). Academic and psychosocial characteristics of incoming college freshmen with autism spectrum disorder: The role of comorbidity and gender. Autism Research, 12(6), 931-940.
- Shire, S. Y., Chang, Y. C., Shih, W., Bracaglia, S., Kodjoe, M., & Kasari, C. (2017). Hybrid implementation model of community‐partnered early intervention for toddlers with autism: A randomized trial. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 58(5), 612-622.
