Autism Assessment and Intervention Track

Please see the Training Program Overview for details that apply across all tracks.

Unique Training Elements for this Track

Autism Assessment Boot Camp Required:

Following general orientation, Regilda Romero, Ph.D. will spend a full week teaching and reviewing the most commonly used clinician-administered Autism assessments. This will include training in the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) Modules 1-4, and the Childhood Autism Rating Scale, Second Edition (CARS -2). Additional assessments like the Autism Diagnostic Interview – Revised (ADI-R), the Monteiro Interview Guidelines for Diagnosing the Autism Spectrum, Second Edition (MIGDAS-2), Clinical Assessment of Pragmatics (CAPS), or Comprehensive Assessment of Spoken Language, Second Edition (CASL-2) may also be covered. Dr. Romero will work with each postdoc individually to review a proficiency checklist and to make an individualized training plan for the remainder of the training year. 

Autism Diagnostic Evaluations (CADE) Required:

Each postdoc will complete three to four ½ day Autism assessments per week. Patients are referred from the UF Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment (UF CAN) and will range in age across the lifespan. The intake interview, autism assessment, and feedback to the patient/family will occur all on the same day. Reports will be short and focused on the presence (or not) of Autism. Patients who will benefit from additional testing for other co-occurring conditions (e.g., ADHD, OCD, Learning Disability) will be referred for an additional ½ day of testing, in most cases with the same provider.

Neurodivergence-Affirming Specialty Therapy Required:

Postdocs are expected to have between 8 and 12 appointment times available for scheduling. Patients will be aged 8 years old through adulthood with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Intellectual Disability, or any other condition that requires a neurodivergence-affirming approach to evidence-based interventions. Postdocs will match interventions to like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Parent Management Training (PMT) to presenting concerns. The treatment target for therapy is often anxiety, OCD, mood disturbance, problem behavior, school avoidance, or adaptive functioning limitations. Supervision often centers on adaptation of treatment to address differences in language ability, communication styles, relational expectations, cognitive ability, or school/environmental factors commonly experiences by neurodivergent individuals.

Patients will be referred from UF Providers or UF CAN. We are thrilled to be able to provide this much needed service, especially for adult patients who often have difficulty finding informed providers. Scheduling of new patients will be managed by administrative support staff and the postdoc will schedule return patients in the available openings.

Group Therapy Optional:

If the postdoc is interested, any number of individual therapy face-to-face hours may be converted to group therapy. Based on their interest, the postdoc may run a closed group or rolling enrollment group. Groups topics that may be of interest include: social skills, parenting support, parenting skills training, study skills, or psychoeducation on school advocacy. We highly encourage postdocs to be creative and have fun organizing groups in their area of interest.

Sample Autism Assessment and Intervention Track