Wilma West Lecturer Grace Baranek, Ph.D., OTR/L, FAOTA, is associate professor in the Division of Occupational Science at UNC-CH. Dr. Baranek’s program of research aims to unravel the nature of sensory processing impairments in young children with autism and related disorders and the effects of these impairments on social engagement and daily activities. She is the principal investigator of the Sensory Experiences Project, which was recently refunded for its second five-year cycle by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. She is also the principal investigator of the Early Intervention Project, funded by Autism Speaks.

Pauline A. Filipek, M.D., is associate professor of Pediatrics and Neurology, University of California Irvine School of Medicine. Dr. Filipek was the recipient of a grant in excess of $6 million from the Children and Families Commission of Orange County to create the For OC Kids Neurodevelopmental Center; the center works to improve early recognition and treatment of young children with autism. Dr. Filipek served as the chair of the American Academy of Neurology/Child Neurology Society committee to determine Practice Parameter: Screening and Diagnosis of Autism. She also served on the National Academy of Science Committee on Educating Children with Autism.

Dawn Prince-Hughes, Ph.D., is adjunct professor in the Department of Anthropology at Western Washington University and a professional writer. Undiagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome — a form of autism — until young adulthood, she struggled with school and was unable to cope with the overwhelming sensory chaos that is the basis of autistic phenomena. Prince-Hughes eventually returned to school and, after many years, received her Ph.D. in interdisciplinary anthropology. One of her many notable literary works, Songs of the Gorilla Nation: My Journey Through Autism, provides a personal window into the world of autism.

Elinor Ochs, Ph.D., is UCLA Distinguished Professor of Anthropology and Applied Linguistics. Dr. Ochs’ research focuses on the role of language and culture in organizing life span human development and learning across social situations and communities. In addition, she has an abiding interest in the relation between language practices and psychopathology. Dr. Ochs documented the competence of high-functioning children with autism spectrum disorders as they navigated everyday communicative encounters with family members, peers and teachers. Concurrently, she is director of the UCLA Sloan Center on Everyday Lives of Families.

Olga Solomon, Ph.D., is research assistant professor in the Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy at USC. Dr. Solomon is an applied linguist by training, with a background in Clinical Psychology. Her research offers an ethnographically informed, developmental perspective on how children and teens with autism engage in everyday activities and occupations as members of families and communities.

Formal presentations will be followed by a panel discussion at the conclusion of the day.