Duration: Basic Course: 11 hours; Advanced Course: 6 - 8 hours
Cost: Basic Course: $875; Advanced Course Add-On: $500 for 6 session consultation series/$750 for 8 session consultation series (group contract rates also available)
Start Date: Friday, March 28, 2025, 10:00-11:00 am EST
Continuing Education Credits may be available for an additional fee

RESGISTER HERE

The deadline to register is Monday, March 24, 2025, 5:00 pm EST.

An estimated 60-70% of autistic children meet criteria for at least one additional psychiatric disorder (Rosen et., 2018), but many clinicians do not feel adequately trained to address the mental health needs of autistic youth, and/or those with intellectual disability.

The Scalable Psychopathology InteRvention Intensive Training for ID & Autism (SPIRIT-ID/A) training program teaches mental health practitioners skills they need to adapt cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to treat co-occurring mental health disorders in this underserved group. Co-led by psychologists with over 50 years of combined autism clinical and research expertise, as well as autistic providers, SPIRIT-ID/A covers understanding autism and IDD, behavioral modifications, and cognitive modifications. Throughout the course the content takes a neurodiversity-affirming approach and incorporates lived-experience perspectives.

Learning Concepts:
Participants who complete the program will be able to:

Format:

SPIRIT ID/A is a fully online training with two components (Basic and Advanced):

1. SPIRIT-ID/A Basic Course (up to 40 participants)

• has 3 learning modules, totaling 7 sessions of alternating synchronous/live and on-demand content
  • Module 1: Welcome and Introduction to Autism and IDD
    • March 28, 2025, 10:00-11:00 am, synchronous/live session (learn with the instructors and other learners)
    • Week of March 28 – April 10, on demand session (learn on your own time)
    • April 11, 2025, 10:00-11:00 am, synchronous/live session
  • Module 2: Modifications to Behavior Approaches
    • Week of April 11 – April 24, 2025, on-demand session
    • April 25, 2025, 10:00-11:00 am, synchronous/live session
  • Module 3: Modifications to Cognitive Approaches
    • Week of April 25 – May 8, 2025, on-demand session
    • May 9, 2025, 10:00-11:00 am, synchronous/live session

2. SPIRIT-ID/A Advanced Course (~8 – 10 participants)

• Trainees must complete the Basic Course to be considered for SPIRIT-ID/A Advanced Course
• 6 - 8 synchronous 1-hour monthly consultation sessions

Course Prerequisites:

Familiarity with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy principles

This upcoming SPIRIT-ID/A cohort will be led by:

Matthew D. Lerner, PhD (he/him): Co-Developer and Instructor

• Dr. Lerner has worked in the field of autism practice and science for nearly 20 years, having published approximately 150 articles and presented scholarly and community presentations on the science and understanding of autism many hundreds of times. He has contributed directly to the scientific knowledge base of autism, and has authored some of the authoritative works summarizing this literature (e.g., a manuscript defining how friendships emerge among individuals with autism; the APA Handbook of Psychopathology’s chapter on autism; key papers on the state and future of the clinical neuroscience of autism).

Dena Gassner, PhD, MSW (she/her): Co-Developer and Instructor

• Dr. Dena Gassner is a Senior Research Scientist at Drexel University and is a member of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) aiding the White House in identifying and addressing autism research. Her research has focused on barriers to accessing Social Security Disability for first time, late diagnosed autistic applicants. She has also participated in multiple other projects including co-chairing the AIR-P autistic researcher’s team, research on mental and physical health challenges for autistic and other IDD populations. She identifies as an autistic researcher and is the parent to two neurodivergent adults.

Allison Nahmias, MEd, PhD (she/her): Instructor

• Dr. Allison Nahmias is a NY and PA licensed clinical psychologist who has worked in the field of autism science and practice for nearly 20 years in a variety of clinical and research settings across the US (including schools, hospitals, and outpatient clinics). She has expertise in empirically-supported treatments targeting anxiety, OCD, tics, executive dysfunction, and social challenges, as well as co-occurring mental health disorders in autistic individuals. In both her clinical work and research, she is passionate about expanding access for autistic individuals to evidence-based interventions that are effective and sustainable in community settings.

RESGISTER HERE

If you are interested in SPIRIT-ID/A, but unable to attend this scheduled cohort, please complete the interest form, and the SCTL team will follow up with you.