ANN ARBOR – Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that involves global impairments in social skills and in verbal and non-verbal communication, as well as the presence of stereotyped patterns of behaviors and interests (DSM-V).
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) around 1 in 68 children has been identified with some form of ASD. While autism cannot be cured, certain treatments can greatly help. This is why it is also critical to diagnose ASD early.
Dr. Costanza Colombi, research assistant professor with the U-M Department of Psychiatry, has been studying autism for many years and now holds trainings at U-M for professionals specialized in ASD diagnosis and treatment.
Dr. Colombi is offering introductory, toddler, and advanced Autism Diagnosis Observation Schedule, Second Edition (ADOS-2) trainings in October of 2017. The ADOS is a semi-structured observation, standardized assessment of social-communication, paly, and restrictive and repetitive behaviors for children and adults with a possible diagnosis of ASD. The ADOS-2 is considered the “gold standard” assessment for diagnosing ASD.
Below are the ADOS Trainings Dr. Colombi is holding in Ann Arbor, MI:
- Introductory ADOS Training: October 23 and 24, 2017
- Toddler ADOS Training: October 25, 2017
- Advanced ADOS Training: October 26 and 27, 2017
Specialists who make autism assessments are encouraged to attend. Professionals interested in attending may include, behavioral analysts; occupational therapists; speech therapists; special education teachers; school psychologists; pediatricians; child psychiatrists; or clinical psychologists.
Learn more and sign-up for the trainings here.
About Costanza Colombi, Ph.D.
After training as a clinical psychologist in Italy, Dr. Costanza Colombi pursued a Ph.D. in Human Development at the M.I.N.D. Institute (UC Davis) and a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Michigan. After working for three years in Dr. Catherine Lord’s research group at U-M, Dr. Colombi conducted research in early identification and early intervention in Autism Spectrum Disorder at the National Research Council of Italy as an Assistant Research Scientist for two years. Currently, she is based at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where she holds a position as a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry.
Dr. Colombi’s research interests and expertise include early signs, social cognitive development, and intervention in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The emphasis of her research is on the efficacy and effectiveness of early intervention for young children. She is especially interested in studying intervention in naturalistic settings such as in the home and school. For example, she has adapted and evaluated the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM), an evidence based early intervention for ASD developed in the United States, in the Italian public health system. At the University of Michigan, she is evaluating early intervention models for young children with ASD with the involvement of parents. Dr. Colombi aims to develop dissemination strategies that would make ASD early intervention more available. At U-M, she also provides Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) and Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-2 (ADOS-2) workshops for internal and external students and professionals, teaches seminars, and provides guidance to faculty, staff, and students in assessment and intervention for ASD.
