Autism and Related Disorders: Seminar and Practicum

Instructors:

Fred R. Volkmar, M.D. (fred.volkmar@yale.edu)
James McPartland, Ph.D. (james.mcpartland@yale.edu)
Yale Child Study Center Faculty
Benhaven and Chapel Haven Staff

Teaching Fellow: Susanne Horwitz (HorwitzTF@gmail.com) 

Course Website:
http://info.med.yale.edu/chldstdy/autism/class
http://www.autism.fm/class

Location:

First meeting: Donald J. Cohen Auditorium, Room E02,
Yale Child Study Center (entrance at 230 S. Frontage Road, make a right, take stairs to next floor up, E Floor)

Subsequent meetings: Child Study Center Senn Conference Room (entrance at 230 S. Frontage Road, ground floor #132)

Meeting time: Tuesdays, 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
3 hour weekly practicum, flexible timing

Description:

This weekly seminar focuses on autism and related disorders of socialization. Autism is an early onset neurodevelopmental disorder impacting socialization, communication and learning. Current epidemiological data suggest a prevalence of approximately 1 individual with this disability per 88 (if it is broadly defined). This seminar brings together clinical practice and research within the context of a developmental psychopathology framework. It consists of a series of seminars on major topics in etiology, diagnosis and assessment, treatment and advocacy, and social neuroscience methods and covers infancy through adulthood. It is intended to provide both an overview of the topic and supervised experience in the form of placement in a school or residential unit for individuals with autism spectrum disorders (Benhaven and Chapel Haven). Pre-requisite: an introductory psychology course. Enrollment generally limited to juniors and seniors unless space is available. CONSENT OF INSTRUCTOR IS REQUIRED (space is limited to 15 students). Please note that this syllabus is not final; lecture topics, speakers, and readings may change. Any updates will be posted on the course website and will be communicated during seminar.

Please note that this syllabus is not final; lecture topics, speakers, and readings may change. Any updates will be posted on the course website and will be communicated during seminar.

Important deadlines:

January 18th                 Admission essay due by 5:00 p.m.
January 21st                 Students notified of admission to class.
January 23rd                Practicum preferences due by 5:00 p.m.
January 26th                Students notified of practicum placement.
February 12th              Practicum reaction paper due by 5:00 p.m.
March 5th                    Final paper proposal due by 5:00 p.m.
April 20th                    Last day to submit draft of final paper for feedback.
April 26th                    Final paper due by 5:00 p.m.

Communicating with instructors: 

Electronic communication is preferred. Please always place the words, autism seminar, in the subject line of your email and always copy the Teaching Fellow to ensure a prompt response. In the event of an urgent inquiry that cannot be responded to by the Teaching Fellow, please contact Dr. Fred Volkmar by email fred.volkmar@yale.edu or at (203) 785-5759.

Office hours with the Teaching Fellow (Suzanne Horwitz) will be Wednesdays from 4pm - 5pm in Dunham 328C. Please stop by with questions or comments about the course! Students who cannot make this time should email for alternate meeting times.

Submitting written assignments: 

All written assignments, including the course admission essay, should be e-mailed as attached Word documents to both the Teaching Fellow and Dr. Volkmar. Include your name, e-mail address, and phone number in the header of submitted documents.

Course admission: 

The seminar will be limited to 15 students because of the limited availability of practicum placements. Selection will be based on (a) specific criteria with priority given to seniors and juniors and (b) submission of a short essay to be completed shortly after the introductory lecture. Decisions regarding admission will be made promptly. We will give preference to students with a personal interest (e.g., siblings) and those who tried to enroll in the course previous semesters. The various placements will be discussed in class.

In the short initial paper tell us:
• Why are you interested in autism?
• Tell us about yourself (major, year, interests, future goals).
• Any additional special reasons for taking the seminar?
• Do you have transportation (a car or access to a car)?

Admitted students will be notified and asked to confirm enrollment by the following day. Students not admitted will be notified as soon as enrollment is finalized and are encouraged to reapply in the Fall.

Readings:

There will be one or more reading(s) per session, which are posted on the website for this course. Lecturers are instructed to allow time for group discussion in each meeting. Students are expected to have completed the week's readings prior to seminar.

Grading: 

Course grades will be based on attendance and participation in both class and practicum placements, as well as the papers (the final paper is weighted most heavily). 

Practicum placements: 

By the deadline specified above, e-mail your preference for placement to the Teaching Fellow. All students will receive placements at Benhaven or Chapel Haven. Notification of placement will be delivered by e-mail, and students are expected to be in contact with their placement site to arrange a visit that week. Practicum placements continue through the semester until reading period starts. Practicum site visits should not take place during reading period or beyond unless special arrangements have been made with the instructors and practicum site. 

Benhaven is located in North Haven and Wallingford, Chapel Haven is a relatively short bus/taxi ride from campus (on Whalley Avenue). Those students who have their own transportation are encouraged to use it to get to their weekly placement. Those students who do not have transportation should make alternative arrangements (e.g., a cab), keep receipts of payments, and then provide them to Rosemary Serra for reimbursement. We must have your name, social security number, and dated receipt. Rosemary's phone number is (203) 785-5759, and her e-mail contact is rosemary.serra@yale.edu. Her office is in room 208. 

Practicum at Benhaven (Stephen Simonson and Karen Helene):
Benhaven has a distinguished history of serving children, adolescents, and adults with autism and their families. The practicum experience at Benhaven has been repeatedly mentioned by students over the years as one of the central aspects of this seminar. Students are expected to follow closely the instructions provided by Benhaven personnel and the course instructors in order to both make maximal use of this experience and to help personnel there while introducing minimal disruption to the ongoing activities. Each student placed at Benhaven will have a contact person there. If, for any reason, the student is unable to make it to their weekly placement, this contact person, as well as the Teaching Fellow and Dr. McPartland, must be notified by phone or e-mail. Personnel at Benhaven will orient the students placed there regarding special circumstances (e.g., how to be helpful during outings, what to do in certain situations at school and at the residences). 

Guidelines for student interns, as well as a link to directions and relevant contact information, at Benhaven School and Residential Placements are appended to this syllabus.

Practicum at Chapel Haven (Ginny Hodge and Jessica Winfield):

Chapel Haven also has a distinguished history of serving young adults with developmental disabilities. A new model program was recently created for young adults with higher functioning autism spectrum disorders who are transitioning from school to adult life. Students are expected to follow closely the instructions provided by Chapel Haven personnel and the course instructors in order to both make maximal use of this experience and to help personnel there while introducing minimal disruption to the ongoing activities. Each student placed at Chapel Haven will have a contact person there. If, for any reason, the student is unable to make it to their weekly placement, this contact person, as well as the Teaching Fellow and Dr. McPartland, must be notified by phone or e-mail. Personnel at Chapel Haven will orient the students placed there regarding special circumstances (e.g., how to be helpful during outings, what to do in certain situations at school and at the residences). 

Guidelines for student interns, as well as a link to directions and relevant contact information, at the Chapel Haven Placement are appended to this syllabus.

Papers and Grades

There are two short papers and a longer term paper. The term paper is the major mechanism for assigning a grade at the end of the semester, though short papers, feedback from placements, and classroom participation will also be considered.

Practicum response paper 

By the date specified above, please submit a short (1 page) paper describing your practicum experience. We want to know a) that you've made your placement at least once and b) ask that you reflect on what you expected and what you saw.

Final paper proposal 

By the date specified above, please submit a maximum 2-page Word document detailing plans for your final paper. It is essential that this proposal makes clear a thesis that will be advanced or question that will be addressed in your paper; straightforward summaries of the literature are not acceptable for the final paper, and we want to see your emerging thesis in this proposal. The Teaching Fellow will be available to help you decide upon a topic.

Final paper 

By the date specified above (the last day of regular semester before start of reading period), please submit a 10- to 15-page essay, double-spaced (not including references). The final paper must follow the proposal submitted mid-term. Use American Psychological Association (APA) format for your in-text citations and references. If you are unfamiliar with this format, refer to the "Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association."  Paper references must rely on peer-reviewed scientific journal articles. These papers should serve as a major source of information for your project.

Papers will be evaluated in terms of: 

1. Quality of scholarly literature review (focus on scientific articles, sufficient depth and breadth, thoughtful analysis)
2. Clarity of thesis (cohesive, well-organized)
3. Formatting (references in APA format, double-spaced)
4. Mechanics of writing (thesis stated, introduction and conclusion, complete sentences, spelling, grammar)
5. Creativity is a bonus!

The instructors and teaching fellow are available to review drafts through one week prior to the final paper due date.  In other words, it will not be possible to obtain feedback on paper drafts submitted after the date specified above.

Reading list:

Lecture 1:  Introduction

Volkmar, F.R., & Wiesner, L. (2009) Chapter 1: What is autism? In A Practical Guide to Autism. Wiley, pp. 1-24.
Volkmar, F.R., & Wiesner, L. (2009) Chapter 2: What causes autism? In A Practical Guide to Autism. Wiley, pp. 25-44.

Lecture 2:  Practicum placements

Volkmar, F.R., & Wiesner, L. (2009) Chapter 8: Working with school-aged children. In A Practical Guide to Autism. Wiley, pp. 233-276.

Lecture 3: Clinical assessment

Klin, A., Saulnier, C., Tsatsanis, K., & Volkmar, F.R. (2005), Clinical evaluation in autism spectrum disorders: psychological assessment within a transdisciplinary framework. In Volkmar, F.R., Paul, R., Klin, A., & Cohen, D.J. (Eds.), Handbook of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders (pp. 772-798). New York: Wiley (Chapter 29).

Lecture 4: Treatment
Volkmar, F.R., & Wiesner, L. (2009) Chapter 5: An Overview of educational programs. In A Practical Guide to Autism. Wiley, pp. 119-148.

Lecture 5: Genetics

Papers will be distributed

Lecture 6: Young Children

Volkmar, F.R., & Wiesner, L (2009) Chapter 7: Working with young children. In A Practical Guide to Autism. Wiley, pp. 193-232.

Lecture 7: Electrophysiology

McPartland, J., Wu, J., Bailey, C., Mayes, L. Schultz, R. & Klin, A. (2011). Atypical neural specialization for social percepts in autism spectrum disorder. Social Neuroscience, 6(5-6), 436-451.
McPartland, J. & Pelphrey, K. (2012). The implications of social neuroscience for social disability. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 42(6), 1256-1262.

Lecture 8: Neuroimaging

Ecker, C., Marquand, A., Mourao-Miranda, J., Johnston, P., Daly, E. M., Brammer, M. J., et al. Describing the brain in autism in five dimensions--magnetic resonance imaging-assisted diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder using a multiparameter classification approach. J Neurosci, 30(32), 10612-10623.

Lecture 9: Adulthood

Volkmar, F.R., & Wiesner, L (2009) Chapter 9: Adolescence, Adulthood, and the Future, In A Practical Guide to Autism. Wiley. pp. 277-323.

Volkmar, F.R., & Wiesner, L (2009) Chapter 15: Considering Medications for Behavior Problems,  In A Practical Guide to Autism. Wiley. pp. 453-482.

Lecture 10: First personal account

Papers to be distributed

Lecture 11: Neurobiology

Readings to be assigned

Lecture 12: Adult Outcome

Volkmar, F.R., & Wiesner, L (2009) Chapter 9: Adolescence, Adulthood, and the Future, In A Practical Guide to Autism. Wiley. pp. 277-324.

Lecture 13: Outcome and Future Directions

No Readings

Benhaven School: Guidelines for Yale Student Interns

Location:
125 North Plains Industrial Road
Wallingford, CT  06492
http://www.benhaven.org/directions.html

Contact: Karen Helene (203-793-1905; khelene@benhaven.org)

• Please review the openings at the school. Please note morning period is 9:30-12:30 and afternoon period is 1:30-4:00. Times are not flexible.
• There are limited slots. These will be assigned on a first come, first serve basis. Understand that you may not be able to get your first choice. Once you have been assigned a time/classroom, it cannot be changed.
• When you commit to a day/time, you also need to indicate the first day you will start and what your last day will be, so we may plan our schedules accordingly.
• Please share your school vacation time with Nancy Cloutman when you start so classrooms may plan accordingly.
• Please check channel 30, channel 8 or channel 3 (local NBC, ABC and CBS stations) or their respective websites on inclement days to see if Benhaven School is closed.
• If you are going to be absent for any reason Benhaven needs to know as soon as possible and no later than 8am the morning of the day you will be absent.
• Please contact the teacher of the classroom you will be working in prior to your start date. This call will provide you with important information about what you will be doing and seeing.

Benhaven Residences: Guidelines for Yale Student Interns

Contact: Stephen Simonson (203 239-6425 x 306; smsimonson@benhaven.org)
Residential assignment
1. Contact Stephen Simonson by email Smsimonson@benhaven.org or phone 239-6425 ext 306 to address any concerns.  During the class when Benhaven presents, Stephen will distribute a hard copy of available slots in the residential program.  Yale students will coordinate with the Teaching Fellow to fill the available slots. 
2. When you commit to a day/time, let your house manager know your first and last day, so we may plan our schedules accordingly. Please share your school vacation time with the house in the first two weeks of your assignment for planning purposes.
3. If you are going to be absent for any reason, Benhaven needs to know as soon as you know this and preferably by noon of the day you will not be coming in. This will be communicated to the home.
4. On your first day we will seek to have you meet with the teacher and or manager of the home you will be working in so you can get some important information about what you will be seeing and doing.

The Teaching Fellow should be cc'd on communications regarding the students

Benhaven contact information:
Johnson House Manager is Theresa Coyle wk # 234-1904; TCoyle1@cox.net; or TCoyle@benhaven.org
Address: 187 Half Mile Road, East Haven, Ct. 06473

Northside House Manager is Mary Melone wk 239-6425 ext 304; Marymelone@comcast.net
Address: 141 Half Mile Road, North Haven, Ct. 06473

Oliver Road House Manager is Sam Rankewitz wk# 387-7231; sammyrenk@gmail.com
Address: 342 Oliver Road, New Haven, Ct. 06515

Debra Lane House Manager is Saif Hassan wk# 776-5866; shassan@gmail.com
Address: 42 Debra Lane, North Haven, ct. 06473

Marlen Drive House Manager is Jennifer Bodyk wk# 239-6425 ext 302; jbodyk@benhaven.org
Address: 17 Marlen Drive, North Haven, CT. 06473

Nakash House Manager is Sue Turek wk# 239-6425 ext 311; sturek@benhave.org
Address: 187 Half Miler Road, North Haven, Ct. 06473

Directions to Benhaven Residences: Northside, Johnson and Nakash

From 91 South: Get off at exit 9 (Montowese Avenue) and bear right at the bottom of the exit ramp.  Take a right at the first traffic light onto Montowese Avenue.  Go to the third traffic light and take a left onto Middletown Avenue.  Go approximately ½ mile. There will be florist green houses on the left. Immediately after the greenhouses, take a right onto Half Mile Road.  Approximately 1 mile up the road, Benhaven property will be on the left side of the road.
The first property is 141 Half Mile Road, the steep driveway leads to Northside House. 
If you go 1/4th mile further down Half Mile Road  At the Benhaven sign (187 Half Mile Road), turn left into the driveway.   Park anywhere and go to Johnson House which is the right wing of the duplex closest to the road.  Nakash is the right wing of the building furthest from the road.

Oliver Road  (above Yale Bowl)
342 Oliver Road
New Haven, CT 06515
203-387-7231 

Exit 91, Exit 1, last exit off highway onto Frontage Road (Route34). Stay on Frontage Road, through stop signs and stop lights, until you can go no further. At this point, Frontage Road intersects Ella Grasso Boulevard.
Turn right onto Ella Grasso Boulevard, then take your first left.  This is Route34 (Derby Avenue). Stay on Route34 to second right, Central Avenue.
Turn right onto Central Avenue.
Take the second left onto Oliver road. Go about 1/4 mile. #342 is a grey house on the left side of the street. 
Oliver Road is very near the soccer fields and the Yale Bowl.

42 Debra Lane
North Haven, CT 06473
203-776-5866 

From 91 South: get off at Exit 9 (Montowese Avenue) and bear right at bottom of the exit ramp. Take a right at the first traffic light onto Montowese Avenue. Go to the third traffic light and take a right onto Middletown Avenue. Follow Middletown Avenue to the intersection of Quinnipiac Avenue. (There is a small shopping center on the left). Bear left onto Quinnipiac Ave. Continue on Quinnipiac for approximately ¼ mile. Take the first left onto Cindy Lane and turn right onto Debra Lane. Continue to end of street. Debra Lane, #42, is on the right, a brown house at the top of the hill.

Chapel Haven ASAT Program: Guidelines for Yale Interns

Directions to Chapel Haven (Chapel Haven is in walking distance of campus):
http://www.chapelhaven.org/_contact_/index.asp

Contact: Jessica Gale (phone 203-397-1714 ext. 138) (jwgale@chapelhaven.org)

1. Please complete the attached questionnaire and email it to Jessica Gale at jwgale@chapelhaven.org and Ginny Hodge at vhodge@chapelhaven.org. 
2. Please plan to attend the orientation session on a date to-be-specified.  The orientation will be held on Chapel Haven’s campus, and will last 2-3 hours.  The address is 1040 Whalley Avenue.  The orientation process will include filling out the necessary paperwork, followed by description of our program and suggestions for working successfully with our students. We will conclude with a meet and greet with our students and staff members. Please bring with you 2 forms of identification (one must be a State ID or Driver’s license; the other needs to be a birth certificate or Social Security card).  We need this information in order to run a background check and complete your file.
3. At the orientation session, you will be assigned a Chapel Haven staff member who will be your primary contact during your internship.  Please be sure to share any school holiday/vacation times with this staff member within the first two weeks of your internship. 
4. If you are going to miss or be absent from any of scheduled days/times, please contact the program staff at the residence you are assigned to for that day.  You can speak with any staff member and ask them to relay this information. 
5. If for any reason you are unable to attend the orientation session, please contact Jessica Gale as soon as possible to schedule an alternate orientation.

Chapel Haven ASAT Program

Yale Intern Questionnaire

Name: ______________________________________________ Date: ____________
Email Address: __________________________________________________________
Phone Number: _________________________________________________________
Area of Study: __________________________________________________________
(Circle one) Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior, Graduate Student
Special Interests, Hobbies: ________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Experience with Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD):
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Weekly Availability including Weekends in 3 Hour blocks (Please list your consistent
weekly availability, e.g. every Wednesday 1-4pm):
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________