Welcome to the Autism Consortium of Texas webinar series archive. Since 2017, the Autism Consortium has brought together researchers, clinicians, educators, community organizations, families, and autistic adults across the nation to advance autism-related research, training, and services. Through monthly meetings during the academic year, presenters share research findings, discuss innovative programs, and build collaborative partnerships that strengthen support for the autism community.
This collection of webinar recordings reflects our ongoing commitment to knowledge sharing and community engagement, offering valuable insights for anyone interested in autism research, evidence-based practices, and program development at the University of Texas at Austin and beyond.
September Webinar
Current Landscape of Autism in Texas: Outcomes from the CDC ADDM Network and TX-ADDM
This webinar provided crucial insights into the current state of autism in Texas, featuring the latest findings from the CDC's Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network and Texas ADDM data.
Presenters:
- Sandra Vanegas, Ph.D.
- Adra Mersinger, B.S.
Recorded Friday, September 26th, 2025
October Webinar
Health Promotion for Latino Families of Children with Autism and Other Neurodevelopmental Disabilities
Latino children with autism and other developmental disabilities face elevated risks of overweight and obesity, largely due to significant structural and cultural barriers to maintaining healthy lifestyles. To promote healthier lifestyles and improve health outcomes, this team implemented PODER Familiar, a culturally tailored health education program with Latino families at in Texas and Illinois using a randomized controlled trial. The team evaluated the program’s effectiveness by examining whether Latina caregivers in the intervention group reported greater improvements in health and well-being than those in the control group from baseline to immediately post-intervention. Implications and recommendations to research and practice were discussed.
Presenters:
- Sandy Magaña, Ph.D., MSW
- Amy Pei-Lung Yu, Ph.D., MSW
Recorded Friday, October 17th, 2025
November Webinar
Supportive Outcomes through Listening, Validation, and Empowerment: A Pilot Study of SFBT Adapted for Autistic Young Adults
This webinar shared the results of a pilot study uding Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) adapted for autistic young adults. The approach centered on listening, validation, and empowerment. This presentation focused on how those values showed up in practice, as well as what impact they had. The team also discussed how they built a "train-the-trainer" version of the program for a second run, as well as what facilitators and participants taught them along the way.
Presenters:
- Sandy Magaña, Ph.D., MSW
- Jeeyeon Hong, MSW
- Larissa Minner, Autistic Advocate
Recorded Friday, November 21st, 2025
December Webinar
Cognitive-Linguistic Difficulties Associated with Autism Across the Lifespan: A Family Perspective
This webinar explores the cognitive-linguistic difficulties associated with autism across the lifespan, emphasizing both individual and family perspectives.
Presenter:
- Laura Friedman, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Recorded Friday, December 12th, 2025
January Webinar
When to intervene with siblings of autistic children? Should we wait and see?
This webinar will present the results of a recently concluded NIH-funded study examining when and how to best support infant/toddler siblings of autistic children. The research team used a sequential multiple assignment randomized trial (SMART) to evaluate whether intervening early by coaching parents to support communication skills resulted in better parent and child outcomes compared to developmental monitoring. After 6 weeks, children who demonstrated signs of communication delay were re-randomized to receive parent coaching with and without video feedback, while those who demonstrated no signs of delay were assigned to developmental monitoring. Children were evaluated on social communication growth and parents were observed interacting with their children and rated on their use of social communication support strategies. The presenters will share the study results and implications, including acceptability and feasibility of the protocol.
Presenters:
- Lauren Hampton, Ph.D., BCBA-D
- Hannah Fipp-Rosenfield, Ph.D., CF-SLP
Recorded Friday, January 23rd, 2026.
February Webinar
Improving Service Navigation Among Families of Autistic Individuals
In this session, Dr. Burke discussed two projects focused on designing and testing advocacy programs to improve access to services among families of autistic individuals. For the first project, she described how a program about adult disability services was developed and tested for Latino families of transition-aged youth with autism. For the second project, she described exploratory research with autistic individuals and their families about accessing school services through Section 504 of the American Rehabilitation Act.
Presenter:
- Meghan Burke, Ph.D.
Recorded Friday, February 20th, 2026
March Webinar
Understanding and Promoting Psychological Well-being Among Autistic Adolescents and Young Adults
This webinar explored psychological well-being among autistic adolescents and young adults. Presenter Shuting Zheng, Ph.D., BCBA, shared research and strategies for understanding and promoting mental health and well-being in this population.
Presenter:
- Shuting Zheng, Ph.D., BCBA
Recorded Friday, March 6th, 2026
April Webinar
Adopting a Lifespan Lens to Understanding the Needs and Experiences of Autistic Females
In this webinar, Dr. Clare Harrop explored how the experiences and support needs of autistic females evolve across the lifespan. The webinar examined the unique challenges and strengths of autistic girls and women from childhood through adulthood, offering insights into developmental trajectories, social experiences, and the importance of gender-informed approaches to research and practice. Participants gained a deeper understanding of how to better support autistic females at every stage of life.
Presenter:
- Dr. Clare Harrop
Recorded Friday, April 10th, 2026
May Webinar
Adapting, learning, and persevering towards change: The journey of family caregiving among Chinese immigrant parents of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities
Asian Americans are the fastest-growing racial minority in the United States, with Chinese Americans representing the largest subgroup — yet Asian individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) remain significantly underdiagnosed and underserved. While most research in this area has focused on school-aged children, far less is known about caregiving dynamics in families of adults with IDD living at home. This webinar presented findings from an exploratory study examining family caregiving among Chinese immigrant caregivers of adults with IDD in the United States, including a conceptual framework developed through a grounded theory approach.
Presenter: Amy Pei-Lung Yu, Ph.D., MSW
Recorded Friday, May 15th, 2026