ASAT Celebrates its 25th Anniversary:
Will You Join Me in Being One of 25 Individuals to Host a Facebook Campaign?

By Kristina Gasiewski, MEd, MOTR/L, BCBA Association for Science in Autism Treatment What is ASAT? The Association for Science in Autism Treatment (ASAT) is a not-for-profit organization of parents and professionals committed to improving the education, treatment, and care of people with autism. ASAT has a website dedicated to disseminating the evidence behind autism treatment…

Relevant ASAT Articles for Occupational and Physical Therapists

Compiled by Kate McKenna, MEd, MSEd, MS, BCBA and Kristina Gasiewski, MEd, MOTR/L, BCBA Association for Science in Autism Treatment Occupational and physical therapists are important members of the treatment team providing services to individuals on the autism spectrum and their families. In keeping with our mission of promoting effective evidenced-based treatments for individuals with…

Focus on the Treatment Team: Occupational Therapy

Kate McKenna, MEd, MSEd, MS, BCBA and Kristina Gasiewski, MEd, MOTR/L, BCBA Association for Science in Autism Treatment History Occupational therapy (OT) was established in 1917 by six founders of the National Society for the Promotion of Occupational Therapy (NSPOT). This Society was later renamed in 1923 and is currently known as the American Occupational…

Sensory Integration Theory and Ayres Sensory Integration®

Kristina Gasiewski, MEd, MOTR/L, BCBA and Mary Jane Weiss, PhD, BCBA-D Melmark Authors’ Note: This treatment summary discusses Ayres Sensory Integration®, a sensory approach that has recently been shown to be associated with some change for some learners. This represents a change in existing literature, and stands in contrast to the literature on other sensory approaches,…

The Wilbarger Brushing Protocol

Written by: Courtney Keleher, MEd, BCBA1, Kristina Gasiewski, MOTR/L, MEd, BCBA2, Mary Jane Weiss, PhD, BCBA-D1, 2 1Endicott College 2Melmark Description: In the 1970s, Dr. A. Jean Ayres developed sensory integration (SI) theory, which is based on the idea that atypical sensory processing requires therapeutic exposure to sensations that can change the brain’s ability to…

Voices of Those Working with Adults with ASD: An Interview with Melmark Clinicians

Interview conducted by Kristina (Kristy) Gasiewski, MEd, MOTR/L, BCBA Melmark PA Interviewees: Angel Cox Crayton, M.Ed., BCBA, LBS, Behavior Analyst Samantha (Sam) Chamberlin, MOT, OTR/L, Lead Occupational Therapist Amanda L. Duffy, MEd, BCBA, LBS, Director of Clinical Services – Adult Programs Lindsay Harre, MS, CCC-SLP, Lead Speech Language Pathologist Lara Redcay, MEd, BCBA, Assistant Director of…

Weighted Vests

Written by: Kristina Gasiewski, MOTR/L, M.Ed., BCBA Melmark Description: Weighted vests are a Sensory Based Intervention (SBI) often used by occupational therapists and educators to target problem behaviors (e.g., inattentiveness or repetitive/stereotypical behaviors that interfere with an individual’s ability to engage in on-task behavior). The weighted vest is intended to help the individual modulate their…

Board of Directors

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR David Celiberti, PhD, BCBA-D, is the part time Executive Director of ASAT and Past-President, a role he served from 2006 and 2012. He is the Co-Editor of ASAT’s newsletter, Science in Autism Treatment… Read moreHe received his PhD in clinical psychology from Rutgers University in 1993. Dr. Celiberti has served on a number of…