Laurie A. Vismara, Ph.D. - UC Davis Health System

Laurie A. Vismara, Ph.D.
Laurie A. Vismara, Ph.D., Assistant Professional Researcher, Department of Psychiatry and
Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine
Education
B.A., Psychology, University of San Diego, 2001
M.A., Education, University of California, Santa Barbara, 2003
Ph.D., Education, University of California, Santa Barbara, 2005
Biography
Dr. Laurie Vismara is an assistant research scientist in the Department of Psychiatry and
Behavioral Sciences and a board certified behavior analyst. She specializes in conducting
treatment research with young children at risk or diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and
their families. Her work has extended the Early Start Denver Model into a parent training
curriculum for immediate provision of intervention following children’s diagnoses. More
recently, Dr. Vismara has developed telehealth or interactive communication technology
systems for families and early intervention providers to access and learn more about the Early
Start Denver Model. Her research has examined the potential impact of telehealth for making
early intervention and training more readily available and less expensive to families and
providers without compromising the quality of care to be delivered to children. Her work has
been published in several journals, including the Journal of Autism, Journal of Positive
Behavior Intervention, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disabilities, and Topics in Early
Childhood Special Education. She also reviews for periodicals such as the Journal of Early
Intervention, Journal of Child Psychology and Child Psychiatry, and Journal of Speech,
Language, and Hearing Research.
Publications
Vismara, L.A., Young, G.S., & Rogers, S.J. Community dissemination of the Early
Start Denver Model: Implications for science and practice. Topics in Early Childhood
Special Education. doi: 10.1177/0271121411409250. This study is the first dissemination
article examining community implementation of the Early Start Denver Model, an
evidence-based approach associated with accelerated developmental learning in young
children with autism spectrum disorders.
Dunlap, G., Carr, E.G., Horner, R.H., Koegel, R.L., Sailor, W., Clarke, S., Koegel, L.K., Albin,
R.W., Vaughn, B.J., McLaughlin, D.M., James, K.M., Todd, A.W., Newton, J.S.,
Lucyshyn, J., Griggs, P., Bohanon, H., Choi, J.H., Vismara, L.A., Boettcher, M.,
Buschbacher, P., & Fox, L. A descriptive, multiyear examination of positive behavior
support. Behavioral Disorders, 35, 259-279, 2010. This study is one of the first to
provide a descriptive analysis of positive behavior support with diverse participants and
broad measurement strategies over multiple years.
Vismara, L.A., & Rogers, S.J. Behavioral treatment of autism: What do we know
Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 6,447-468, 2010. This review addresses autismspecific
intervention models adopting applied behavior analysis principles, some of
which were designed as comprehensive programs, aimed to address all developmental
areas of need, whereas others were skills-based or directed toward a more
circumscribed, specific set of goals.
________________________________________________________________________The MIND Institute__________________
1

Vismara LA, Young GS, Stahmer AC, Griffith EM, Rogers SJ. Dissemination of evidencebased
practice: Can we train therapists from a distance Journal of Autism and Developmental
Disorders, 39, 1636-1651, 2009. This paper demonstrates the effectiveness of training and
coaching of therapists in a treatment model over distance using video conferencing technology.
Both improvements in therapist implementation and in child behavior were demonstrated in the
paper supporting the use of distance based training techniques.
Vismara LA, Colombi C, Rogers SJ. Can one hour per week of therapy lead to lasting changes
in young children with autism Autism, the International Journal of Research and Practice 13,
93-115, 2009. This article documented the immediate social communicative gains in toddlers
recently diagnosed with autism as the result of a short-term parent education intervention
program. The results demonstrated parent mastery of therapeutic strategies after 5-6 hours of
coaching. It is one of the first papers to document parent fidelity in such a short amount of time
with child gains across multiple areas of development as reported from observational data as
opposed to parent-report measures.
Vismara LA, Rogers SJ. A new focus for parent education: Bridging the gap between
diagnosis and intensive early intervention services. American Speech Language Hearing
Association 15, 15-21, 2008. This paper reviewed the literature and findings from the above
mentioned paper (i.e., Vismara et al., 2009). It reviewed in more detail the intervention’s
philosophy and teaching practices and the rationale behind adopting a parent coaching
approach to further child gains. Additional discussion focused on the type of support and
length of parent coaching programs needed to enhance parent and child outcomes.
Rogers SJ, Vismara LA. Empirically supported comprehensive treatments for early autism.
Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology 37, 8-38, 2008. This paper reviewed
empirical studies of comprehensive treatments for young children with autism published since
1998 in order to evaluate current research needs. Research findings were discussed in relation
to practice guidelines for treatment and to unaddressed areas of research.
Vismara LA, Rogers SJ. Treating autism in the first year of life: A case study of the Early Start
Denver Model. Journal of Early Intervention, Innovative Practices Section 31, 91-108, 2008.
This is one of the few studies to examine intervention outcomes from an infant determined to be
at risk for autism at 9 months of age and later diagnosed at 18 months of age. Findings are
discussed in relation to providing an intervention model that can equip parents with the
necessary tools to engage, communicate with, and teach their young children with autism
beginning immediately after the diagnosis.
Presentations
Autism intervention in the first year of life.Rogers, S.J., Vismara, L.A., & Wagner, A.,
poster presented at the International Meeting for Autism Research, Toronto, Canada,
May, 2012.
A telehealth approach to working with families with ASD. Vismara, L.A., & Young,
G.S., poster presented at the International Meeting for Autism Research, Toronto,
Canada, May, 2012.
Accelerating the pace of treatment research in ASD. Vismara, L.A., Young, G.S., &
Rogers, S.J., paper presented at the International Meeting for Autism Research, San
________________________________________________________________________The MIND Institute__________________
2

Diego, CA, May, 2011.
Can technology improves the lives of children with autism spectrum disorder. In A.
Estes (Chair), Comprehensive early intervention for toddlers and preschoolers with
autism spectrum disorders: Evidence from the Early Start Denver Model. Vismara,
L.A., Young, G.S., & Rogers, S.J., symposium conducted at the International Society
for Early Intervention Conference, New York, NY, May, 2011.
Effects of short-term, parent-implemented ESDM compared to community treatment for
toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorder. In P. Yoder (Chair), Parent implemented
interventions for toddlers with autism symptoms. Rogers, S.J., Vismara, L.A., Young,
G.S., Estes, A., & Lord, C.L., symposium conducted at the Society for Research in
Child Development, Montreal, Canada, March, 2011.
Telemedicine and its impact on parent coaching in Autism Spectrum Disorder. In P.
Yoder (Chair), Parent implemented interventions for toddlers with autism symptoms.
Vismara, L.A., Young, G., & Rogers, S.J., symposium conducted at the Society for
Research in Child Development, Montreal, Canada, March, 2011.
Dissemination of evidence-based practice: Can we train therapists from a distance; Vismara
LA, Young GS, Stahmer A, Griffith-Mahon E, Rogers SJ, poster presented at the International
Meeting for Autism Research, Chicago, IL, May 2009.
Research Funding
Principal Investigator: From science to service: The impact of telemedicine on ASD treatment
research, Joe P. Tupin Grant, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of
California, Davis, 6/1/11 – 7/31/12, $75,000 annual direct, The proposed study will conduct a
randomized controlled trial of a web-based parent training program in the Early Start Denver
Model to families of children with ASD.
Principal Investigator: Expanding the reach of toddler treatment in Autism Spectrum Disorder,
Organization for Autism Research, 3/1/11 – 2/29/12, $30,000 annual direct, The proposed study
will examine the feasibility and acceptance of communication technology programs for
providing the Early Start Denver Model at a distance to families of children with ASD.
Co-Principal Investigator: Improved efficacy of parent-delivered intervention for
toddlers with ASD, Children’s Miracle Network, Department of Pediatrics,
University of California, Davis, 7/1/11 – 6/30/12, $44,517 annual direct. The
purpose of the proposed study is to develop rapid and sustained parent-child
learning using the Early Start Denver Model across daily home routines.
Co-Principal Investigator: Initial investigation of prevention of ASD in infants at risk, NIH,
10/01/09 – 04/30/12, $175,000 annual direct. The purpose of the proposed study is to
demonstrate, for the first time, that interventions begun during infancy can reduce, and perhaps
prevent, autism symptoms in children at risk for autism.
________________________________________________________________________The MIND Institute__________________
3

Community Service
Reviewer for: Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, Topics in Early Childhood Special
Education, Journal of Early Intervention, Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, Journal
of Autism and Developmental Disorders
________________________________________________________________________The MIND Institute__________________
4