Autism Center Faculty

Joel Arick, PhD, has directed several state and federal projects related to autism and is co-author of two frequently used screening/placement tools for identifying children with autism (Autism Screening Instrument for Educational Planning, 1996, and the Krug Asperger's Disorder Index, 2003). Additionally, he has co-designed two research-based curricula, The STAR Program: Strategies for Teaching Based on Autism Research (Arick, Loos, Falco, and Krug, 2004) and FACTER: Functional Assessment and Curriculum for Teaching Everyday Routines (Arick, Nave, and Hoffman, 2004). He teaches graduate courses in severe disabilities, autism, and research design and is the director of the Portland State University Autism Training and Research Center. He conducts numerous teacher-training workshops in the areas of language development and behavior management for teaching teams working with children with autism. Students will also learn to implement strategies for working and communicating with families of children with autism.

Ruth Falco, PhD, is a professor of special education at Portland State University. Her areas of expertise are early childhood special education, programs for students with severe and multiple disabilities, and programs for students with autism.

Ann Fullerton, PhD, is a professor and currently serving as chair in the Department of Special Education at PSU. She teaches instructional methods and assessment courses in special education. Dr. Fullerton's interests include transition, self-determination, students with autism, and recreation for students with disabilities.

John Gill, MS, has worked directly with students with autism and other disabilities for 15 years. He is currently a senior instructor in the Special Education Department at PSU and an associate in the PSU Autism Training and Research Center. He has been a regular education teacher, special education teacher, and autism specialist in public school districts in Oregon. John is an acknowledged contributor to the STAR Program (Arick, et al., 2004), a comprehensive research-based curriculum for students with autism. Most recently he has served as the training coordinator for the Regional Program Autism Training Site project and is conducting workshops and consulting to teachers and programs across the state of Oregon.

Dave Krug, PhD, is a professor emeritus of special education at PSU. His areas of expertise include assessment and programming for children with autism or Asperger's Syndrome.

Helen Young, EDd, is currently a full-time research associate faculty member in the Department of Special Education and is an associate in The PSU Autism Training and Research Center. She has conducted extensive research in the field of autism spectrum disorder. She has a bachelor's degree in business, a master's degree in special education, and has extensive project management experience. Dr. Young is the project coordinator for the Oregon Autism Spectrum Disorders Outcome Study and Training Project. Additionally, she teaches graduate courses in severe disabilities, autism, and research design. Ms. Young is the co-author of a peer-reviewed journal article entitled, Designing an Outcome Study to Monitor the Progress of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder that appeared in the summer 2003 issue of Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities.