Letter From the Director
Dear Friends:
As we celebrate our 30th anniversary this spring, I am reflecting on how far we’ve come—and how much we have yet to accomplish. Three decades ago, when the Center for Autism Services, Science and Innovation (CASSI™) was founded, autism was not as well understood, and support systems were limited. Today, we’ve seen a complete shift in how autism is diagnosed, understood and embraced, and our work has played a pivotal role in that transformation.
This milestone anniversary is not only a celebration of where we’ve been, but of all the lives we’ve touched, and the lives that have touched us. And it is exciting to see how our past and present work is setting the stage for more breakthrough innovations still to come. Our commitment to the families we serve, community-based organizations and the worldwide autism community continues to expand, and I am so grateful to all of you for your continued support.
This year, I have the privilege of traveling to various communities across the United States, connecting with families and professionals who are doing incredible work to support autistic individuals, directly and indirectly. These trips will expand and deepen our collaborations and will enable the exchange of knowledge and technologies to fuel innovation, science and services.
We’re excited to share our 30th anniversary video, which highlights CASSI’s journey and the role we’ve played in changing the landscape of autism care. In this issue, you’ll also read about our recent research study bridging autism interventions and inclusive education, our “Seeds of Innovation” impact report and our upcoming Autism Miniseries.
Thank you for being an integral part of our journey.
With gratitude,
Rebecca Landa, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-CL
Founder and Executive Director, CASSI
Celebrating 30 Years of CASSI
We’re excited to celebrate CASSI’s 30th anniversary with a special video that reflects on our journey, from our early days to where we are now. This milestone video highlights how we’ve transformed autism care, research and acceptance. Watch now to see the progress we’ve made and the people who have made it possible.
‘First Steps’: Free Early Intervention Study Recruitment
Do you have a child 18 to 33 months old with autism spectrum disorder or a social communication delay?
CASSI researchers are studying whether there are differences between in-person and virtually delivered social communication interventions for toddlers with autism spectrum disorder or social communication delays.
For more information, please email SCIPSReach@KennedyKrieger.org or click here.
Impact Report
Our impact report highlights the remarkable strides CASSI has made over the past year. The report’s theme, “Seeds of Innovation,” reflects on how the work we do today shapes the future of autism care. From cutting-edge research to clinical care, your support has been key to our success. Read the report.
Autism Acceptance Month Miniseries
Join us for our 2025 Autism Miniseries—a series of prerecorded one-hour sessions on key topics in autism care, advocacy and education. These sessions will be available to watch after the event, so you can view them at your convenience. Register here.
Autism Miniseries schedule:
April 3: Supporting Autistic Individuals’ Strengths
12–1 p.m. EDT
Learn how to identify and support the unique strengths of autistic individuals with Laura Coleman, Dr. Rebecca Landa and Dr. Jacob Michaelson. Discover how these strengths can boost self-image, self-efficacy and self-advocacy in education and beyond.
April 10: Autism Advocacy Panel Discussion
12–1 p.m. EDT
This session will broadly explore the multidimensional aspects of autism advocacy, barriers and facilitators to equitably accessing appropriate services and support, and the important role of community-based groups, networks and organizations in fostering connection and support. Hear from Ebony Holliday, Taya Dunn Johnson, Katie York and Missy Alexander.
April 17: Understanding Reinforcement for Skill Development
12–1 p.m. EDT
Bonnie Van Metre will clarify the concept of reinforcement and how it can be used to teach new skills, support self-regulation and positive behavior, and address challenges in children with autism.
April 24: Autism and Vision Impairment
12–1 p.m. EDT
Dr. Kelly Shepherd will discuss the challenges of diagnosing autism in children with vision impairment and share treatment strategies to support blind autistic children.
Center for Autism Golf Outing—Save the Date!
Mark your calendars for Tuesday, August 4, 2025! Join us for the annual Center for Autism Golf Outing, held at the beautiful Country Club of Maryland in Towson. Proceeds from this event will directly benefit the Center for Autism Services, Science and Innovation (CASSI) at Kennedy Krieger Institute, supporting essential autism programs and research.
Event highlights:
Contests: Get ready for some friendly competition with our popular contests! We’ll have awards for the first-, second- and third-place teams, and we’ll also hold some fun contests:
- Longest Drive Contest
- Putting Green Contest
- Closest-to-the-Pin Contest
- Best-Dressed Foursome (NEW this year!)
Tees and Tastings: If you’re not quite ready for a full round of 18 holes, join us for Tees & Tastings, a special experience for non-golfers. You’ll learn the basics of golf—terms, grip, stance and swing fundamentals—at the driving range and putting green with guidance from a PGA Golf Professional. Afterward, enjoy a fabulous wine-tasting event with delicious fruit and cheeses.
Registration opens in March. Be sure to sign up early to reserve your spot and join us for a day of fun, golf and community support! Learn more here.
Research Spotlight: Bridging Priorities Between Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions for Autism and Educational Practice in Inclusive Early Childhood Education
Our latest research looks at how two important areas—autism interventions (naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions, or NDBI) and early childhood education (ECE)—can work together to support children with autism in inclusive classrooms. While these approaches have developed separately, they share common goals, such as building strong relationships and creating natural, engaging learning environments.
By combining the strengths of both NDBI and ECE, we can create more effective ways to teach and support children with autism. NDBI focuses on specific learning strategies, while ECE offers broader classroom inclusion. Together, they can help improve preschool programs and make them more inclusive for all children, especially those with autism.