Saltzman Center

Diagnostic and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders

The services of Hofstra's Diagnostic and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) include:

  • Comprehensive autism diagnostic evaluations (for toddlers, children, adolescents, and adults).
  • Individualized psychotherapy (for children, adolescents, and adults with high-functioning ASD).
  • Social skills groups (for all ages).
  • Milieu Communication Therapy (a language intervention focused on building prelinguistics and overall functional communication).

The institute also is committed to providing ongoing support for family members and caregivers of children with ASD. These services include individualized counseling, outreach support, education about the needs of children with ASD, and assistance in utilizing community resources. The institute is also working on developing support groups for siblings of children and adults with ASD.

In addition to the services provided, the institute is active in a number of different research programs. Currently, the institute is conducting a study on the effectiveness of Milieu Communication Therapy (MCT) in young children with ASD. MCT utilizes a naturalistic approach to improve nonverbal (e.g., reaching, pointing, eye contact, vocalizations, etc.) and verbal communication in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Intervention is individually tailored to each child’s play interest to maximize their motivation and increase their likelihood of making gains. There are also ongoing studies on the effectiveness of social skills intervention for children with ASD; the potential auto-immune connection for children with ASD; and possible etiological relationships among the more than 100 families the institute has served thus far.

Clinic Coordinators

Julia Kolodny, M.S.
Malka Davidov, M.S.
Jane Shnayder, M.S.
Danielle Tesoriero, M.S.

Contact the Institute

Director

Kimberly Gilbert, PhD
Assistant Professor
516-463-5660