Letter From the Director

Dr. Rebecca Landa headshot.

At CASSI, our commitment to improving the lives of individuals with autism drives everything we do, from cutting-edge research to innovative interventions. In this edition, I’m thrilled to share some of the exciting work we’re doing to enhance social communication outcomes for young children, especially through our telehealth parent coaching model. This approach is opening up new possibilities for families who face challenges accessing in-person services, bringing expert guidance directly into their homes. 

We’re also broadening our support for teens and young adults with autism. Our new programs focus on life skills like job readiness, emotional regulation, and social connection, helping these young adults build the foundation for a successful, independent future. 

In addition, our Infant Achievements program continues to make a meaningful impact, empowering parents to support their infant’s social communication development. The results speak for themselves—early intervention truly makes all the difference, and we are proud of the transformative outcomes we are seeing. 

As we continue to push boundaries in both research and care, I’d also like to invite you to join us for Tees & Tastings at our CASSI Golf Outing on Monday, August 4, 2025. While the golf portion is sold out, Tees & Tastings offers a unique opportunity to enjoy a curated experience, learning the basics of golf from a PGA professional, all while tasting local beverages and connecting with the community. Register here. 

Thank you for your continued support. Together, we are creating real, lasting change. 

Warmly, 
Rebecca Landa, PhD, CCC-SLP 
Founder and Executive Director, CASSI 
Kennedy Krieger Institute

Improving Social Communication Outcomes

Early intervention for toddlers with autism is important for developing skills that will lay the foundation for learning across a lifetime. Researchers at Kennedy Krieger Institute’s Center for Autism Services Science and Innovation (CASSI) are the first to examine whether a telehealth parent coaching model has similar outcomes to an in-person parent coaching model. Both intervention options aim to improve social communication outcomes in toddlers with autism or social communication delays. Understanding the comparison of early intervention access options is important because many families are unable to access specialty clinicians or intervention centers. If shown that both in-person and telehealth parent coaching models have similar effects, this could lead to greater accessibility of services and improved outcomes of young children with autism or other social communication difficulties.

Parent coaching strategies taught in the telehealth and in-person settings in this study use evidence-based strategies that combine principles from behavioral and developmental approaches. Here are some activities you can do with your child at home to improve social communication skills and build on skills beyond requesting:

Activities. Blow Bubbles: Narrative activity saying words like bubble, pop, small, big" while sharing in the activity together. Create a play routine and have child participate: say Ready, set__pause and allow child to fill in the blank go! to blow more bubbles. Sing Songs: Create a social routine with a song like The Wheels on the Bus, model gestures during song and help your child imitate your actions. Once your child is familiar with the song pause while singing to have child fill in part of the song, this builds communication skills outside of requesting. Read Books: Read a book with your child while sitting face-to-face, allow them to see your facial expressions while reading aloud. Incorporate a stuffed animal or doll that connects with the main character in the book, use doll to act out pages of the book while.reading.

To learn more about this research opportunity, click here to view the study flyer. 

Expanding Support for Teens and Young Adults at CASSI 

Over the past decade, CASSI has significantly expanded its services for teens and young adults, ensuring comprehensive care across disciplines. Our multidisciplinary team includes experts in psychology, social work, speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, and medicine - each offering specialized services tailored to the unique needs of adolescents and young adults. 

Our multidisciplinary team evaluations are designed to support individuals and families as they navigate the transition to adulthood. These evaluations help update assessments, connect families with essential services, and guide planning for the critical changes that occur at age 18. 

Young adults prepare food in a kitchen as part of an activity at CASSI.

We now offer both individual therapy and group programs focused on social and life skills at multiple locations. These groups provide opportunities for teens to build essential skills such as: 

  • Meal preparation and clean-up
  • Home care and organization
  • Budgeting and money management
  • Job readiness and interview preparation
  • Navigation and wayfinding
  • Leisure and relaxation strategies
  • Emotional regulation and self-advocacy
  • Social and relationship-building skills 

All programs are delivered in environments that respect and support neurodivergent perspectives, fostering growth and confidence in a safe, inclusive space. To further increase accessibility, many of our services are also available via telehealth, allowing clients to practice and reinforce skills in their home environments. 

In addition to our clinical offerings, CASSI continues to invest in professional development and community engagement. Our internal workgroups have launched a new speaker series, Navigating Young Adulthood, to explore the challenges and opportunities of this critical life stage. 

A recent parent shared, “It was challenging for my son, but he had a lot of fun too! He still talks about this group and hopes to do another.” 

Conference save the date

Save the Date! 23rd Annual Autism Conference. October 17, 2025. Virtual Event.

OT Input on Water Safety

As summer approaches and families begin to enjoy more time near pools, lakes, and beaches, it’s crucial to highlight the importance of water safety. Autistic individuals are at a higher risk of drowning due to factors such as a tendency to wander, limited awareness of danger, and sensory differences can increase vulnerability around water. At our clinic, we emphasize proactive safety planning. Families are encouraged to consider swim lessons that are tailored to autistic individuals, which many local organizations and YMCAs in Maryland now offer. These programs not only teach swimming skills but also reinforce water safety rules in a sensory-friendly and supportive environment. Supervision remains key—never leave a child unattended near any body of water, no matter how shallow. Installing barriers around home pools, using life jackets, and practicing water safety drills can add essential layers of protection. Water play can be a joyful and therapeutic experience. With the right precautions and education, we can ensure it remains a safe one.  

Many children with ASD struggle to learn new motor and/or cognitive skills, and swimming, particularly safe swimming, requires both. Aquatic occupational therapy provides many benefits for children with ASD including improving motor skills, improving body awareness, assisting with sensory regulation and improving attention and focus. 

Early Intervention for Social Communication Delay in Infants 
 

Infant Achievements Strategies. Follow baby's interests. Use toys that are easy for baby to play with. Model how to use toys, give baby a turn. Be patient. Give extra cues to help baby succeed. Imitate and expand baby's actions and vocalizations. Gently cheer baby on. Use simple words to label what baby does or looks at.

CASSI is known for cutting-edge research that advances the science focused on autism and child development. Based on her research about how babies learn, Dr. Landa developed an innovative method (Infant Achievements) for helping parents connect with their social communication delayed infant.  We studied the impact of the Infant Achievements (IA) parent coaching program on parents’ use of the IA strategies when playing with their baby.  We also studied the impact of the IA intervention on babies’ social communication learning.  

In this study, babies were between 8 and 12 months old and had social communication delay. Parent-baby pairs were placed into the IA coaching group or the group that received education about infant development (Parent Coaching group). In the IA intervention group, parents learned to use certain naturalistic developmental behavioral intervention (NDBI) strategies while playing with their baby (see some examples in the box). The CASSI team coached the IA parents in their homes16 times over 8 weeks. IA parents learned about what types of toys help babies learn to play, communicate, and socially connect with them more effectively. Parents also use simple words, like “ball, go, boo, in, up” repeatedly during relevant and meaningful play and social activities with the toy.  Parents in the IA intervention showed greater use of the IA strategies compared to parents who received the parent education but no coaching. We found that the IA parents kept using the IA strategies even after they no longer received coaching. Babies in the IA group also made greater gains in social communication development, nonverbal cognitive development, and speech-related skills than babies of parents in the parent education group. This study highlights the importance of empowering parents of infants with social communication delays to use specific communication-enhancing NDBI strategies to boost children’s social and communication development. A take-home implication is this: Don’t wait and see.  If a baby is showing signs of delay in social, communication, or play development, seek an assessment. If intervention is needed, seek it out! Results of this intervention study were recently published in Autism Research (Landa, Reetzke & Hess, May 2025).