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.

Julia Kolodny, M.S.

×

Image

Julia is a third-year Doctoral Student in Hofstra University's Psy.D. Program in School-Community Psychology. She graduated from Binghamton University in 2020, where she received a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and completed a Minor in Education. Julia serves as one of the clinic coordinators for the Diagnostic and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders at Hofstra University. She has been a member of this clinic for two years and works with both individuals and groups. She is also a therapist in the Positive Psychology Clinic for Emerging Adults. Julia has served as President of the Student Psy.D. Association at Hofstra. She also works as an administrative assistant for a non-profit organization that helps families struggling with infertility. Julia is passionate about helping others in her clinical work and everyday life.

Malka Davidov, M.S.

×

Image

Malka is a third-year doctoral candidate in the School-Community Psy.D. program at Hofstra University. Malka currently serves as one of the clinic coordinators for the Diagnostic and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders. She works closely with Dr. Gilbert to perform evaluations and intakes, manage the waitlist, oversee client pairings, and provide mentorship to first and second year students. Malka has been a member of this clinic since beginning the program and she works with both individual clients and social skills groups. Additionally, Malka is a therapist in the Child and Family Trauma Institute. Outside of her clinical work, Malka has served as Secretary of the Student Psy.D. Association at Hofstra. Malka is passionate about working with individuals of all ages to help them reach their goals.