PROJECT SUMMARY – CORE B: DISSEMINATION AND OUTREACH CORE The goal of autism research is to help people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by increasing understanding of their difficulties and learning how to minimize their challenges and maximize the quality of their lives. It is not enough to address and answer fundamental questions with well-designed experiments conducted by expert scientists. If the findings are not made widely available to practitioners and those who have the most to gain from them – persons with ASD and their families and caregivers – then a key aim of the research is not realized. To insure that this perspective is ever-present in the activities of this Center, the goals of the Dissemination and Outreach Core are to (1) widely disseminate the findings of the Center for the Development of Phenotype-Based Treatments of Autism Spectrum Disorder to practitioners as well as persons with ASD and their families and caregivers; (2) support two-way communication between the scientists of the Autism Center of Excellence and the broad ASD scientific community, along with the community of stakeholders and practitioners both locally and nationally; (3) increase the workforce for autism research by drawing talent into autism science, particularly those who have been underrepresented in ASD science; and (4) develop the next generations of ASD scientists, from students through mature scientists, who are new to ASD research. To achieve these goals, Core B will undertake a variety of activities including translation and dissemination of research-based findings to local, state, and community scientists, practitioners, and stakeholders through multiple formats including real time, and store and forward products annually; promoting a two-way communication between the investigators and stakeholders (including practitioners) through focus group activities and a needs assessments of stakeholder groups, and through formation of advisory groups of family/self-advocate stakeholders and practitioners. To develop the next generations of ASD scientist who are responsive to the needs of the ASD communities, the Core will recruit new trainees, junior faculty, and established investigators, especially those from underrepresented racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups, into collaborative Center scientific activities annually. In coordination with Project 1, new clinicians will be trained in the detection and treatment of anxiety disorders in individuals with ASD. The Core will also establish a Pilot Grants Program to encourage the entry of scientists who are not currently engaged in ASD research to enter the field. The benefits of these activities to the larger ASD community is threefold: (1) to maximize the relevance of ASD research to ASD community needs, (2) to encourage the implementation of research findings in communities by practitioners and stakeholders alike, and (3) to grow and diversify the ASD researcher base to a...