COMPASS and Innovative Education for Students with Autism

Lisa A. Ruble, Ph.D.,  earned her doctorate in school psychology from Indiana University, Bloomington. She is the Earl F. Smith Distinguished Professor in Special Education and Autism at Ball State University. Previously, she was a faculty member and appointed as University Research Professor at the University of Kentucky in School Psychology and held previous appointments at University of Louisville in Pediatrics as well as Vanderbilt University in Pediatrics, where she helped develop autism outpatient, consultation, and professional development services. Dr. Ruble has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed research articles, books, and chapters on autism and has led four NIH-funded trials on improving the educational outcomes of children with autism with COMPASS. She is a past recipient of the New Investigator Award from NIMH. Her research program is based on these past experiences as a Licensed Psychologist when she developed and provided social skills and behavioral interventions, school consultation and training, and parent training. These experiences influenced Dr. Ruble’s interest in services research and the study of issues involved in the provision of evidence-based practices in community settings.

John H. McGrew, Ph.D.,  earned his doctorate in clinical psychology from Indiana University, Bloomington. He is Professor of Psychology and past Director of the Clinical Psychology Program at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. Dr. McGrew has been principal or co-principal investigator of more than 20 grants in the area of mental health services. He has published more than 100 articles in books or professional journals. Dr. McGrew has worked extensively in creating and scientifically evaluating implementation strategies for evidence-based practices. His research has focused heavily on fidelity measurement, identification of critical ingredients, exploration of policy impacts on implementation, and caregiver impacts when raising a child with ASD.