Ann Mastergeorge, PhD
Early Childhood Extension Specialist
Family Studies and Human Development
Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences
University of Arizona

Dr. Mastergeorge's research areas of expertise and interest in young children stem from her days as a Master‚Äôs student at the University of Washington, where she worked with very young children and their families ‚Äìboth typically developing as well as those with disabilities and atypical development.  

This area was expanded when she became a  doctoral student at UCLA and worked on a longitudinal research project that focused on following  families who had young children with ambiguous diagnoses of developmental delay.  During that  time, she spent three years traveling to families‚Äô homes observing their everyday activities such as playtime, dinner, bedtime routines, and other family routines and learning opportunities.  

Spending time with families in the context of  their homes, and hearing their stories about the ways in which their beliefs about development were  constructed and altered based on their child‚Äôs developmental abilities, provided the groundwork for her interests in parent-mediated interventions.  

In addition, observing and studying parent-child  interactions for both typical and atypically developing children (including developmental delay, autism, and fragile X syndrome) provided a context to understand the developmental trajectories necessary in prevention, early intervention, and understanding contexts that mitigate at-risk development.

Learning Objectives for "Developmental Trajectories for Young Children with Autism and 'At Risk': Parent-Mediated Interventions"
In relation to the goal of ultimately improving patient care, participants will be able to:

1. Understand developmental trajectories that lead to atypical trajectories
2. Determine the risk factors associated with early signs of autism
3. Recognize the importance of parent-mediated interventions