Implementing the Group-Based Early Start Denver Model for Preschoolers with Autism

Giacomo Vivanti, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor in the Early Detection and Intervention research program at the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute, Drexel University, Philadelphia. His previous experience includes a visiting fellowship at the Yale Child Study Center and a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California Davis MIND Institute under the mentorship of Dr. Sally Rogers. During 2010, he became Research Fellow at the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre in Melbourne, Australia, where he worked on a federally funded five-year project on the implementation of the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) in a group-based early intervention setting. Dr. Vivanti serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders and the Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders. He is also a member of the Department of the Health Committee to establish evidence-based guidelines for autism treatment in Italy, a certified therapist and trainer in theEarly Start Denver Model autism intervention program, and a member of the Early Start Denver Model Training Advisory Group. He is author of approximately 50 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters about autism spectrum disorder.