Aksheya Sridhar, M.A. and Diondra Straiton, M.A

Aksheya Sridhar (she/her) is a doctoral student in the Clinical Science program in the Psychology department at Michigan State University. She holds a Master’s degree in psychology from both Michigan State University and Boston University, and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Clark University. Her research aims to increase the implementation and utilization of treatments that work for autistic children receiving services in community-based and low-resource settings. Overall, her research aims to bridge the research-to-practice gap by using implementation science to increase access to ASD services, with the ultimate goal of improving conditions for autistic youth from historically excluded populations. To learn more about her work, folks can reach out via email (sridha17@msu.edu) or on Twitter (@AksheyaS).

Diondra Straiton, MA, is a Ph.D. candidate in Michigan State University's Clinical Science program in the Psychology department. She holds a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Michigan State University and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Educational Studies from Swarthmore College. Diondra is interested in implementation strategies like consultation to promote the use of evidence-based practices for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in community settings. Her recent research projects have focused on supporting providers’ use of parent training interventions for Medicaid-enrolled autistic youth served within the community mental health system. Much of Diondra’s work focuses on supporting autism clinicians to use Project ImPACT, an evidence-based parent training intervention to promote social communication skills in autistic children. She is a certified Project ImPACT master trainer and has provided workshops and/or consultations about Project ImPACT to over 75 professionals across the United States and Canada.