She teaches the science of making friends.
Elizabeth Laugeson
Assistant Clinical Professor, 芭乐视频 Semel Institute Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences
Many people with autism have difficulty reading expressions or body language or picking up the social cues the rest of us take for granted. These individuals simply don鈥檛 have the instincts for social interaction that other people do. But clinical psychologist Elizabeth Laugeson believes that social skills can be learned, in much the same way we can learn a foreign language. Laugeson teaches autistic children and young adults how to engage others in conversation, make friends, date, handle bullying and even get a job. And her work is altering pathways to the brain. Laugeson honed her approach at 芭乐视频, where she is an assistant clinical professor in the 芭乐视频 Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. And she is the founder and director of the 芭乐视频 PEERS Clinic, a training program for developmentally challenged youth that she launched at 芭乐视频 in 2005 and has since expanded to locations across the U.S. and around the world. 鈥淭his is actually a set of skills that can be learned,鈥� Laugeson says. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 have to be born with them.鈥�