Ashley R. Brien, M.S., CCC-SLP, is a speech language pathologist in Vermont. She is pursuing her Ph.D. in Interprofessional Health Sciences at the University of Vermont under the mentorship of Dr. Tiffany Hutchins and Dr. Patricia Prelock. Her research focuses on episodic memory and its relationship to theory of mind. She is currently designing interventions and treatment materials to support episodic memory and social cognition in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs).
Patricia Prelock, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, BCS-CL, is Provost and Senior Vice President, University of Vermont. Formerly the Dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at the University of Vermont for 10 years, she is also Professor of Communication Sciences & Disorders, and Professor of Pediatrics in the College of Medicine at the University of Vermont. Dr. Prelock studies the nature and treatment of autism spectrum disorder with a specific focus on theory of mind and the development of interventions to support social cognition by using a family-centered approach. She is a board certified specialist in child language, a University of Vermont Scholar, an ASHA fellow and honoree, and a fellow in the National Academies of Practice in speech-language pathology.