About the Directors
Alan Lincoln, Ph.D. (PSY 7244) is a licensed clinical psychologist with a specialization in developmental neuropsychology. Dr. Lincoln is a Professor of Clinical Psychology for Alliant International University, Research Director of the Institute for Developmental Research for San Diego Center for Children, and Director of the Center for Autism Research, Evaluation and Service. He has held positions that include: Director of the School for Children with Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders; Research Neuropsychologist for the Laboratory on the Neuroscience of Autism; Psychologist for the Regional Center; and Principal Investigator of National Institutes of Health sponsored research on autism and developmental language disorders. He currently serves as a consultant for NIH sponsored research for the Laboratory for Cognitive Neuroscience at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and for the University of California at San Diego. He also served as a consultant for the development of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual: IV Text Revision published by the American Psychiatric Association.
Dr. Lincoln has been actively involved in research and treatment for persons with autism and pervasive developmental disorders for the past twenty years. Dr. Lincoln is an expert in the diagnosis and treatment of persons with autism, Asperger syndrome and other severe forms of developmental psychopathology. He supervises the CARES: Assessment and Behavior Clinic (CARES:ABC). He has published extensively on the intellectual and neurocognitive abilities of persons with autism. He has supervised research involving children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Borderline Disorder of Childhood, Multiple Complex Developmental Disorder and Juvenile Bipolar Disorder. He has served as the clinical consultant to community-based residential group homes for persons with autism. He helped establish the Socialization Training and Reinforcement (STAR) program, a social skill development program for persons with autism and Asperger syndrome, that is offered through the San Diego Regional Center.
Kathie Sweeten, Psy.D. (PSY 16494) is a licensed clinical psychologist with a specialization in child and family therapy. Dr. Sweeten graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in developmental disabilities. She has two masters’ degrees in community/clinical and clinical psychology. While at UCLA, Dr. Sweeten worked with the Special Olympics, developmentally disabled infants and toddlers and assisted in a classroom for the severely handicapped children, where she developed verbal communication programs using discrete trial techniques. She worked with Ivar Lovaas, Ph.D. at the Young Autism Project and Doreen Granpeesheh, Ph.D. before moving to San Diego to pursue her doctoral degree.
Dr. Sweeten is currently one of the directors of the Center for Autism Research, Evaluation and Service. She was the lead Behavior Specialist at the School for Children with Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders, has developed social skills groups for children 8-10 years of age with autism or PDD, was a behavior consultant in a residential group home, has done research in the area of mental retardation and Tourette’s Syndrome and was published for her work on mental retardation.
Dr. Sweeten has been working with discrete trial techniques for over 16 years. She supervises home-based and school-based behavior programs. She is trained in PECS, TEACCH and Social Stories.