University of Vermont

College of Nursing and Health Sciences
Patricia Prelock

Patricia Prelock, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

Dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences,
Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders

Patricia Prelock Office: Rowell Building
Phone: (802) 656-2216
Fax: (802) 656-2191
Email: Patricia.Prelock@uvm.edu

In addition to her role as Dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Dr. Prelock coordinates the More Than Words parent-training programs for caregivers and providers serving children with autism spectrum disorders. Since coming to the University of Vermont in the fall of 1994, Dr. Prelock has been awarded more than 9 million dollars in state and federal funding as a PI or Co-PI to develop innovations in interdisciplinary training, to facilitate training in speech-language pathology, and to support her intervention work in autism spectrum disorders. She is the 2012 President-Elect for the American Speech-Language Hearing Association and one of 15 members of the Association's Board of Directors. Dr. Prelock has over 125 publications and 400 peer-reviewed and invited presentations in the areas of autism, collaboration, language assessment and intervention, and language learning disabilities. She is a nationally certified speech-language pathologist, a Board Recognized Specialist in Child Language, and a Hanen certified SLP for It takes Two to Talk and More Than Words.

Education

Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh, Speech-Language Pathology, 1983
M.A., Kent State University, Speech Pathology, 1977
B.S., Kent State University, Speech Pathology & Audiology, 1976

Courses Taught

CMSI 295 - Summer Autism Institute
CMSI 299 - Autism Spectrum Disorders; Issues in Assessment and Intervention

Research Interests
  • The use of social stories and comic strip conversation to improve the behavior, communication and perspective taking of children with ASD
  • Facilitating the play and social interaction of preschool children with ASD and their typical peers
  • Assessing theory of mind in children with and without ASD
  • Parent training with and without exercise to decrease parental stress and to support social communication in children with ASD
Selected Publications (2010-present)

Potvin, M. C., Snider, L., Prelock, P.A., Kehayia, E., & Dauphinee, S. W. (accepted). Patterns of recreational participation in high functioning autism. Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders.

Potvin, M. C., Snider, L., Prelock, P.A., Kehayia, E., & Dauphinee, S. W. (accepted). Psychometrics of the Children's Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment for those with high functioning autism. American Journal of Occupational Therapy.

Vivan, L., Hutchins, T., & Prelock, P.A. (accepted). A family centered approach for training parents to use comic strip conversations with their child with autism. Contemporary Issues in Communication Science and Disorders.

Prelock, P.A., & Hutchins, T1. (accepted). Parents' perceptions of the efficacy of social storiesTM and comic strip conversations to support the social behaviors and theory of mind competence of their children with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Positive Behavioral Support. (1first authorship shared)

Cannizzaro, M., Dumas, J., Prelock, P. A., & Newhouse, P. (accepted). What's the Story with the Prefrontal Cortex? How Story Schema Influences Narrative Discourse Processing.Perspectives in Neurological Disorders

Hebert, M. L.J., Kehayia, E., Prelock, P.A., & Wood-Dauphinee, & Snider, L. (2012). Communication and occupation: New avenues for autism. Occupational Therapy Now, 13 (6), 22-23.

Hutchins, T., Prelock, P.A., & Bonazinga, L. (2012). Psychometric evaluation of the Theory of Mind Inventory (ToMI): A study of typically developing children and children with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 42(3) 327-341. DOI 10.1007/s10803-011-1244-7. (Abstract)

Prelock, P.A., & Nelson, N. (2012). Language and communication in autism: An integrated view. The Pediatric Clinics of North America, 59, 129-145. (Abstract)

Allen, E. M., Cannizzaro, M., & Prelock, P.A. (2011). Perceptions of communicative competence in a young woman with traumatic brain injury. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 13 (6). (doi: 10.3109/17549507.2011.596571)

Prelock, P.A. (2011). Understanding the National Standards Project: Evidence-based interventions to support the language and social communication of children with ASD. Perspectives on School-Based Issues, 12 (2), 68-76.

Prelock, P.A., Calhoun, J., Morris, H., & Platt, G. (2011). Supporting parents to facilitate communication and joint attention in their young children with ASD: Two pilot studies. Topics in Language Disorders, 31 (3), 210-234.

Lerner, M., Hutchins, T., & Prelock, P.A. (2011). Brief report: Preliminary evaluation of the Theory of Mind Inventory (ToMI) and its relationship to measures of social skills. Journal of Autism & Development Disorders, 41, 512-517. (Abstract)

Giangreco, M. F., Prelock, P. A., & Turnbull, H. R. (2010). An issue hiding in plain sight: When are speech-language pathologists special educators rather than related services providers? Language, Speech, Language & Hearing Services in Schools, 41, 531-538. (Abstract)

Hartwell, M., Hutchins, T.L., Belin, G, & Prelock, P.A. (2010). Retention of school-based SLPs in Vermont: Relationships among job satisfactions, caseload, workload and best practice. Communication Disorders Quarterly, 31 (3), 139-154.

Selected Book Chapters and Reviews

Prelock, P.A., & McCauley, R. J. (2012). Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorders: Evidence-based intervention strategies for communication and social interaction. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.

Prelock, P. A., Paul, R., & Allen, E. (2011). Evidence-based treatments in communication for children with autism spectrum disorders. In B. Reichow, P. Doehring, D. V. Cicchetti, & F. R. Volkmar (Eds.), Evidence-base treatments for children with autism (pp. 93-169). NY: Springer.

Selected Honors and Awards
  • Cecil and Ida Green Honors Professor, Texas Christian University Visiting Scholar, 2011
  • Puppet's Choice Award in Autism, VT Kids on the Block & Puppets in Education, 2010
  • Academic Keys Who's Who in Health Sciences Higher Education, 2010
  • University Scholar, University of Vermont, 2003
  • ASHA Fellow, 2000
  • Kroepsch-Maurice Excellence in Teaching Award, University of Vermont, 2000
  • First Annual Autism Society of Vermont Excellence in Service Award, 2000
Professional Affiliations

American Speech, Language & Hearing Association (ASHA)
Autism Society of America
Council for Exceptional Children
Vermont Speech & Hearing Association (VSHA)


Last modified September 19 2012 02:23 PM