Social Connections and Treatment Lab
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Welcome to the Social Connections & Treatment Lab (SCTL), a.k.a. the "Lerner Lab" at the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute, Drexel University.
We focus on understanding how kids and teens connect to one another and make friends and help develop new ways to help them to do so.
The lab has a particular focus on helping those with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
We focus on understanding how kids and teens connect to one another and make friends and help develop new ways to help them to do so.
The lab has a particular focus on helping those with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Lab Director
Matthew D. Lerner, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Director of the Social Connections and Treatment Lab (SCTL), and Life Course Outcomes (LCO) Program Leader at the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute
Matthew D. Lerner, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Director of the Social Connections and Treatment Lab (SCTL), and Life Course Outcomes (LCO) Program Leader at the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute
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A letter from Dr. Lerner and SCTL
For the last 10 years, Stony Brook has been my professional home, and the home of the Social Competence & Treatment Lab (SCTL; a.k.a. the “Lerner Lab”). However, there are occasionally opportunities that arise that bear serious personal and professional consideration - and such an opportunity has emerged for me. So, to cut to the chase: I am writing to share that I am accepting a position as Associate Professor and Life Course Outcomes Program Leader at the AJ Drexel Autism Institute, effective at the end of the Summer; the SCTL will be moving to Philadelphia. This opportunity will allow the SCTL team to continue to make - and to grow - a significant impact on the autism community through expanded research and community & clinical program implementation (including developing, establishing, and implementing programs to support individuals through the transition to adulthood and beyond), to increase mentorship of junior faculty and graduate students, and to provide even deeper supports for autistic people and their families and communities. For all these reasons and more, this is the right decision at this time.
As you know, working to improve understanding, care, and support for autistic individuals and their families, schools, and communities, has long been a core focus of the SCTL team. When we started here, our goals were to build connections, conduct impactful research, provide valuable services, build excellent training programs, and establish a record and reputation of trust and engagement throughout the community. I am so proud of all the SCTL team has accomplished in that regard. Stony Brook is now routinely listed as among the most impactful autism-focused research sites in the country. The research to which you have contributed has genuinely and positively affected the direction of understanding and support of social connections, social competence, autistic strengths, employment opportunities, treatment practices, mental health, the nature of autism, and the development of positive and well-lived lives for people the world over. We have done this together – by listening carefully to the perspectives of all the key stakeholders whose lives are affected by these questions. The entire field of autism research – and social development – is better, and thankful, for the contributions of time and effort you have made. I cannot thank you enough for this.
Meanwhile, trainees from SCTL routinely populate the field across disciplines (medicine, psychology, social work, education, etc.) at high levels of leadership and accomplishment, sharing all they have learned here with others who can benefit. Dozens of licensed clinicians and hundreds of other providers and educators are making a difference in the world thanks to the opportunities they have obtained by working with – and learning from – you.
Perhaps most importantly, the families, individuals, and providers with whom we have connected have built solid communities that I believe are – and will remain – durable into the future. Friendships have been forged, collaborations built, networks reinforced. Each and every one of you is the glue that holds these networks together, and I so hope that the momentum of cohesion I have seen over the last decade only continues to grow.
Importantly, so much WILL continue here at Stony Brook. Many of the individuals at the Autism Initiative will remain. The Autism Clinic will remain, the KPC will continue to conduct evaluations. Stony Brook Medicine will continue its efforts to expand and improve clinical and medical care for autistic people. Our SPIRIT and ISLEA training programs will continue. Several of our current studies, including Social Thinking/Superflex, PEDAL, and SPARK(here), will continue. If you are currently participating in a study here, please do continue to do so!
Of note, I will be retaining a role at Stony Brook as a Research Associate Professor, and will have a hand in each of the above efforts, and more. So, while I will physically be in Philadelphia most of the time, I will still be back here often, and will continue to support all the great work happening here.
Stony Brook’s history of work with and contribution to the field of autism research and services stretched back more than 40 decades. I am hopeful that this grand and invaluable tradition will continue. I will always hold Stony Brook in the highest regard and will forever be grateful for the opportunities and growth here.
Once again, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to all of you for all of the time, effort, and care you have offered over the years. It has been an honor to work with each and every one of you. Through my new position, I hope, as well, to continue to work and collaborate with many of you, and to maintain the invaluable connections we have forged. As a practical matter, I will be here, and the lab’s work will continue, through the end of the summer. Thank you for your understanding during this transition. Please do feel free to reach out to me or the lab ([email protected]) with any questions or concerns.
Finally, when thinking about the north star that guides the work we do, I am often led to reflect on this quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson: “To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived — that is to have succeeded.”
I am ever-hopeful and sincerely believe that the work we have done here – and to which you have contributed – is seen, in this light, as a success.
As you know, working to improve understanding, care, and support for autistic individuals and their families, schools, and communities, has long been a core focus of the SCTL team. When we started here, our goals were to build connections, conduct impactful research, provide valuable services, build excellent training programs, and establish a record and reputation of trust and engagement throughout the community. I am so proud of all the SCTL team has accomplished in that regard. Stony Brook is now routinely listed as among the most impactful autism-focused research sites in the country. The research to which you have contributed has genuinely and positively affected the direction of understanding and support of social connections, social competence, autistic strengths, employment opportunities, treatment practices, mental health, the nature of autism, and the development of positive and well-lived lives for people the world over. We have done this together – by listening carefully to the perspectives of all the key stakeholders whose lives are affected by these questions. The entire field of autism research – and social development – is better, and thankful, for the contributions of time and effort you have made. I cannot thank you enough for this.
Meanwhile, trainees from SCTL routinely populate the field across disciplines (medicine, psychology, social work, education, etc.) at high levels of leadership and accomplishment, sharing all they have learned here with others who can benefit. Dozens of licensed clinicians and hundreds of other providers and educators are making a difference in the world thanks to the opportunities they have obtained by working with – and learning from – you.
Perhaps most importantly, the families, individuals, and providers with whom we have connected have built solid communities that I believe are – and will remain – durable into the future. Friendships have been forged, collaborations built, networks reinforced. Each and every one of you is the glue that holds these networks together, and I so hope that the momentum of cohesion I have seen over the last decade only continues to grow.
Importantly, so much WILL continue here at Stony Brook. Many of the individuals at the Autism Initiative will remain. The Autism Clinic will remain, the KPC will continue to conduct evaluations. Stony Brook Medicine will continue its efforts to expand and improve clinical and medical care for autistic people. Our SPIRIT and ISLEA training programs will continue. Several of our current studies, including Social Thinking/Superflex, PEDAL, and SPARK(here), will continue. If you are currently participating in a study here, please do continue to do so!
Of note, I will be retaining a role at Stony Brook as a Research Associate Professor, and will have a hand in each of the above efforts, and more. So, while I will physically be in Philadelphia most of the time, I will still be back here often, and will continue to support all the great work happening here.
Stony Brook’s history of work with and contribution to the field of autism research and services stretched back more than 40 decades. I am hopeful that this grand and invaluable tradition will continue. I will always hold Stony Brook in the highest regard and will forever be grateful for the opportunities and growth here.
Once again, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to all of you for all of the time, effort, and care you have offered over the years. It has been an honor to work with each and every one of you. Through my new position, I hope, as well, to continue to work and collaborate with many of you, and to maintain the invaluable connections we have forged. As a practical matter, I will be here, and the lab’s work will continue, through the end of the summer. Thank you for your understanding during this transition. Please do feel free to reach out to me or the lab ([email protected]) with any questions or concerns.
Finally, when thinking about the north star that guides the work we do, I am often led to reflect on this quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson: “To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived — that is to have succeeded.”
I am ever-hopeful and sincerely believe that the work we have done here – and to which you have contributed – is seen, in this light, as a success.
