The May Institute
Dennis C. Russo, Ph.D.
April 2005 marked May Institute's 50th year of providing
comprehensive services to children and adults with Autism. A
national organization, with centers from Maine to Florida and
Massachusetts to California, May Institute has been at the
forefront of providing applied behavior analysis to over 26,000
individuals to individuals with autism, brain injury, developmental
disabilities, and behavioral health needs annually at nearly 200
service locations in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast,
Midwest, and the West Coast. May's staff of over 2000 includes more
than 40 licensed and credentialed doctoral-level behavioral
professionals and an additional 50 staff with BCBA and BCABA
certification.
Perhaps the most enduring contribution to the field made by May
Institute is that it has been instrumental in bringing behavior
analysis into the public domain to bridge the gap that might
otherwise exist between a research-based methodology and the
mainstream application of that methodology; between internally
validated procedures and externally validated standards of
practice; and between a demand for behavioral services and the
development of mechanisms for funding them. This presentation will
highlight May Institute's comprehensive autism services, including
6 private schools, a nationwide network of home and school based
services, adult living and vocational services, and a program of
applied research, competency-based training, peer review, and
professional development which has been the standard of practice at
May over the last 25 years.
Dr. Dennis Russo, Chief Clinical Officer of the May Institute,
is responsible for supervising the May Institute's new program
development, clinical services, and research. He has held previous
appointments as Associate Professor of Psychology at the Harvard
Medical School; as Director of Behavioral Medicine at Children's
Hospital in Boston; and on the faculties of Pediatrics and
Psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Dr. Russo is Past President of the Association for Advancement
of Behavior Therapy, Past President of the Society of Pediatric
Psychology, and has been elected a Fellow of the American
Psychological Association (Divisions 12, 25, 37, 38 and 54) and the
Society of Behavioral Medicine. He is board certified in Behavioral
Psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology and in
Behavior Therapy by the American Board of Behavioral Psychology.
Dr. Russo has recently been awarded the Lee Salk Distinguished
Service Award for Outstanding Contributions to Pediatric Psychology
from the Division of Pediatric Psychology of the American
Psychological Association.
Dr. Russo serves on a number of editorial boards and has
published numerous articles, books, and chapters on the psychology
of autism, catastrophic and traumatic illness and disability,
pediatric psychology, developmental disabilities, behavioral
medicine, and rehabilitation.