Stephen Edelson

Stephen Edelson is involved in many autism-related organizations. He is the executive director of the Autism Research Institute in San Diego, founded by Dr. Bernard Rimland. Dr. Edelson was a Board member of the Autism Society and a past president of the Oregon Chapter of the Autism Society. Dr. Edelson’s research endeavors have spanned a variety of areas in autism, including sensory interventions (auditory, vision, and deep pressure), challenging behaviors (self-injury, aggression, and stereotypic repetitive behaviors) and cognition (stimulus over selectivity, classification learning, perceptual discrimination). He co-edited several multidisciplinary books focused on anxiety, self-injurious behavior, and sleep disturbances. He is also the editor of the quarterly newsletter Autism Research Review International. In 2000, the Autism Society named Dr. Edelson “Volunteer of the Year.”