Wes Dotson is an Associate Professor in the Special Education Department in the College of Education and the Director of Applied Behavioral Intervention Services at the Thompson Center for Autism & Neurodevelopmental Disorders. After earning his Ph.D. in Behavioral Psychology in 2010 from the University of Kansas, he spent ten years at Texas Tech University and the Burkahrt Center for Autism before coming to Columbia. He has been a BCBA since 2008. He has spent over 19 years in special education and clinical practice, working with individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities of all ages across school, clinic, home, community, and residential treatment settings. His primary areas of research and practice are social skills, relationship development, and successful life outcomes for adolescents and young adults with autism, as well as the preparation of teachers and other professionals to work successfully with individuals on the spectrum.