Amanda C Gulsrud

Amanda C Gulsrud is a Health Sciences Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. She is a prominent researcher in the field of autism spectrum disorder with a specific focus on early intervention strategies for infants and toddlers.

Dr. Gulsrud's research primarily centers on autism spectrum disorder, with particular emphasis on parent-mediated interventions, early identification of autism symptoms, and developmental trajectories in young children. Her work frequently examines the JASPER (Joint Attention, Symbolic Play, Engagement, and Regulation) intervention model, exploring how caregiver strategies impact treatment outcomes for autistic toddlers. She investigates critical developmental areas including social communication, joint attention, play skills, and the relationship between motor development and communication abilities in children with autism.

Her publication record demonstrates consistent research productivity with over 30 publications since 2007, showing increasing output in recent years with 5 publications in 2024 and 1 in 2025. Her work spans multiple disciplines including psychiatry, developmental psychology, pediatrics, and neuroscience, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of autism research.

Dr. Gulsrud frequently collaborates with leading autism researchers including Connie Kasari, Shafali Jeste, Tanya Paparella, and Stephanny Freeman, primarily through the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. Her research often involves randomized controlled trials of behavioral interventions and examines factors influencing treatment implementation and outcomes.

Her work has significant implications for clinical practice, particularly in developing effective early intervention strategies that can be implemented by caregivers in naturalistic settings. She contributes to understanding how individual differences in children and families affect response to intervention, helping to move the field toward more personalized approaches to autism treatment.