Dr. Cathy Pratt, BCBA-D, will be stepping down from her role as Director of the Indiana Resource Center for Autism at the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community, Indiana University – Bloomington on June 30th.
Dr. Pratt has served as the Director of IRCA since 1992 and has provided immeasurable leadership, support, expertise, and advocacy to families, educators, and individuals across the spectrum throughout her career. Under her tenure, IRCA has provided outreach to families and professionals across the state and beyond, disseminated information via the web and social networking, and engaged in research that has informed policy.
In addition to her role as Director of IRCA, she has served as Director of the Indiana School Mental Health Initiative, is a board-certified behavior analyst, founded and led the Autism Special Interest Group (SIG) through the Association of University Centers on Disability (AUCD), is a member of the National Autism Leadership Coalition, is involved in the “Learn the Signs, Act Early” project in conjunction with Indiana’s LEND program through Riley Child Development Center, served on the Board and as Board Chair of the National Autism Society, and has served on numerous advisory boards and coalitions, including the Temple Grandin/Eustacia Cutler Autism Fund, the Autism Society of Indiana, MAAP Services, and the College Internship Program.
Dr. Pratt’s work has been recognized and honored by numerous awards and accolades, including the Individual Achievement Award by the Autism Society of America, the Princeton Fellowship Award, the Distinguished Service Award by the Indiana Council of Administrators of Special Education, the Charles Heineman Allied Professional Award by the Indiana Psychological Association, the OCALI Lifetime Achievement Award, recognition by the United States House of Representatives, and many more. In 2010, she was invited to the White House to provide feedback on the president’s initiatives on autism spectrum disorders. In 2016, she was invited to be involved in the Services Roadmap for Federal Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee.
While Dr. Pratt will be leaving her role at IRCA, she will be starting a new opportunity at The Irsay Institute at Indiana University – Bloomington as a Program Leader and will remain at the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community to focus on efforts to improve the access of those with IDD and ASD, who have co-occurring mental health challenges. The Irsay Institute’s mission encompasses several areas of focus, including providing direct support for and development of research and researchers in the field of health and health care, conducts more advanced interdisciplinary research in the sociomedical sciences while bringing several campus-wide efforts under a single umbrella, produces more graduates who are trained in the mental health field while raising awareness among all health care providers of how mental health issues complicate care for many serious illnesses, and informs a broader local and national agency relating to mental health and stigma.
In addition to her unparalleled leadership and staunch advocacy for the autism community, Dr. Pratt is also a wonderful colleague and friend. Though we will miss her dearly at IRCA, we are thrilled to support her in her next steps. We know she will continue to do wonderful things.
Please join us in wishing Dr. Pratt well in the next part of her journey.
Ritchie, T. (2023). Dr. Cathy Pratt Stepping Down From Role as Director of Indiana Resource Center for Autism.