Jacqueline M. Roberts Griffith University, Australia

Jacqueline M. Roberts is the inaugural chair of Autism in the Autism Centre of Excellence (ACE) at Griffith University. Her background in autism stretches back over 30 years. She worked in service provision for children with autism as a teacher, speech pathologist, school principal, and senior manager. Prior to her appointment at Griffith, she worked as a consultant and held several part-time research appointments at different universities teaching autism studies and leading/managing research projects and professional development. Jacqueline is a director of the Australian Advisory Board on Autism providing input to the board on a national autism research agenda. She received the Asia Pacific Autism Conference (APAC) award for outstanding service to the autism community. In her current position as the director of the ACE, she is responsible for developing a research agenda focusing on enhancing outcomes for individuals with autism. The ACE also offers multidisciplinary postgraduate study and engages in consultancy with industry and government. In 2018, second edition of Understanding Autism. The Essential Guide for Parents was published, co-authored with professor Katrina Williams. In 2019, she edited The Sage Autism and Education Handbook with Professor Rita Jordan and Dr. Kara Hume.