Giselle Salinas is a postdoctoral fellow at UCLA's Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior in the PEERS Clinic. Dr. Salinas earned her Ph.D. in Special Education at UC Riverside, focusing on the transition to adulthood experiences of young adults with developmental disabilities and their parents. As a graduate student, she supported Spanish-speaking families at a free autism screening clinic, offering guidance in special education advocacy and autism assessments. She also engaged in community-building initiatives with neurodevelopmental organizations in the Inland Empire to further connect families seen at the screening clinic. Her future research aims to explore the transition to adulthood for neurodiverse young adults while emphasizing cultural diversity and fostering community partnerships. In the PEERS® Clinic, Dr. Salinas currently assists with the PEERS® for Young Adults and the Educational groups.
Post-doctoral Fellows
Postdoctoral Fellow
Dr. James Yang is a postdoctoral fellow at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior in the UCLA PEERS® Clinic. He earned his PhD in Human Development and Psychology at UCLA, where he studied the employment and post-secondary education attainment of autistic high school students under the mentorship of Dr. Connie Kasari. Dr. Yang has provided trainings and supported teachers from underserved communities to promote self-determination in students with developmental disabilities in school settings. His clinical and research interests include further understanding the role of adaptive functioning skills, self-determination, and co-occurring conditions on employment and educational outcomes of neurodiverse individuals. Currently, Dr. Yang supports the PEERS® for Young Adults clinical groups and facilitates the PEERS® for Careers research program. He also provides individualized format of PEERS® for adolescents and young adults in clinical settings.
Postdoctoral fellow
Dr. Blake Warner (he/him) is a postdoctoral fellow at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior in the Program for Education Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS®) Clinic and the Tarjan Center. He received his PhD with a dual specialization in Clinical and Disaster Psychology from the University of South Dakota, where he was a two-time Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) trainee. Dr. Warner's research and clinical interests center on disability-related policy and advocacy training as well as interventions focused on the intersection of gender, sexuality, and neurodiversity.
