Annette Estes, PhD
Annette Estes, PhD, is the director of the University of Washington Autism Center. The Center is devoted to supporting autistic individuals and their families, caregivers, and community through clinical services, research, and education. She holds the Susan and Richard Fade Endowed Chair, is a Research Professor in the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, and an Adjunct Research Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Washington. She is also a licensed psychologist in the state of Washington. Her research is carried out at the UW Autism Center and Center on Human Development and Disability.
Dr. Estes has served as the principal investigator on clinical trials working to support young autistic children. These collaborative studies have been carried out with partners at UC Davis, Vanderbilt University, University of Michigan. Dr. Estes is also part of the Infant Brain Imaging Study (IBIS) Network. She serves as co-principal investigator of the UW IBIS with Dr. Stephen Dager and she directs the behavioral core of the IBIS network. The aim of the IBIS is to improve early recognition of infants at high familial likelihood of autism and identify brain mechanisms that may lead to new strategies to improve outcomes for autistic children. Dr. Estes is interested in the role of the family in supporting positive outcomes for children with developmental disabilities. She was recently awarded a grant from NIH to study sleep in school-age children at high and low likelihood of autism.