Awards

Fred Volkmar
Irving B. Harris Professor Emeritus Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine

Fred R. Volkmar, M.D., is the Dorothy Goodwin Family Chair in Special Education at Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven, CT, and the Irving B. Harris Professor Emeritus of Child Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Psychology at the Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven. An international authority on autism, Dr. Volkmar was the primary author of the DSM-IV autism and pervasive developmental disorders section. He has authored several hundred scientific papers and has co-edited numerous books, including Asperger Syndrome, Healthcare for Children on the Autism Spectrum: A Guide to Medical, Nutritional, and Behavioral Issues, and the forthcoming revised new edition of the Handbook of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders. He serves as associate editor of the Journal of Autism, The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and the American Journal of Psychiatry. He served as editor of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders for 15 years. He also has served as co-chairperson of the autism/MR committee of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. He has also served as editor of the Encyclopedia of Autism now in its 2nd edition. The new edition of the Handbook of Autism, which he edits, will appear in 2026.

The Jon Peterson Lifetime Achievement Award is given to a recipient who embodies the qualities and characteristics of the late Jon Peterson, a selfless leader and a great connector of people and developer of partnerships. He continually helped channel new ideas and suggestions into action and results.

First elected in 1998, Representative Peterson served five terms in the Ohio State House of Representatives. He also served as Delaware County Treasurer. Among his numerous accomplishments and achievements over the years, Representative Peterson was instrumental in sponsoring the legislation that started OCALI. This work was a direct result of the testimonies of hundreds of Ohio families who appeared and shared their individual stories before the Ohio Autism Task Force.

Representative Peterson served as OCALI governing board chair for several years, and was awarded OCALI's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016. After his passing in 2019, that annual award is now known as the Jon Peterson Lifetime Achievement Award.