Autism & Related Conditions Fellowship

We are not recruiting for this position at this time, the next recruiting cycle will start taking application materials December 2025.

Qualified candidates will have a doctoral degree and clinical internship from an APA/CPA accredited program in Clinical, Developmental, or School Psychology or related field and specialty training in autism and neurodevelopmental disorders. 

Candidates should also be knowledgeable about standards of care for ASD diagnostic evaluations and evidence-based interventions, including experience with developmental, language, and psychological assessment. 

Research reliability with the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS-2) and Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) are highly preferred, but not required. Board Certified Behavioral Analyst credential is preferred, but not required.

Patients are referred to the Autism and Neurodevelopment Clinic from within the M Health network and University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital as well as from the community. We see patients across the spectrum and specialize in complex cases where patients have multiple co-occurring conditions, including genetic conditions. Psychotherapeutic services may include behavioral consultation, cognitive-behavioral therapy, parent counseling, treatment groups for social skill and practical skill development, and naturalistic developmental behavioral intervention (NDBI).

Autism

Fragile X syndrome 

Children at-risk for autism (siblings, history of prematurity)

Other genetic conditions that overlap with autism (Williams syndrome, NF1, etc.)

Other psychiatric and neurodevelopmental conditions or concerns that overlap with autism

To ensure that the fellow receives a high level of clinical training in the area of autism and related conditions, the following activities will be required during the fellowship:

Clinical assessment: The fellow will perform psychological/neuropsychological evaluations conducted with individuals suspected of having autism. The fellow will conduct 2 evaluations per week and will be individually supervised on each case by a staff psychologist. The fellow will participate in all aspects of assigned cases, including clinical interviews, face-to-face assessment, scoring/interpretation of results, report writing, and family diagnostic feedback sessions.

Intervention: The fellow will work with faculty psychologists to co-lead or lead at least one treatment group per week. Depending on the fellow’s interest, they will also conduct NDBI parent coaching sessions or functional communication and behavior consultation. The fellow will also participate in treatment services involved with planning and facilitating treatment programs, such as therapy intakes for families interested in treatment services and family therapy sessions that support ongoing treatment groups.

Professional Development: At the completion of the first year of fellowship, the fellow will be eligible to become a licensed psychologist. If they have not already done so, fellows will be expected to complete research reliability on the ADOS-2 and ADI-R during the course of their fellowship. 

The fellow will be exposed to various aspects of clinical research work. This is achieved via participation in the following activities:

Review of autism literature: The fellow will be provided with a series of readings in the area of autism and related conditions, primary in areas of diagnostic assessment, intervention, and policy.  

Study coordination: The fellow will collaborate with Drs. Esler and Hudock in ongoing research projects evaluating treatment groups for autism, conducting telehealth intervention and consultation, following the needs of individuals with fragile X syndrome, and estimating autism prevalence. In addition, opportunities are also available for the fellow to access our clinic database, which includes diagnostic assessment measures and information, to develop manuscripts. 

Independent Research: The fellow will be encouraged to develop research projects of interest to them that can be conducted with our available clinical populations or through collaborations with other research labs within the U of M system. 

Grant writing: The fellow will be offered support, which may include participation in a grant writing seminar, should they wish to develop a grant idea during the fellowship years. 

Manuscript preparation and submission: The fellow will be encouraged to collaborate on manuscript preparation and poster submissions at national and international conferences. Individually tailored goals will be established in this area.

The fellow will be required to participate in monthly clinician group meetings where cases and issues related to autism are discussed, as well as biweekly staff meetings. Optional didactics available to the fellow include Pediatric Grand Rounds and seminars through the Center for Neurobehavioral Development (CNBD) and the Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain (MIDB). 

The fellow will be expected to participate in a community-based advocacy or policy group for autism or a related condition (e.g., EIDBI advisory group, Autism Society of MN, Fragile X Consumer Support Network).