Autism & Related Conditions Fellowship

Requirements:

• A PhD or PsyD from an APA-approved graduate program, preferably in clinical or school psychology
• Have completed an APA-approved internship with an assessment component
• Previous training or experience with autism and related neurodevelopmental disabilities. Candidates should also be knowledgeable about standards of care for autism 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.

Salary & Benefits

• First year fellow’s salary: $62,232
• All autism postdoctoral fellows receive a standard set of benefits which includes:
  • Medical and behavioral health and dental insurance
  • Life insurance
  • Voluntary short- and long-term disability insurance
  • Health and dependent reimbursement accounts
  • Optional retirement (403(b) and 457) plans
  • 22 days of vacation plus University holidays
  • Paid sick leave
  • Paid parental leave
  • Family and medical leave
  • Bereavement leave

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

The University of Minnesota Medical School is dedicated to providing excellence across our mission - high-quality education for students of all backgrounds; innovative and cutting-edge research and exceptional clinical outcomes that promote health equity. Through a variety of services and programs, we aim to engage everyone in our collective work toward inclusive excellence, promote equity in access to learning, scientific inquiry, care delivery, and celebrate our diversity through cultural experiences and opportunities on and off campus. Learn more about the University of Minnesota’s Title IX Statement.

In the Autism and Neurodevelopment Clinic, we view cultural humility as a lifelong process and integrate these principles into our training programs, patient care, educational and scholarly activities, supervision and mentorship, advocacy, and personal conduct. Through these activities, we work from individual (e.g., patient, supervision) to macro systems levels (e.g., policy) to promote health equity and reduce disparities. As a diagnosis that is defined by social behavior and interaction, culturally responsive assessment and intervention are especially relevant to autism. Our Autism and Neurodevelopment program engages in various efforts to inform policy and advocate for patient populations through connecting with the University of Minnesota Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) program and community engagement and outreach activities.

How to Apply:

Send the following to Lauren at [email protected]:

• Letter of professional goals
• Current curriculum vitae
• Two de-identified evaluation report samples (autism or any neurodevelopmental evaluation)
• Original graduate transcripts
• 3 letters of reference

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 of all ages and specialize in complex cases where patients have multiple co-occurring conditions, including genetic conditions. Psychotherapeutic services may include behavioral consultation, parent coaching, functional communication training, 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 autism and related diagnoses, 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 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 on autism and related conditions, primarily 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/or 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. The fellow also will be required to participate in monthly Global Autism Interactive Network (GAIN) webinars, including watching and submitting codes for videos (the fellowship covers the costs). Optional didactics available to the fellow include Pediatric Grand Rounds and seminars through 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).