The following post graduate associates have completed their training with the Yale Child Study Center. We thank them for all of their research and hard wok with us.
Silvia Flores: Anxiety Program led by Wendy Silverman
Next steps: apply to clinical psychology graduate programs in the fall with the hopes of starting a program in 2021
Carolyn Dana Gershman: Social and Affective Neuroscience of Autism Laboratory led by Katarzyna Chawarska
Next Steps: pursue PhD in Interdisciplinary Neuroscience and Cognitive Sciences at Georgetown University
Poster summary: Presentation for INSAR, Language Profiles in Toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Developmental Delay: A Function of Assessment Tools?, investigates language profiles in toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Developmental Disabilities (ATP), and Typically Developing (TYP) toddlers and the assessments that measure them. Namely this study evaluates if the often noted “expressive-better-than-receptive” language pattern seen in ASD is contingent upon or varied by specific assessment measure as well as evaluates whether language patterns in toddlers with ASD differ from their ATP and TYP peers.
Eukyung Yhang: Autism - Social and Affective Neuroscience of Autism Laboratory led by Katarzyna Chawarska
Nicole Marie Powell: Autism - Social and Affective Neuroscience of Autism Laboratory led by Katarzyna Chawarska
Next steps: attend Boston University next fall in a dual degree program for Public Health & Social Work
Poster summary: International Society for Autism Research 2020, Study utilizes both observed and parent reported measures to take a deeper look into the socio-emotional difficulties found in toddlers with ASD. Findings showed vulnerabilities in regulatory capacity and its association to increased negative response during frustrating tasks.
Chaela Nutor: Autism - Social and Affective Neuroscience of Autism Laboratory led by Katarzyna Chawarska
Next steps: continue research in early childhood development and health disparities by pursuing PhD in Clinical Psychology at Emory University this fall
Poster summary: The accuracy of a digitally-administered M-CHAT in a diverse community sample: Preliminary findings. This poster was accepted to the International Society of Autism Research 2020 Conference. I found that a digitally administered M-CHAT-R/F proved to accurately screen for ASD in a socio-economically and racially diverse sample. In an all-minority sample, lower maternal education status was not associated with higher rates of positive screening, contrary to previous findings, implying that a digital administration may have eliminated these previously established disparities."
Kohrissa Joseph: Autism - Social and Affective Neuroscience of Autism Laboratory led by Katarzyna Chawarska. For the past two years, Kohrissa Joseph has worked as a Postgraduate Research Fellow in the Social and Affective Neuroscience of Autism Lab under the direction of Katarzyna Chawarska.
Next steps: attend the Clinical Psychology PhD program at the University of Massachusetts in Boston this fall
Jane Silbaugh Jurayj: Developmental Disabilities led by Roger Jou
Next steps: begin a one-year postbacc premedical program at the University of Virginia in June 2020
Poster summary: Our abstract was accepted at INSAR this year and my coworkers and I are submitting an e-Poster in lieu of attending the conference. PDF is attached. The project uses diffusor tension imaging to examine white matter differences in males with ASD.
Shashwat Kala: Developmental Disabilities led by James McPartland
Next steps: Yale School of Medicine (2020-2024)
Poster summary: Conference Info: International Society for Autism Research 2020 Annual Meeting. Brief Summary of Work: My poster uses electroencephalography (EEG) to characterize EEG power in the low alpha (8-10 Hz), high alpha (10-12 Hz), and gamma (30-55 Hz) bands in children with autism and typical development with small, average, and large head circumferences. Subsequent analyses examine the relationship among EEG power, head circumference, and autism symptomatology. Preliminary results indicate a significant interaction between diagnosis and head circumference on low alpha power at rest, indicating the need to consider head circumference when evaluating relationships among EEG spectral power and the clinical phenotype of autism.
Carter Lee Carlos: Developmental Disabilities (Autism) led by James McPartlan
Armen Bagdasarov: Developmental Disabilities (Autism) led by James McPartland
Next steps: PhD in Clinical Psychology at Duke University
Poster summary: Variability in the electroencephalogram (EEG) across the scalp can be parsed into a set of four canonical topographies (i.e., microstates) that shift every 80-120ms. These microstates are evident across studies and clinical populations and reflect activity in different brain networks. The temporal characteristics of microstates may provide useful information about activation of functional networks relevant to individual differences in the behavioral presentation of Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Kip Forness: Developmental Disorders (Autism) led by Julie Wolf
Cody A. Bartz: Early Childhood led by Helena Rutherford
Next steps: graduate school in Washington D.C. to pursue masters in criminal justice. "Working alongside the New Haven population helped me realize the struggles of so many people in our nation. It is sad to say goodbye, but I know that the kindness everyone has shown me in the Child Study Center will project me onto great things."
Madison Elizabeth Bunderson: Early Childhood led by Helena Rutherford
Next steps: pursue a doctoral degree in Developmental and Psychological Sciences at the Stanford Graduate School of Education. Madi had posters accepted for Yale's NeuroDay conference, the Cognitive Neuroscience (CNS) annual meeting, and for the North American Society for the Study of Personality Disorders annual meeting. The poster presented (virtually!) at the CNS meeting is highlighted here; utilizing EEG, this research examined the way that prior reproductive experience in mothers impacts the way that they process infant faces.
Marit Henriksen: Psychopharm Program led by Denis Sukhodolsky: Marit is a PhD student in the joint NTNU-Yale doctoral program. Her research focuses on developmental trajectories and risk factors of physical aggression in adolescents, using a large epidemiological study from Norway. In addition to her research, Marit is a clinical psychologist in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, St. Olav’s University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway. Upon returning to Norway she plans to complete her PhD and continue her research on the development and treatment of childhood aggression.
Anna L Weis: Psychopharm Program led by Denis Sukhodolsky: Anna joined the Sukhodolsky Lab in July of 2019 where she contributed to research studies on anxiety and irritability in children with autism spectrum disorders. She has worked closely with the families in these studies, providing weekly CBT and Parent Management Training. Anna has also enjoyed representing the Sukhodolsky Lab out in the community, leading presentations and parent trainings at resource centers and libraries. In the fall, Anna will further her studies in the PsyD program at the University of Hartford and begin an externship at Solnit Children’s Center.
Terrance Lane: YCEI led by Craig Bailey: Terrance Lane is a PGA on the Yale Early Childhood RULER team supervised by Dr. Craig Bailey at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. At the center he worked towards establishing the efficacy of preschool RULER. Having previously obtained his Bachelor’s degree and completed years of research with Dr. Christopher Lonigan at the Florida State University, Terrance longed to continue his research focused on School Readiness, behavioral problems and underserved communities which is what brought him to the Child Study Center. Through his time here, Terrance had been afforded the opportunity to hone in on his key interests and make connections through the Socio-emotional Learning community. Having gained numerous skills and attributes he will be returning home to Florida and starting his Clinical Psychology PhD at Florida International University in Miami specializing in child and adolescent studies.
Alexandra Paige Harrison: YCEI led by Marc Brackett: Alexandra has been admitted to the PhD program in Experimental Psychology, with a concertation in Developmental Science, at the University of Alabama. Working with Dr. Andrea Glenn, Alexandra intends to study the developmental pathways of antisocial and violent behaviors, teasing apart the complex person-environment interactions that can result in chronic and severe antisocial behavior. She is also interested in incorporating perspectives from sociology and cultural anthropology to study how the development of antisocial behaviors may differ across cultures.
Poster summary: "Title: EMOTION LABELING ERRORS AND AGGRESSION IN YOUNG CHILDREN
Authors: Harrison, A. P.a, Willner, C. J.a, & Gatzke-Kopp, L. M.b
Institutions: Yale Universitya & The Pennsylvania State University
Deficits in emotion understanding are associated with aggressive behaviors in young children. However, few studies have examined the emotion-specificity of these associations or the impact of these deficits on the development of aggression over time. We examined the relationship between errors in identifying specific emotions and aggression in 234 children followed from kindergarten to 1st grade.
Beatris Garcia: YCEI led by Christina Cipriano
Alessandra Yu: YCEI led by Christina Cipriano