Skip to Main Content

Fred Volkmar, MD

Irving B. Harris Professor Emeritus in the Child Study Center
DownloadHi-Res Photo

About

Titles

Irving B. Harris Professor Emeritus in the Child Study Center

Biography

Fred R. Volkmar, M.D. is Irving B. Harris Professor of Child Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Psychology at the Yale University Child Study Center, School of Medicine. A graduate of the University of Illinois where he received in undergraduate degree in psychology in 1972 and of Stanford University where he received his M.D. and a master’s degree in psychology in 1976 Dr. Volkmar was the primary author of the American Psychiatric Association’s DSM-IV autism and pervasive developmental disorders section. He is the author of several hundred scientific papers and chapters as well as a number of books including Asperger’s Syndrome (Guilford Press), Health Care for Children on the Autism Spectrum (Woodbine Publishing), the Handbook of Autism (Wiley Publishing), and A Practical Guide to Autism: What Every Parent, Teacher and Family Members Needs to Know (Wiley Publishing) with another three books in varying stages of production. He has served as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and the American Journal of Psychiatry. He currently serves as Editor of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. He has served as co-chairperson of the autism/intellectual disabilities committee of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. In addition to having directed the internationally known autism clinic he also served as director of autism research at Yale before becoming chairperson of the Department. Dr. Volkmar has been the principal investigator of three program project grants including a CPEA (Collaborative Program of Excellent in Autism) grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and a STAART (Studies to Advance Autism Research and Treatment) Autism Center Grant from the National Institute of Mental Health.

Appointments

Other Departments & Organizations

Education & Training

MA
Stanford University, Developmental Psychology (1976)
MD
Stanford University (1976)
Resident
Stanford University School of Medicine
Fellow
Stanford University School of Medicine
Fellow
Yale University School of Medicine

Board Certifications

  • Psychiatry

    Certification Organization
    AB of Psychiatry & Neurology
    Original Certification Date
    1988
  • Child & Adolescent Psychiatry

    Certification Organization
    AB of Psychiatry & Neurology
    Original Certification Date
    1988

Research

Overview

Our research has focused on understanding some aspects of the fundamental nature of autism. In particular we are attempting to understand the nature of the social difficulties (autism) that are at the heart of autism and how these relate to the seemingly paradoxical oversensitivity to the nonsocial environment (unusual sensitivities and interests, difficulties with change and novelty). Given the wide range of expression in autism and related disorders we study various groups (from babies to adults, from very cognitively impaired to very cognitively able individuals). We also employ a range of methods including eye tracking, functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging, and genetic approaches among others. Our work has shown fundamental differences in the way individuals with autism process social interaction. Using innovative experimental approaches we have now extended this work to infants and younger children using visual and auditory tasks. We have recently undertaken a major prospective study of infants at risk for autism in an attempt to better understand how the disorder is manifest early in development. A long standing interest has been in developing better guidelines to diagnosis of autism and related conditions (we were the main coordinators of the DSM-IV field trial for autism). We have also been very interested in developing new methods to screen for and diagnose autism in the first months of life.
  • Prospective study of infants at risk for autism
  • Follow-up studies of autism
  • Treatment studies
  • Extending outreach to communities/families

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)

Asperger Syndrome; Autistic Disorder; Child Psychiatry; Neuropsychology; Psychiatry and Psychology

Research at a Glance

Yale Co-Authors

Frequent collaborators of Fred Volkmar's published research.

Publications

2024

2023

2022

Clinical Trials

Current Trials

Academic Achievements & Community Involvement

  • activity

    Springer Publishing

  • activity

    Child Study

  • honor

    George Tarjan Award for Research in Developmental Disabilities

  • activity

    Autism Research & Child Study

  • honor

    Blanche F. Ittleson Award

Get In Touch

Contacts

Academic Office Number
Appointment Number
Office Fax Number
Clinic Fax Number