Julie Wolf, PhD
Associate Professor of Child PsychologyCards
About
Titles
Associate Professor of Child Psychology
Associate Director, Developmental Disabilities Clinic, Child Study Center
Biography
Dr. Julie Wolf is a licensed clinical psychologist at the Yale Child Study Center in New Haven, CT. She received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Connecticut in 2005, where she studied facial recognition in autism under the mentorship of Dr. Deborah Fein. She completed her clinical internship, including a rotation in autism spectrum disorders, at the University of Chicago, and her post-doctoral fellowship at the Yale Child Study Center under the mentorship of Dr. Robert Schultz. Presently, she serves as the Associate Director of the Developmental Disabilities Clinic at the Yale Child Study Center, conducting clinical evaluations, social skills groups, and sibling support groups. She also provides clinical characterization for a number of federally-funded studies of autism.
Appointments
Child Study Center
Associate Professor on TermPrimary
Other Departments & Organizations
- Child Study Center
- Developmental Disabilities Program
- McPartland Lab
- Predoctoral Internship and Postdoctoral Fellowship in Psychology
- Ventola Lab
- Yale Medicine
Education & Training
- Post-Doctoral Fellow
- Yale Child Study Center (2007)
- Intern
- University of Chicago (2005)
- PhD
- University of Connecticut (2005)
- MA
- University of Connecticut (2002)
- BA
- Haverford College (1997)
Research
Publications
2025
Imaging Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor 5 and Excitatory Neural Activity in Autism
Naples A, Yang Y, Gravel P, Toyonaga T, Sadabad F, Koohsari S, Pittman B, Gallezot J, Pisani L, Finn C, Cramer-Benjamin S, Herman N, Rosenthal L, Franke C, Walicki B, Rodden I, Hillmer A, Esterlis I, Ropchan J, Nabulsi N, Huang Y, Wolf J, Carson R, McPartland J, Matuskey D. Imaging Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor 5 and Excitatory Neural Activity in Autism. American Journal Of Psychiatry 2025, 183: 58-69. PMID: 41366835, DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.20241084.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAutistic adults have lower levels of a key brain receptor linked to excitatory activity, suggesting a molecular basis for altered brain function in autism.
2024
Social Anxiety Reduces Visual Attention to the Eyes of Emotional Faces in Autistic Youth
Franke C, Griffin J, Naples A, Wolf J, McPartland J. Social Anxiety Reduces Visual Attention to the Eyes of Emotional Faces in Autistic Youth. Journal Of Autism And Developmental Disorders 2024, 56: 1296-1308. PMID: 39556296, DOI: 10.1007/s10803-024-06636-4.Peer-Reviewed Original Research11C-UCB-J PET imaging is consistent with lower synaptic density in autistic adults
Matuskey D, Yang Y, Naganawa M, Koohsari S, Toyonaga T, Gravel P, Pittman B, Torres K, Pisani L, Finn C, Cramer-Benjamin S, Herman N, Rosenthal L, Franke C, Walicki B, Esterlis I, Skosnik P, Radhakrishnan R, Wolf J, Nabulsi N, Ropchan J, Huang Y, Carson R, Naples A, McPartland J. 11C-UCB-J PET imaging is consistent with lower synaptic density in autistic adults. Molecular Psychiatry 2024, 30: 1610-1616. PMID: 39367053, DOI: 10.1038/s41380-024-02776-2.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchClinician–caregiver informant discrepancy is associated with sex, diagnosis age, and intervention use among autistic children
Azu M, Han G, Wolf J, Naples A, Chawarska K, Dawson G, Bernier R, Jeste S, Dziura J, Webb S, Sugar C, Shic F, McPartland J. Clinician–caregiver informant discrepancy is associated with sex, diagnosis age, and intervention use among autistic children. Autism 2024, 29: 614-626. PMID: 39344965, PMCID: PMC11906266, DOI: 10.1177/13623613241279999.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAssessment and Treatment Planning in Autistic Adults
Keifer C, Ventola P, Wolf J. Assessment and Treatment Planning in Autistic Adults. 2024, 367-383. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-46463-8_15.Chapters
2023
Development of peak alpha frequency reflects a distinct trajectory of neural maturation in autistic children
Finn C, Han G, Naples A, Wolf J, McPartland J. Development of peak alpha frequency reflects a distinct trajectory of neural maturation in autistic children. Autism Research 2023, 16: 2077-2089. PMID: 37638733, DOI: 10.1002/aur.3017.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2022
Neural correlates of eye contact and social function in autism spectrum disorder
Hirsch J, Zhang X, Noah J, Dravida S, Naples A, Tiede M, Wolf J, McPartland J. Neural correlates of eye contact and social function in autism spectrum disorder. PLOS ONE 2022, 17: e0265798. PMID: 36350848, PMCID: PMC9645655, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0265798.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchThis study investigates neural activity during live eye contact in autism spectrum disorder, showing atypical brain activation linked to reduced social function and altered visual processing.Predictability modulates neural response to eye contact in ASD
Naples AJ, Foss-Feig JH, Wolf JM, Srihari VH, McPartland JC. Predictability modulates neural response to eye contact in ASD. Molecular Autism 2022, 13: 42. PMID: 36309762, PMCID: PMC9618208, DOI: 10.1186/s13229-022-00519-0.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2021
Face Perception Predicts Affective Theory of Mind in Autism Spectrum Disorder but Not Schizophrenia or Typical Development
Altschuler MR, Trevisan DA, Wolf JM, Naples AJ, Foss-Feig JH, Srihari VH, McPartland JC. Face Perception Predicts Affective Theory of Mind in Autism Spectrum Disorder but Not Schizophrenia or Typical Development. Journal Of Psychopathology And Clinical Science 2021, 130: 413-422. PMID: 34180705, PMCID: PMC8244155, DOI: 10.1037/abn0000621.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchUnderstanding of ASD by Siblings is Associated with Warmth and Hostility in the Sibling Relationship
Coffman M, Kelso N, Antezana L, Braconnier M, Richey J, Wolf J. Understanding of ASD by Siblings is Associated with Warmth and Hostility in the Sibling Relationship. Journal Of Child And Family Studies 2021, 30: 1577-1585. DOI: 10.1007/s10826-021-01945-z.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
Clinical Trials
Current Trials
ACE Multisite Study of Adolescent & Adult Transitions
IRB ID2000024998RoleSub InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date04/30/2024Recruiting ParticipantsGenderBothAge12 years - 35 yearsCBT for Anxiety in Children With Autism
IRB ID1211011144RoleSub InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date06/30/2020Recruiting ParticipantsGenderBothAge8 years - 14 years
Clinical Care
Overview
Julie Wolf, PhD, specializes in pediatric developmental and behavioral medicine, focusing on autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Asperger syndrome, social communication disorder, and developmental regression. She is the associate director of the Developmental Disabilities Clinic at the Yale Child Study Center.
Wolf's research explores social and adaptive functioning, sibling relationships, and neural mechanisms in ASD, and the overlap between ASD and depression. Her work examines how individuals with ASD process social cues, including eye contact and facial expressions, and the role of sibling relationships in adapting to the disorder.
Wolf is an associate professor of child psychology at the Yale Child Study Center.
Clinical Specialties
Fact Sheets
News & Links
News
- June 09, 2026
2026 Education Scholar Fellowship Graduates
- May 07, 2026
Recognizing Long-Term Service at Yale Child Study Center
- March 12, 2025
Education Scholar Fellowship Welcomes 2025-2026 Fellows
- December 11, 2024
October 2024 YCSC Faculty Development Fund awardees announced
Get In Touch
Contacts
Child Study Center
40 Temple Street, Suite 6A
New Haven, CT 06510
United States
Locations
Temple Medical Center
Academic Office
40 Temple Street, Ste Suite 6A
New Haven, CT 06510
Patient Care Locations
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