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Katarzyna Chawarska, PhD

Emily Fraser Beede Professor of Child Psychiatry; Director, Social and Affective Neuroscience of Autism Program, Child Study Center; Director, Yale Toddler Developmental Disabilities Clinic

Contact Information

Katarzyna Chawarska, PhD

Office Location

Research Summary

My research interests focus primarily on two lines of inquiry: research leading to a better understanding of the early phenotypic expression of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and examining mechanisms that underlie gaze and face processing abnormalities observed in infants and toddlers with ASD. My clinical research has been centered on examining the stability of early diagnosis of ASD, variability of the early syndrome expression as related to outcome, as well as determining when and in which areas the developmental trajectories of infants with ASD begin to diverge from those without social disability. Towards this end I have been following prospectively the development of infants who are either at risk for development of ASD or who are showing early signs of the disorder and tracking their development of verbal, nonverbal and social-cognitive skills. Experimental work in my lab is focused on studying visual processing in young children with ASD using eye-tracking technology.

Specialized Terms: Social, cognitive, and emotional development of infants and toddlers with autism and other developmental disorders; Eye tracking research of visual attention; Early predictors of outcome; Prodromal features of ASD in infancy; Development of infants at risk for ASD due to genetic factors; Treatment of young children with ASD; Somatic growth patterns in ASD; Autism

Coauthors

Research Interests

Attention; Autistic Disorder; Mental Disorders; Developmental Disabilities; Child Psychiatry; Human Development; Pediatrics; Perception; Psychophysiology; Technology; Prodromal Symptoms

Public Health Interests

Child/Adolescent Health

Selected Publications

Clinical Trials

ConditionsStudy Title
Child Development & Autism; Mental Health & Behavioral ResearchEmotional development in infants at risk for ASD
Child Development & AutismThe Autism Biomarkers Consortium for Clinical Trials: Confirmation Study (ABC-CT CS)
Child Development & Autism; Children's HealthUnderstanding regulation of visual attention and emotion in autism
Child Development & Autism; Genetics - Adult; Genetics - Pediatric; Mental Health & Behavioral ResearchPivotal Response Treatment for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders (PRT)