My Background

I’m a clinical child psychologist with expertise in pediatric neuropsychology and developmental disabilities. I was educated at Yale University (BA), the University of Iowa (PhD), and Harvard University (Postdoctoral Fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital). I am an Emeritus Professor of Pediatrics in the University of Iowa College of Medicine. My teaching, clinical work, and research have focused on a wide range of childhood disabilities, including autism, brain injury, intellectual disability, ADHD, and learning disabilities. I have published research in journals such as Pediatrics, the New England Journal of Medicine, Child Development, and the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. I have also written NIH grants and published research based on them.

My administrative work at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital has included serving as Co-Director of the Autism Center and Associate Director for Program Development of Iowa’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD). In addition to my clinical and academic work, I have also been an advocate for children and adults with developmental disabilities and brain injuries. My personal experience raising a son with disabilities has given me a parent’s perspective on disability as well. I grew up in northern Illinois and have lived in eastern Iowa for many years. In addition to my time in the Midwest, I have also lived in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Italy. (The photo at the top of the page captures a magnificent sunset on Cape Breton Island during a brief visit to Nova Scotia.)

Moving beyond academic writing, I have recently completed a Young Adult novel called Dancing with No Shoes. The novel is set in a children’s hospital in Boston and tells the coming-of-age story of teenagers with a range of disabilities. More detailed information about the novel is available by clicking on the Writing page of this website. (That page also includes other writing I have done, including several poems and links to a few selected articles published in academic journals.)