November 2011: Alexandra DeGeorge, Psy.D.

Dr. Alexandra DeGeorge has done amazing work in the treatment and evaluation of Autism Spectrum Disorders. She is currently a Clinical Assistant Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the Clinical Director for the Autism Spectrum Disorders Clinical and Research Program in the Anxiety and Mood Disorders at the NYU Child Study Center. Dr. DeGeorge conducts evaluations in the Early Childhood Autism and Social Communication Disorder Service for young children with suspected Autism Spectrum Disorders. She received training from and worked closely alongside Dr. Catherine Lord, a leading authority in autism and developer of the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) and the Autism Diagnostic Interview – Revised (ADI-R). Dr. DeGeorge is reliable on both measures, which have become the gold standard for diagnosing Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Dr. DeGeorge is also the Program Coordinator for the Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) program at the NYU Child Study Center. Dr. DeGeorge is intensively trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and helped develop the Adolescent DBT program for multiproblem teens at the NYU Child Study Center where she currently works. She also provides individual Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for children, adolescents, and young adults and conducts psychiatric diagnostic evaluations for new clients at the center.

Dr. DeGeorge received her B.A. in Psychology from Rutgers University and her M.Ed. in Learning, Cognition, and Development at the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University. She completed both her M.S. and Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Developmental Disabilities at CW Post in 2003 and 2006 respectfully. Her dissertation titled, “Utilizing Social Stories to Decrease Task Avoidant Behavior while Monitoring Anxiety Levels in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders,” used social stories as an intervention to decrease escape behaviors in children with an autism spectrum disorder. Upon graduating from Post, Dr. DeGeorge completed her internship at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in the clinical child track and completed her postdoctoral fellowship in the Institute for Anxiety and Mood Disorders at the NYU Child Study Center in 2008.

Dr. DeGeorge previously worked for the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center at Rutgers University as a Program Coordinator where she provided behavioral consultation to school districts and conducted in-home behavioral programming for young children with autism spectrum disorders. She has extensive knowledge in the areas of assessment and treatment of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder and has presented widely on such topics as Autism Spectrum Disorders, anxiety disorders, and behavioral principles.

Dr. DeGeorge has taught courses in Child Assessment, Applied Behavior Analysis, and Introductory Psychology for Long Island University, CW Post Campus. She currently teaches the Autism Spectrum Disorders Seminar in the CAMS minor at NYU. She is a member of the NY State Association for Applied Behavior Analysis, Association for Behavior and Cognitive Therapy, and the American Psychological Association.