At the Duke Autism Clinic, we provide exceptional, compassionate, comprehensive care to autistic people and their families so that each individual can realize their fullest potential.
We seek to understand the unique needs and circumstances of each person and their family, and develop a plan together tailored to meet individualized goals.
A part of the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development and the Duke University Health System (DUHS), we provide referrals both within DUHS and in the community, to medical and behavioral health providers to assist the individuals and families we serve.
Our Duke Autism Clinic team of providers includes:
- Licensed Psychologists, who conduct diagnostic evaluations and provide intervention services to autistic youth and families.
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists, who provide psychiatric evaluation and medication management services to autistic individuals.
- Licensed Clinical Social Workers, who provide intervention and care coordination services to autistic youth and their families.
We provide:
- Autism diagnostic and evaluation services (referral from a Duke provider required for children older than 3 years of age)
- Autism intervention and therapies
- Consultation services
- Referral services
- Psychiatric evaluations*
- Medication management*
* As of early 2023, we are not accepting new patients for this service.
We support interdisciplinary patient care by collaborating with Duke Health specialists, located outside of our clinic, to help families who are established patients needing services related to:
- Neurology
- Speech language therapy
- Eating disorders
- Primary care
- Gastroenterology
- Occupational/Physical therapy
- Medical genetics
Read more about our Philosophy and Behavioral Therapy Services here.
Clinic News
Perkins Library Offers Sensory Kits to Reduce Stress, Assist Neurodiverse Students
Faculty from the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development led the initiative with funding from an Office of Faculty Advancement Seed Grant: Increasing Neurodiversity Competency of Faculty at Duke University.
Center for Autism team members included Geraldine Dawson, PhD, Tara Chandrasekhar, MD, and Marika Coffman, PhD with collaboration from Minna Ng, PhD, in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience.
Duke Clinical Psychology Intern Selected for Professionalism Award
Anna Laakman, MEd, was awarded the Karen C. Wells, PhD Professionalism Award for the outstanding professionalism, ethics, and compassion she demonstrated as a 2024-2025 Duke clinical psychology doctoral intern, where she focused on autism.
Gary Maslow Receives NC Pediatric Society Award
Gary Maslow, MD, MPH, the Gorrell Family Distinguished Professor in Children’s Psychiatry, received the 2025 Outstanding Academic Service Award from the North Carolina Pediatric Society.
Autism Center Moves Research Efforts to Updated Facility
We are expanding our research capacity at our facility in the Exchange on Erwin building to accommodate all of our research efforts into one easily accessible location. The facility has been designed to accommodate participants with sensory sensitivities and is equipped to support our advanced research studies.
Maslow named Distinguished Professor in Child Psychiatry
Congratulations to Duke Psychiatry chair Dr. Moira Rynn and professor Dr. Gary Maslow on being named distinguished professors—and to the 29 other newly distinguished professors at Duke. They were all honored in a recent ceremony and reception at the Washington Duke Inn. Maslow serves as the medical director of the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development
Distinguished professorships honor faculty who are well-established members of the Duke academic community and who have achieved distinction as creative scholars in their field or in their ability to transcend disciplines.
The Early Start Denver Model in the Duke Autism Clinic
The Duke Autism Clinic has offered assessment and therapy services to families for over 10 years. The clinic serves many young children whose families are seeking diagnostic evaluation and therapy.
The Friday Clinic: A Bridge Between the Duke Autism Clinic and Pediatric Primary Care
On Fridays, children coming to Duke Children’s Primary Care in North Durham for their well visit might see a clinical psychology doctoral intern from the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development on rotation with their pediatrician.
Integrating Tailored Surgery Care Strategies for Neurodivergent Individuals
A team including Duke’s Sam Brandsen, Geraldine Dawson, and Madhav Swaminathan (Anesthesiology) gives tailored recommendations for caring for neurodivergent patients before, during and after surgery in the newest issue of eClinicalMedicine. Read the full open access text at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589537024004255
Autism Center Team Publishes Practical Suggestions for Neurodiversity-Affirming Clinical Care
People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) face barriers in finding neurodiversity-affirming clinical care that is suited to their communication style and needs. In this chapter, by Drs. Sam Brandsen, Tara Chandrasekhar and Lauren Franz offer practical suggestions for creating a safe, accessible, and effective clinical care approach for individuals with IDD.
Duke team wins START Network Partner Award in Children's Services
The Duke Multi-Modal Evaluation (MME) clinic team was awarded the Systemic, Therapeutic, Assessment, Resources and Treatment (START) Network Partner Award in Children’s Services. The award was presented at the 2024 START National Training Institute (SNTI) conference in Philadelphia in May 2024.