We are now welcoming applications for third and fourth year doctoral students in psychology programs for the 2025-2026 training year.
Externship Training
The Center for Autism Services, Science and Innovation (CASSI™, formerly known as the Center for Autism and Related Disorders, or CARD) at Kennedy Krieger Institute offers an externship in clinical child psychology, focused on autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This externship program provides opportunities to learn more about the identification of children with autism and/or the treatment of co-occurring emotional and behavioral concerns in autistic youth. Additional supervised experience with the autistic population following this externship training will be beneficial to become fully competent in working with this population.
For externs interested in learning about the identification of children with autism, a primary focus of the externship will be participation in autism diagnostic evaluations. Externs will work toward participating in all aspects of the evaluation, including diagnostic interview, Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition (ADOS-2) administration and coding, feedback, and report writing. By the end of the training year, externs should be familiar with the autism diagnostic process, be able to conduct developmentally- informed diagnostic interviews, independently administer at least one module of the ADOS-2, write psychological reports, and share findings and recommendations with caregivers.
For externs interested in learning about the treatment of co-occurring emotional and behavioral concerns, a primary focus of the externship will be participation in short-term therapy services, including parent training, group therapy, and psychotherapy services. By the end of the training year, externs will have exposure to manualized treatments designed for autistic youth and begin to develop skills in adapting other treatment protocols.
Our training model involves participation through the experiences listed below:
- Participation in autism diagnostic evaluations and/or participation in short-term parent training, group therapy and psychotherapy
- Participation in didactic seminars
- Participation in ADOS-2 consensus scoring activities
Commitment
The externship position at Kennedy Krieger Institute requires the ability to complete a 12-month training program consisting of two full days (16 hours) a week. Placements are offered at CASSI in Baltimore City, with the possibility of some training experiences at our Columbia location, dependent on extern and supervisor availability. The start of the training year is flexible (typically July 1 or September 1). Doctoral externs must be available for training on Mondays plus one other day of the week.
Compensation
Externs are paid a stipend of $2500/year.
Supervision
Doctoral externs receive, at minimum, two hours of individual supervision with a licensed psychologist per week.
Didactics
Doctoral externs are also required to participate in weekly clinical psychology seminar meetings (on Monday afternoons), which include seminars on autism-related topics and ADOS-2 consensus scoring activities.
Application Process
If interested in applying for the doctoral externship at CASSI at Kennedy Krieger Institute, send the following by email:
- Letter of interest
- Curriculum vita (CV)
- Two letters of reference from a clinical or research supervisor (emailed directly from the letter writer)
Please submit application materials by January 15, 2025 to CrossEl@KennedyKrieger.org.
Interviews will be held virtually in late January and early February.