Melissa N. Hale, Ph.D.
Asst. Professor of Clinical
Division Director, Child and Family Services
UM-NSU Center for Autism & Related Disabilities (CARD)
About me
Dr. Melissa Hale is an Clinical Assistant Professor in Psychology. Her primary clinical and research interests focus on the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders. She serves as an Associate Director for UM-NSU CARD and she teaches graduate coursework in the Applied Behavior Analysis master’s program.Education
| 2002 | Ph.D. School Psychology, University of Florida |
| 1994 | B.S. Psychology, University of Florida |
Professional Experience
| 2015 - | Associate Director, UM-NSU CARD, Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Miami |
| 2007 - 2015 | Coordinator of Psychological Services, UM-NSU CARD, University of Miami |
Research
My research focuses on clinical issues related to the assessment and treatment of autism spectrum disorders including factors impacting early detection and diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders and the efficacy of applied behavioral analytic (ABA) intervention strategies for individuals with autism. I am also the principal investigator for the University of Miami site for the SPARK study (a large scale, multi-site autism study).
Publications
The SPARK Consortium (2018). SPARK: a US cohort of 50,000 families to accelerate autism research. Neuron, 97(3), 488-493.
Gutierrez, A., Fischer, A. J., Hale, M. N., Durocher, J. S., & Alessandri, M. (2013). Differential response patterns to the control condition between two procedures to assess social reinforcers for children with autism. Behavioral Interventions, 28(4), 353–361
