Jennifer Sanderson, Psy.D.
Jennifer Sanderson, Psy.D., Director of the Autism Clinic, Licensed Psychologist
Dr. Jennifer Sanderson has specialized experience in the diagnosis and treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), developmental disabilities, and related behavioral, social, and learning difficulties. She is passionate about providing evidence-based treatments to children and individuals with ASD and related difficulties. She is certified in administering the ADOS-2, and conducts autism spectrum evaluations. Dr. Sanderson also treats children on the autism spectrum with Pivotal Response Treatment©, trains parents in implementing PRT® techniques, and consults with parents who require help in accessing community resources. Dr. Sanderson enjoys providing consultation and training to teachers and organizations, and believes in the importance of increasing awareness, inclusion, and quality programming for individuals with ASD.
Dr. Sanderson’s graduate clinical training included working with children and families through The Children and Family Consortium at Easter Seals and the University of Miami Mailman Center for Child Development. She also worked with children with ASD and other developmental disabilities through Achievement & Rehabilitation Centers, Inc. (ARC Broward). Dr. Sanderson attended an APA-accredited clinical psychology internship in developmental disabilities at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. She completed a two-year psychology fellowship in the highly acclaimed UCLA PEERS® Clinic, providing and developing evidence-based social skills treatments for children, adolescents, and young adults with ASD and other social challenges. Dr. Sanderson’s postdoctoral residency at Nova Southeastern University’s Mailman Segal Center focused on providing early intervention and developmental evaluations for young children with ASD. She has taught and developed graduate coursework in developmental disabilities and Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) as an Adjunct Professor at Nova Southeastern University and Florida Atlantic University. Dr. Sanderson is a certified PEERS® and PEERS® for Young Adults social skills provider as well as a certified Sibshops (therapeutic and recreational support group for siblings of children with special needs) facilitator. She has also received on-site training and certification in PRT® at the University of California-Santa Barbara from the Koegel Autism Center (education.ucsb.edu/autism).
In private practice, Dr. Sanderson practices behavioral psychology and integrates cognitive and family therapy techniques depending on the client’s needs. Dr. Sanderson uses a warm and straightforward, problem-solving approach when working with older children, adolescents, and young adults with ASD or related difficulties. She particularly enjoys working with toddlers and young children, providing training and coaching to parents in strategically using play to advance children’s language and social development and improve the parent-child relationship. With Dr. Sanderson, you’ll learn practical strategies that will empower you as a parent to foster your child’s development and independence, and help you manage even the most challenging behaviors.