Dr. Dawson earned a Ph.D. in developmental and child clinical psychology from University of Washington and was a postdoctoral fellow at UCLA. In 1980, she was Assistant Professor at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. In 1985, she returned to UW as Professor of Psychology. In 2008, Dr. Dawson became Chief Science Officer at Autism Speaks and Research Professor of Psychiatry at UNC, Chapel Hill. She was Founding Director of the UW Autism Center, a multidisciplinary autism research and clinical program. Her scientific achievements include discovering that autism symptoms can be recognized during infancy, pioneering the use of event-related potentials to study brain dysfunction in autism, and, with Sally Rogers, developing an early intervention for autism.
Dr. Dawson has published over 180 articles and chapters and has coedited or authored several books, including Autism Spectrum Disorders; Human Behavior, Learning, and the Developing Brain; and A Parent’s Guide to Asperger Syndrome and High-Functioning Autism.
Awards and Credentials
- Fellow, American Psychological Society
- Fellow, American Psychological Association
- Member, NIH Committee to Establish Roadmap for Autism Research
- Associate Editor, Development and Psychopathology
Related Links
Recommended Reading List
- “Early Behavioral Intervention, Brain Plasticity, and the Prevention of Autism Spectrum Disorder.” Dawson, G. (2008) Development and Psychopathology, 20.
