Nicole McDonald

Nicole McDonald, PhD, is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. She is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in the early identification of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and serves as an Attending Psychologist at the UCLA Child and Adult Neurodevelopmental (CAN) Clinic. Dr. McDonald conducts ASD-focused evaluations primarily in young children, provides family-based treatment for behavior problems in preschool-aged children using approaches like Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), and oversees the clinic practicum program.

Her educational background includes:

• BA in Psychology from University of California, San Diego (2004)
• PhD in Clinical Psychology from University of Miami (2013)
• Clinical Psychology Internship at NYU/Bellevue (2013)
• Postdoctoral Fellowship in Developmental Neuroscience at Yale Child Study Center (2016)

Dr. McDonald's research focuses on understanding neurodevelopmental disorders, with particular emphasis on Autism Spectrum Disorder and Tuberous Sclerosis Complex. Her McDonald Lab employs a multidisciplinary approach that integrates brain-based methods such as Electroencephalography (EEG) and functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) with naturalistic behavioral assessments to study early social and emotional development in infants at elevated risk for ASD. She is particularly interested in infants with familial risk for ASD and children with genetic conditions like Tuberous Sclerosis Complex. Her current NIH-funded research examines developmental trajectories in high-risk NICU graduates during their first year of life.

Dr. McDonald is currently leading several important research initiatives:

• RAINBOW Study: Remote Assessment and Intervention for Behavior Problems in Kids with Tuberous Sclerosis Complex
• NESTING Study: Neurodevelopment and Early Social-Emotional Trajectories In NICU Graduates
• SSRI Study: Examining the relationship between oxytocin and the mother-infant relationship in mothers with and without postpartum depression

Her research has significant implications for early identification and intervention strategies for children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Dr. McDonald is also an active member of the Baby Siblings Research Consortium, contributing to large-scale collaborative efforts to understand the early emergence of autism.

Dr. McDonald has supervised multiple postdoctoral fellows, research associates, and students who contribute to her lab's work on understanding early social development and implementing evidence-based interventions for at-risk infants and children with neurodevelopmental disorders.