Rachel Loftin

Rachel Loftin is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine and Visiting Faculty in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Northwestern University. Her work focuses on neurodevelopmental disorders, particularly Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), with expertise in clinical assessment, treatment, and forensic applications. She holds clinical licenses in Illinois and Connecticut.

Education:

• PhD from Indiana University
• Pre- and post-doctoral clinical training at Yale Child Study Center
• Fellowships in Contextual Behavior Therapy (University of Chicago) and Clinical Psychology (Yale School of Medicine)

Research Interests: Dr. Loftin explores ASD-related topics including violence risk assessment, physician training for autistic patients, and legal cases involving neurodevelopmental disorders. Her work bridges clinical practice with societal impacts, addressing issues like 'weaponized autism' narratives in extremist contexts and healthcare equity for marginalized groups.

Publications & Editorial Work: Authored/co-edited Handbook of Autism Spectrum Disorder and the Law and contributes to Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. Recent studies analyze ideological violence vulnerabilities among ASD individuals and social media misuse of neurodivergence terminology.

Professional Activities: Legal consultant for civil/criminal cases involving ASD, frequent collaborator with researchers like Alexander Westphal and Andrés Martin. Serves on editorial boards and advisory groups for interdisciplinary ASD initiatives.