James C. McPartland, Ph.D.

Associate Research Scientist, Yale Child Study Center
Associate Director, Developmental Electrophysiology Laboratory

Research Interests

Dr. McPartland's program of research employs the temporally sensitive method of electroencephalography to investigate the integrity of brain systems supporting social information processing in social disabilities. He is particularly interested in the developmental nature of social deficits in autism and the role that experience plays in shaping brain function and behavior over time. His work has revealed anomalies in temporal processing of faces in people with autism at the most basic stages of perception. His most recent research, conducted at the Child Study Center and supported by federal funds and a Clinical and Translational Science Award from the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation, demonstrates preserved brain specialization for non-social information in people with autism despite anomalous processing of social information. The objective of Dr. McPartland's program of research is to develop biologically-based tools for earlier identification of autism and for the objective assessment of response to intervention.

Dr. McPartland completed a clinical postdoctoral fellowship at the Child Study Center before joining the faculty in 2006. He graduated magna cum laude in Psychology from Harvard University in 1996 and received a doctoral degree in Child Clinical Psychology from the University of Washington in 2005, under the mentorship of Geraldine Dawson, Ph.D. Dr. McPartland is a licensed clinical psychologist, and he leads a multidisciplinary team performing diagnostic assessments in the Developmental Disabilities Clinic. He teaches a seminar for Yale undergraduates addressing topics in autism and providing students with first-hand clinical experiences with local service providers.

Recent Publications

• Ozonoff, S., Dawson, G. & McPartland, J. (2002). A parent's guide to Asperger Syndrome and high-functioning autism: How to meet the challenges and help your child thrive. New York: Guilford.
• McPartland, J., Dawson, G., Webb, S., Panagiotides, H. & Carver, L. (2004). Event-related brain potentials reveal anomalies in temporal processing of faces in autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines, 45, 1235-1245.
• Dawson, G., Webb, S., Carver, L., Panagiotides, H. & McPartland, J. (2004). Young children with autism show atypical brain responses to fearful versus neutral facial expressions of emotion. Developmental Science, 7, 340-359.
• Leff, H.S., McPartland, J., Banks, S., Dembling, B., Fisher, W. & Allen, I.E. (2004). Service quality as measured by service fit and mortality among public mental health system service recipients. Mental Health Services Research, 6, 93-107.
• Dawson, G., Webb, S. & McPartland, J. (2005). Understanding the nature of face processing impairment in autism: Insights from behavioral and electrophysiological studies. Developmental Neuropsychology, 27, 403-424.
• McPartland, J. & Klin, A. (2006). Asperger's Syndrome. Adolescent Medicine Clinics of North America, 17, 771-788.
• McPartland, J., Klin, A., Westphal, A. & Volkmar, F. (2008). The autism spectrum disorders. In A. Tasman, J. Kay, J. Lieberman, M. First & M. Maj (Eds.), Psychiatry (3rd ed., pp. 779-803). New York: Wiley.

Contact

Campus Address
Child Study Center
230 S. Frontage Road
Box 207900
New Haven, CT 06520

Office Address
Child Study Center
40 Temple St, Suite 6B
New Haven, CT 06511

E-mail
james.mcpartland@yale.edu

Office Phone
(203) 785-7179