Child Development
412-692-8404
412-692-5679 Fax
| Cynthia Rheney Johnson, PhD,
BCBA |
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Director, Autism Center
Supervising Psychologist, Child Development Unit
Assistant Professor, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Department
of Pediatrics, Psychiatry & Education
Assistant Professor, University of Pittsburgh School of Education, Department
of Instruction and Learning
Child Development Unit
Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh
3705 Fifth Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
412-692-8404
412-692-5679 Fax
cynthia.johnson@chp.edu
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| Education and Training |
Graduate School:
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1989 University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
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Fellowship:
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1990 The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
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Memberships
- American Psychological Association
- Association for Behavior Analysis
- Society for Research in Child Development
Board Certifications
- Psychologist, PA
- School Psychologist Certification, PA
- Board Certified Behavior Analyst
Publications
- Research Units on Pediatric Psychopharmacology (RUPP) Autism Network.
Pilot trial of parent management training for children with pervasive
developmental disorders. Behavioral Interventions. Accepted
for publication.
- Johnson CR, Handen BL, Butter E, Wagner A. Mulick
J, Sukhodolsky DG, et al. Development of a Parent Management Training
Program for Children with Pervasive Developmental Disorders. Behavioral
Interventions. Accepted for publication.
- Wagner A. Lecavalier L, Arnold E, Aman M, Scahill L, Stigler K, Johnson
CR, McDougle C, Vitiello B. The developmental disabilities
of the Children's Global Assessment Scale (DD-GCAS). Biological
Psychiatry. 2007: 61:504-511.
- Johnson CR, Rakison D. Early categorization of animate
/ inanimate concepts in young children with autism. J Dev Phys Disabil.
2006;18:73-89.
- Williams S, Johnson CR, Sukhodolsky DG. The Role
of the School Psychologist in the inclusive Education of School-Age
Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. J Sch Psychol. 2005;
43:117-36.
- Johnson CR. Functional communication training. In:
Hersen M, Sledge W, editors. Encyclopedia of Psychotherapy. Vol.
1. Academic Press: New York, NY; 2002. p. 847-52.
- Goldstein G, Johnson CR, Minshew N. Attention processes
in autism. J Autism Dev Disord. 2001;31: 433-40.
- Minshew N, Johnson CR, Luna B. The cognitive and
neural basis of autism: a disorder of complex information processing
and dysfunction of neocortical systems. In: Glidden LM, editors. International
Review of Research in Mental Retardation. New York: Academic Press;
2000. p. 111-38.
- Handen BL, Johnson CR, Lubetsky MJ. Efficacy of methylphenidate
among children with autism and ADHD. J Autism Dev Disord. 2000;30:
245-55.
- Johnson CR. Sleep disorders in autistic and MR children.
In: Dahl RE, editor. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North
America;1996;5: 673-83.
- Hardan A, Johnson K, Johnson CR, Hrecznyj B. Risperidone
treatment of children and adolescents with developmental disorders.
J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1996;35:1551-6.
Active Research Projects/Grants
- Autism Specialization in Early Intervention
- Safety & Efficacy of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Treatments
for Young Children with Autism
- Risperidone and Behavior Therapy in Children with Pervasive Developmental
Disorder
- Pending - Randomized Trial of Parent Training for Young Children with
Autism
- Pending - Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Supplementation in Young Children
with Autism
- Pending - Theory of Mind Precursors as an Early Deficit in Autism
- Pending - Treatment of Sleep Disturbance in Young Children with Autism
| Biographical Summary
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Cynthia Rheney Johnson, PhD, BCBA, is Director of the Autism Center
in the Division of Developmental / Behavioral Pediatrics, Children's
Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC and an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics,
Psychiatry, and Education at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Johnson
received her doctoral degree from the University of South Carolina.
She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Johns Hopkins School
of Medicine in child psychology and applied behavior analysis.
Her clinical and research focus include developmental disabilities
and Autism Spectrum Disorders with an emphasis on the younger preschool
years. She has conducted research in the assessment and both behavioral
and medication treatments for children with autism and other developmental
disorders. She has conducted research on early characteristics of
young children with autism. She is currently a co-investigator on
two NIH funded grants studying the efficacy of cognitive enhancing
drugs in ASD as well as evaluating the effectiveness of behavioral
interventions as an adjunct to medication. Current clinical responsibilities
include assessments of young children suspected of autism and behavioral
consultation. Dr. Johnson also teaches the Applied Behavior Analysis
coursework at the University of Pittsburgh required for eligibility
to apply for Board Certification as a Behavior Analyst. She further
provides mentoring and supervision to doctoral graduate students.
Dr. Johnson is a licensed psychologist and a board certified behavior
analyst. She is a member of the American Psychological Association,
Society for Child Development, and Association of Applied Behavior
Analysis.
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