Child Development Program Externship

Clinical, counseling and developmental psychology doctoral students are invited to apply for this externship. Externs are given supervised training in evaluation of infants, toddler and preschoolers which includes:

• Completion of structured developmental and diagnostic interviews of caregivers
• Administration and scoring of standardized tests (e.g. Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, 4th edition, Differential Ability Scales, 2nd edition)
• Scoring and interpretation of caregiver – and teacher – report measures

In addition, externs will have the opportunity to observe administration of, learn to administer and score the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedules, 2nd edition (ADOS-2) and the Childhood Autism Rating Scale, 2nd edition (CARS-2).
 
As part of their experience in assessment, externs will integrate the information obtained from community resources, including schools and early intervention programs as appropriate, as well as the child’s medical record. They will help formulate a therapeutic plan and write the assessment report. They will also learn about strategies and interventions to help with common behavior and developmental challenges in this age range.
 
There are additional optional training opportunities for Spanish-speaking trainees interested in working with our bilingual attending psychologists in providing care to Spanish language preferring families, as well as opportunities for trainees interested in learning more about consultation in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
 
All trainees will receive one hour weekly of formal face-to-face supervision with their primary supervisor and will have immediate supervision for each case they are overseeing with the attending psychologist assigned. Externs will have the opportunity to attend the Division of Psychology and Behavioral Health externship seminar series as well as weekly behavioral health grand rounds.

Graduate-level coursework in child development and assessment is expected. Prior experience with young children is valued but not required. Preference will be given to advanced doctoral students (e.g. rising 3rd year and above), those with prior assessment experience and strong writing skills.

Two to three externs will be recruited.

Please email a current CV, a letter of interest and two letters of recommendation to:

• Maria Lauer, PhD | Email
• Melissa O'Connell Liggett, PhD | Email

Interested applicants should also complete this survey one time, regardless of how many externships you are applying for.

• Children’s National Hospital - 111 Michigan Avenue NW, Suite 3800, Washington, DC 20010 (Monday - Thursday)

Sixteen hours/week (eight hours/day for two days). Clinic hours are from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and externs are expected to arrive to clinic no later than 8:30 a.m. for morning rounds. Externs will be expected to see one patient per day (two per week) for a weekly total of two to six face-to-face patient hours and an additional two to six hours of scoring, report writing and editing.