Alana E. Telesford, PhD

Alana E. Telesford, PhD, is a former psychologist in the Autism Center at the Child Mind Institute.

She received her doctoral degree in school psychology, with a specialization in pediatric psychology, from Lehigh University. Dr. Telesford completed an APA-accredited internship at Nemours Children’s Hospital and completed her post-doctoral fellowship at the Swank Autism Center. She has expertise in addressing the complex needs of youth with neurodevelopmental differences and co-occurring psychiatric disorders and/or complex medical conditions. Dr. Telesford has vast experience working across home, school, and medical settings through collaborative consultation with caregivers, educators and medical providers.

In her former position as a psychologist in the Autism Center, Dr. Telesford provided comprehensive diagnostic evaluations for youth of all ages using gold standard autism assessment instruments, including the ADI-R and ADOS-2. Dr. Telesford is also trained in evidence-based interventions specifically tailored to the needs of youth with autism, including RUBI Parent Training for Disruptive Behavior and The Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS). She provided individual, parent-mediated, and group therapies to support anxiety management, social functioning, parent-child relationships, mealtime behaviors, sleep routines, toileting, and completion of medical tasks (e.g., treatment adherence, needle or procedural phobias). Therapeutic approaches include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), parent management training (PMT), parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT), naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions (NDBIs), social skills trainings and peer-mediated interventions (PMIs). In addition, Dr. Telesford regularly consults with families and school professionals regarding educational supports for students.

Dr. Telesford has also conducted research related to autism spectrum disorders, peer-mediated interventions and access to care services. She has experience with single case design, large n data analysis, and the design and delivery of research studies in naturalistic environments. She has co-authored several peer-reviewed scientific publications on expanding the conversational skillset of youth on the autism spectrum as well as several book chapters on home- and school-based supports for youth with autism. 

Dr. Telesford seeks to provide children and families with the knowledge and skills they need to thrive and to encourage families and professionals to recognize and reinforce the many strengths of neurodivergent youth. 

• Postdoctoral Fellow, Swank Autism Center, Nemours Children’s Hospital – Delaware
• Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) Program, University of Delaware
• Predoctoral Intern, Pediatric Psychology Track, Nemours Children’s Hospital – Delaware
• Graduate Extern, Autism Behavior Consultation Clinic, Nemours Children’s Hospital – Delaware
• Graduate Extern, Diabetes Care Center, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
• Graduate Extern, First State School – Delaware
• Graduate Extern, Pediatric Feeding & Swallowing Center, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
• Graduate Extern, Bethlehem Area School District, Pennsylvania

• PhD, School Psychology, College of Education, Lehigh University
• ABAI Certificate, Behavior Analysis, College of Education, Lehigh University
• MEd, Human Development, College of Education, Lehigh University
• BS, Psychology; minor in Biological Sciences, Fordham University