Conner James Black, PhD

Conner James Black is the associate director of the Autism Center and a psychologist at the Child Mind Institute. He specializes in diagnostic assessment and treatment for children, adolescents, and young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and related neurodevelopmental conditions.

Dr. Black’s work integrates high-quality diagnostic assessment, cognitive behavioral therapy and family-based therapies, as well as systems-level consultation. He has advanced training in diagnostic tools, including the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition (ADOS-2) and the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R). Dr. Black provides a range of evidence-based interventions specifically designed or adapted for autistic youth, including the Research Units in Behavioral Intervention (RUBI) parent training, ESDM-informed early intervention, Coping Cat, and Facing Your Fears. His wide variety of therapeutic modalities has enabled him to take a more comprehensive approach in responding to a child’s and family’s specific needs.

As associate director of the Autism Center, Dr. Black supervises a multidisciplinary clincial team and supports the integration of research into clinical practice to address the most pressing needs of patients and families. A passionate advocate of inclusive care for individuals on the autism spectrum, Dr. Black works closely with school partners, residential services, and other organizations on how to best address the needs of those with neurodevelopmental conditions.

Prior to joining the Child Mind Institute, Dr. Black served as a clinical psychologist at Bradley Hospital’s Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities Inpatient Psychiatric Unit and as a clinical instructor at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. His research, which focused on early markers of social anxiety in children with Fragile X syndrome and the developmental trajectories of restricted and repetitive behaviors in autism spectrum disorder, has been recognized with awards from the International Society for Autism Research and the Gatlinburg Conference on Research and Theory in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

• Postdoctoral Fellow, Center for Autism and the Developing Brain, Weill Cornell Medicine, White Plains, NY
• Intern, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH

• PhD, Psychology, University of South Carolina
• MA, School Psychology, University of South Carolina
• BS, Psychology and Neuroscience, Syracuse University