Geraldine Dawson

Geraldine Dawson, Ph.D., is an American child psychologist and leading autism researcher, known for co-creating the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) with Sally J. Rogers, an empirically validated early intervention program for young autistic children that has been translated into multiple languages and adopted worldwide. She is the William Cleland Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University, where she also serves as Professor of Pediatrics and of Psychology and Neuroscience, and is the founding director of the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development, an NIH Autism Center of Excellence.

Dawson has focused her career on early detection and intervention in autism, brain development, and genetic risk factors, and has published hundreds of scientific articles and more than a dozen books on autism and brain development, including co‑authoring Early Start Denver Model for Young Children with Autism: Promoting Language, Learning, and Engagement. She previously served as the first chief science officer for Autism Speaks, was president of the International Society for Autism Research, and is a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science and the American Psychological Association, with multiple major career awards recognizing her impact on autism research and clinical practice.