Шарлотта Лорен

I am a developmental psychologist and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at UMass Chan Medical School with over 30 years of clinical, research, and program-development experience focused on individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and other Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) who present with severe co-occurring psychiatric disorders, aggressive behavior, and complex emotional and behavioral challenges. My work has centered on improving the accuracy of psychiatric assessment and diagnosis in this population, particularly in the context of atypical neurodevelopmental profiles, stress responses, trauma exposure, and medical comorbidities.

I have designed, implemented, and directed multiple specialized inpatient and outpatient psychiatric services for individuals with ASD/IDD. At UMass Chan Medical School, I helped design and directed for 8.5 years a 10-bed locked inpatient psychiatric unit dedicated to adolescents and adults with ASD/IDD, providing comprehensive multidisciplinary assessment and treatment to hundreds of individuals. In response to ongoing demand for inpatient beds, I subsequently developed and continue to lead a multidisciplinary outpatient evaluation team that provides comprehensive developmental-biopsychosocial assessments in community settings, preventing inpatient admission in approximately 50% of referred cases. These evaluations integrate psychiatric, psychological, medical, behavioral, and environmental perspectives to inform accurate diagnosis and treatment planning.

A central focus of my work has been the identification of psychiatric symptoms and disorders in individuals with ASD/IDD and the differentiation of psychiatric illness from stress-related, trauma-related, behavioral, and medically driven presentations. This work directly informed the development of the Mood and Anxiety Semi-Structured Interview (MASS), a tool I designed to improve psychiatric assessment for individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities. My research has also highlighted the frequent contribution of unrecognized medical conditions and the risks associated with over-reliance on psychotropic polypharmacy to manage externalizing behaviors.

My research experience includes serving as Co-Investigator on NIH-funded studies examining depression in youth with IDD, leading institutionally funded studies on adverse drug events, and authoring foundational chapters on mood and depressive disorders in the DM-ID and DM-ID-2. I continue to provide multidisciplinary consultation, training, and evaluation services nationally, collaborate with academic and clinical partners, and contribute to federal court monitoring and expert consultation related to the care of individuals with ASD/IDD.