
Lynn L. Cole, DNP, DNP
Contact
About Me
Dr. Cole bases her patient care on careful listening to children and families. Families know their child best and she recognizes the importance of working toward family goals for their child. Visits are usually low-pressure for the child, as she works hard to engage children in activities and topics of their interest and ability. She is able to talk with children and families sensitively about difficult topics such as trauma, substance use, different family make-ups, behavioral challenges, and coping with disability.
Dr. Cole has particular experience and expertise in the care of children who have experienced prenatal substance exposure, early childhood adversity, and/or foster care/adoption. She co-leads the FASD diagnostic and treatment program, and provides diagnostic evaluation and ongoing specialty care. She consults to residential treatment programs and county foster care systems on care of children with early adversity or prenatal substance exposure. She engages in advocacy to improve the systems of care serving children she treats and trains community clinicians around the country to improve access to diagnosis and FASD/trauma-informed care.
She also has expertise in the evaluation and treatment of common health & behavioral problems experienced by children with developmental delays and disabilities. She looks carefully at the interaction between physical health, child/family experiences, and child behavior - working to optimize health and quality of life for both her patients and their family.
Dr. Cole has a great deal of experience in helping families who are considering use of medication to treat challenging behavior. She helps families to clearly identify goals for treatment and maximize non-medicine treatments. She helps families think about their own values and preferences and engages families in shared decision making. She was a lead author on two toolkits published by the Autism Treatment Network supporting safe and effective use of medicine in children with autism and other developmental disabilities. "Should My Child Take Medicine for Behavior: A Decision Aid for Parents of Children with Autism," and "Safe And Effective Use of Medicines for Challenging Behavior: a Toolkit for Families."
In addition to patient care, Ms. Cole serves as the Associate Division Chief of the Division of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, and directs the division's clinical services. She teaches in the School of Nursing, and lectures and consults to other departments and institutions on quality improvement, access to care, and optimizing the care of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Research Profile:
Ms. Cole conducts research on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, Autism Spectrum Disorders, psychopharmacology, and strategies for expanding access to care. She is a co-investigator on a project investigating ways to increase access to care for individuals with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. She is a co-investigator in a large project aiming to train nurses to more effectively care for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in emergency department and hospital settings in NYS. She is the Primary Investigator (PI) of the University of Rochester's Autism Care Network, and leads research projects investigating the best treatment of ADHD symptoms in children with ASD, and in identification of potential biomarkers of ASD.
Certified Specialties
Nurse Practitioner, Pediatrics - American Nurses Credentialing Center
Faculty Appointments
Associate Professor of Clinical SON Faculty - Department of SON Faculty (SON) - Joint
Credentials
Education
DNP | University of Rochester. 2021
MS | University of Rochester. Nurse Practitioner. 1998
Awards
George Spencer Terry Endowed Fund in Nursing. 2019
Autism Opportunity Award - Professional Category.. 2016
Clinical Excellence Award. 2006
Sigma Theta Tau. 1998
Nursing Alumni Assocation Award. 1992
US Public Health Service. 1991 - 1992
Research
In addition, she has conducted research on strategies for increasing access to diagnosis and care for children with FASD, how parents make treatment decisions for their child with autism spectrum disorder, and on the use of decision aids when considering behavioral medication.
Publications
Journal Articles
"I'm doing my part, I just need help from the community": Intervention implications of foster and adoptive parents' experiences raising children and young adults with FASD
Petrenko CL, Alto ME, Hart AR, Freeze SM, & Cole LL.
Journal of Family Nursing. 2019; .
Systematic review and guide to management of core and psychiatric symptoms in youth with autism
Ameis SH, Kassee C, Corbett Dick P, Cole L, Dadhwal S, Lai MC, ... & Correll CU.
Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica. 2018; .
Cole, L, Corbett-Dick, P, Howell, L, Schmidt, B.
http://www.autismspeaks.org/science/resources-programs/autism-treatment-network/tools-you-can-use/. 2013; .
Cole, L, Howell, L, Stump, J, Schmidt B.
2013; .
Decision making and anti-psychotic medication treatment for youth with autism spectrum disorders: Applying guidelines in the real world
Ameis, SH, Corbett-Dick, P, Cole, L, Correll, CU.
Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. 2013; 74(10).
Decision making and antipsychotic medication treatment for youth with autism spectrum disorders: applying guidelines in the real world
Ameis SH, Corbett-Dick P, Cole L, & Correll CU.
The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. 2013; 74(10): 1022-1024.
Complementary and alternative medicine use in a large pediatric autism sample
Perrin, JM, Coury, DL, Hyman, SL, Cole, L, Reynolds, AM, Clemons, T.
Pediatrics. 2012; S77: 130.
Use of psychotropic medication in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders
Coury, DL, Anagnostou, E, Manning-Courtney, P, Reynolds, A, Cole, L, McCoy, R, Whitaker, A, Perrin, JM.
Pediatrics. 2012; S69: 130.
Complementary and alternative medicine use in a large pediatric autism sample.
Perrin, J.M., Coury, D.L., Hyman, S.L., Cole, L., Reynolds, A.M. & Clemons, T.
Pediatrics. 2011; 130: S77.
Cole, L, Corbett-Dick, P, Treadwell-Deering, McCoy, R, Howell, L, Schmidt, B,.
2010; .
Behavioral interventions to reduce the rumination of persons with developmental disabilities.
McAdam, D. B. & Cole, L.
Trends in eating disorders research,. 2007; F. Columbus (Ed), Nova publisher.
The Use of Botulinum Toxin Type A in Children with Cerebral Palsy
Nolan, K.W.; Cole, L.L.; Liptak, G.S.
Physical Therapy. 2006; 64(4): 573-576.
Abstract "Music Therapy as Procedural Support During Botulinum Toxin Injections".
Sahler, OJ., Hunter, BC., Oliva, R., Du C., Hoffman, T., Liptak, G., Cole, LL.
Journal of Pediatric Research Supplement Abstract Issue,. 2005; 55(4): Part 2 of 2, p87A.
PICUBASICS: An on-line resource for the diagnosis and management of acute illness in children with chronic conditions.
Dosa, NP; Cole, L; Kanter, RK, Liptak, GS.
Physical Medicine Rehabilitation Clinics of North America. 2002; 13(4): 823-37, viii.
Books
Trends in eating disorders research (2007)
Chapter: Behavioral interventions to reduce the rumination of persons with developmental disabilities.
Authors: McAdam, D.B.; Cole, L.L.
Publisher: Nova Publishers 2007