Laura B. Silverman, Ph.D.

Contact Information

Phone Numbers

Appointment: (585) 275-2986

Administrative: (585) 275-0355

Office: (585) 275-5962

Fax: (585) 742-4217

A member of the University of Rochester Medical Faculty Group

An Accountable Health Partner

Accepting New Patients

Locations

University of Rochester Medical Center
School of Medicine and Dentistry
601 Elmwood Ave, Box 671
Rochester, NY 14642

Faculty Appointments

Associate Professor - Department of Pediatrics , Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics (SMD)

Biography

Dr. Silverman is a clinical child psychologist with expertise in autism and developmental disabilities. She is currently the Director of the Behavioral Interventions for Families (BIFF) Clinic. This clinic is a parent-training program that teaches caregivers of children with developmental disabilities behavioral strategies for improving challenging behaviors at home. Dr. Silverman facilitates program and staff development within the BIFF clinic, and also works as a clinician, providing direct parent training care. Her focus in the BIFF clinic is to meet the unique needs of caregivers, who are often faced with multiple stressors at home.

Dr. Silverman also provides diagnostic assessments for children and adolescents suspected of having autism spectrum disorder (ASD). She specializes in seeing children with complex developmental and psychosocial histories, who also have other mental health diagnoses.

Research

Dr. Silverman's research program focuses broadly on communication and multisensory functioning in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Her current studies examine how adolescents with ASD process other people's language and hand gestures during typical social interactions. She endeavors to better understand whether children with ASD can integrate the information that they hear (speech) with information that they see (gestures and body language) to make sense of a speaker's message. Dr. Silverman examines this question using eye-tracking methodologies, and through collaborations with colleagues in diverse fields, including music and neurobiology.

Dr. Silverman is also involved in a number of treatment-based research studies that examine the utility of behavior-based interventions, medication, and self-advocacy programs on behavioral outcomes in children with ASD. She believes strongly that research should inform clinical practice, and that the clinical concerns of families should drive research questions. As a result, she works hard to keep her research clinically relevant.

Credentials

Education

2006
PHD | University of Rochester School of Medicine/Dentistry

Post-doctoral Training & Residency

09/01/2006 - 06/30/2008
Fellowship in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities at University of Rochester Medical Center

07/01/2005 - 05/30/2006
Internship in Clinical Psychology at University of California Los Angeles

Awards

2008
Dissertation Award - Best Behavioral Dissertation
Sponsor: International Meeting For Autism Research (IMFAR)

2003
Helen and Vincent Nowlis Award for Excellence in Teaching
Sponsor: Department of Clinical and Social Sciences in Psychology
Location: University of Rochester

1996
Cum Laude in Psychology
Sponsor: Vassar College

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Publications

Journal Articles

2014
Silverman, L., Hollway, J. A., Smith, T., Aman, M. G., Arnold, L. E., Pan,X., Li, X., & Handen, B. L. "A Multisite Trial of Atomoxetine and Parent Training in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Rationale and Design Challenges". Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders. 2014; : 899-907.

2014
Aman, M.G., Smith, T., Arnold, L.E., Corbett-Dick, P., Tumuluru, R.V., Hollway, J.A., Hyman, S.L., Mendoza-Burchamm, M.I., Pan, X., Mruzek, D., Lecavalier, L., Levato, L., Silverman, L.B., Handen, B. "A review of atomoxetine in young people with developmental disabilities". Research in Developmental Disabilities. 2014; : 1412-1424.

2012
Bing, N., Kovacs, E., Sikora, D., Silverman, L., Lantz, J., Handen, B., Rieger, R., Mitchell, Z., & Srivorakiat, L. "A Parent's Guide to Applied Behavior Analysis". Autism Speaks Toolkit Series. 2012; .

Books & Chapters

2013
Chapter Title: "Verbal Fluency"
Book Title: Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders
Author List: Silverman LB
Edited By: Volkmar F
Published By: Springer Publishing 2013 in New York

2013
Chapter Title: "Narrative Coherence"
Book Title: Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders
Author List: Silverman LB
Edited By: Volkmar F
Published By: Springer Publishing 2013 in New York

2013
Chapter Title: "Auditory Verbal Learning"
Book Title: Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders
Author List: Silverman LB, Canfield A
Edited By: Volkmar F
Published By: Springer Publishing 2013 in New York

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