Nick Hartley, PsyD

I am a pediatric psychologist who specializes in the differential assessment of individuals with neurodevelopmental differences. These can include intellectual disability, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and related challenges. I also provide therapeutic interventions to children, adolescents and families, including parent management training, anxiety management, and behavioral and social skills development.

I am honored to work with such strong and inspiring children and their families. It can be challenging to raise a child with special needs, but time and again, these families show up every day to provide unending love and care. I value being part of their story and helping provide advocacy and support to a population that is often overlooked and underserved.

My philosophy of care is to treat every patient as an individual, each with their own unique strengths and backgrounds. I work to provide transparency in order to build trust and preserve each individual’s dignity, and, to do this, I aim to give each patient my complete emotional and psychological support. I also believe that working within a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach helps provide our families the most effective and holistic care.

I have extensive experience assessing and diagnosing individuals, from birth to adulthood, who present with varying concerns. I am trained to use a wide range of standardized assessment measures, including the use of the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition (ADOS-2).

Additionally, I am an internationally certified parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT) therapist, with expertise in the management of anxiety in children with ASD or developmental delays. I have training in the use of applied behavioral analysis (ABA) approaches with very young children diagnosed with ASD. I am also passionate about working therapeutically with adolescents who are diagnosed with ASD or developmental delays, using adapted cognitive-behavioral therapy approaches.

In 2020, I was honored to receive a Jack Rubinstein Foundation Grant Award as the co-primary investigator of an intervention project with the Department of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at Cincinnati Children’s. This award will be used to expand a project aimed at developing social and communication skills in young children diagnosed with ASD, using techniques from the ABA literature.

When I have free time, I enjoy spending it with my family and friends. My hobbies include hiking, reading, gardening, watching documentaries and learning more about science. My toddler keeps me busy and active, and I enjoy watching him grow and learn. He makes me a better psychologist and person.