Rebecca C. Shaffer, PsyD, HSPP
- Clinical Psychologist, Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology
- Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
About
Biography
My biggest passion is seeing children with neurobehavioral disorders learn and grow through treatment. It is exciting when these children can engage in new activities or friendships based on the skills they learn, particularly when they learn to regulate their emotions and behaviors.
My research career has been dedicated to the treatment and research of neurobehavioral disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), fragile X syndrome and Angelman syndrome. It is a pleasure for me to serve these children and their families.
My current career path began in general child psychology, but I became focused on neurobehavioral disorders during my fellowship and first faculty position at Indiana University (IU) School of Medicine. After my time at IU, I joined Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and the Kelly O’Leary Autism Center. Currently, I serve as an associate professor of pediatrics with an affiliated appointment at the University of Cincinnati.
I have a commitment to training future leaders in neurobehavioral care. As the director of psychological services for the Cincinnati Fragile X Center, I oversee the assessment and treatment of individuals with fragile X syndrome. I also lead or assist with several fragile X research studies focused on parent training, outcome measurement and medication trials.
Emotional regulation is an area of need, especially in children with ASD. It is my strongest area of interest. Difficulties in emotional regulation make it hard for children to fully enjoy life and can place a huge burden on their families. My team has created an emotion regulation treatment program for children with ASD called Regulating Together.
Regulating Together treats emotion dysregulation, especially with reactivity and irritability, in a group setting with concurrent caregiver training. I currently lead several research studies, as well as publications, focused on the development and efficacy of this program. I also serve as the primary investigator of the Simons Foundation Powering Autism Research (SPARK) study at Cincinnati Children’s and other ASD-specific studies.
BS: Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion, IN.
MA: Chestnut Hill College, Philadelphia, PA.
PsyD: Chestnut Hill College, Philadelphia, PA.
Internship: Youth Opportunity Center, Muncie, IN.
Fellowship: Indiana University School of Medicine, Riley Hospital for Children, Indianapolis, IN.
Interests
Autism spectrum disorders; fragile X; Angelman syndrome; parent training; social skills training; applied behavioral analysis
Services and Specialties
Interests
Eye tracking; autism spectrum disorders; fragile X; Angelman syndrome; parent training; social skills training; applied behavioral analysis.
Research Areas
Publications
Brief Report: Differences Between Stanford-Binet Abbreviated and Full-Scale Estimates of IQ in Fragile X Syndrome Vary Across Development. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 2025.
Brief Report: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover, Proof-of-Concept Study of Minocycline in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 2025; 55(9):3387-3394.
Regulating together in schools: feasibility and acceptability of a teacher-led emotion regulation intervention for autistic youth. International Journal of Developmental Disabilities. 2025; ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print):1-16.
Health Related Quality of Life in Autistic Youth and Their Families. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 2025; 55(6):1982-1987.
Patterns in Medication Use for Treatment of Depression in Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 2025; 55(6):1969-1975.
Practice Makes Possible: Preliminary Feasibility of an Air Travel Accessibility Program for Children and Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Their Families. Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders. 2025; 1-11.
Results from a Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Single-Dose, Crossover Trial of Lovastatin or Minocycline in Fragile X Syndrome. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology. 2025; 35(4):211-221.
Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial of Regulating Together (RT), a group therapy for emotion dysregulation in school-age autistic youth and their caregivers. BMC Psychology. 2025; 13(1):436.
Frontal cortex hyperactivation and gamma desynchrony in Fragile X syndrome: Correlates of auditory hypersensitivity. PLoS ONE. 2025; 20(5):e0306157.
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