Dr. Jennifer L. Morris, Ph.D
Dr. Morris is a Clinical Child Psychologist, specializing in working with children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders. She has been at the Moore Counseling Center since 2008, and she currently serves as a post-doctoral supervisor and as the Director of Autism Spectrum Services at the MCC. She received her doctoral degree from the Clinical Child Psychology program at the University of Alabama. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, Arkansas. She is a member of the American Psychological Association and APA’s Division 53: Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology.
Dr. Morris received specialized training in Autism Spectrum Disorders at the University of Alabama’s Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinic and the UAMS Child Study Center’s autism program. She also received advanced clinical training on the ADOS diagnostic instrument, the gold-standard assessment for Autism Spectrum Disorders. She has been working with children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders for more than 10 years. She is involved in local events for the autism community, including regularly presenting at the Oklahoma Statewide Autism Conference and participating in the Oklahoma PieceWalk and 5K for Autism.
Dr. Morris provides diagnostic evaluations, individual/family therapy, and social skills therapy children and adolescents with ASD and their families. The diagnostic evaluation process includes a detailed parent interview, diagnostic play session (using the ADOS-2), intellectual testing, behavioral assessment, and adaptive behavior assessment.
Autism Spectrum Disorders, or Pervasive Developmental Disorders, are typically first observed in children during toddler years. These diagnoses can affect a family in a variety of ways. Because of this, her work focuses not only on working with the child’s strengths and weaknesses, but also on supporting the family. Parents and caregivers are a necessary part of the evaluation and treatment process, as they know their children best. It is her hope to collaborate with families, while providing parents with support and information to help with home life and school adjustment.
Therapy sessions are typically held weekly or biweekly, with the agreement that families will work on skills outside of the sessions. Because of the unique nature of ASD’s, treatment goals are individualized to meet the needs of each child and family. Individual and family therapy services involve developmental and behavioral interventions. Dr. Morris is trained in using behavioral and structured teaching methods with children with ASD’s. Dr. Morris also provides psychological testing and individual/family therapy services for children and adolescents with other clinical issues (such as ADHD, anxiety, mood, or behavioral disorders).
