Marcia Eckerd, Ph.D.

I’ve worked with autistic individuals as a licensed psychologist for 30 years. I was appointed to the CT ASD Advisory Council and serves on the Clinical Advisory Group of the Asperger’s Autism Network (AANE.org), a nationally recognized resource for autism services and education. I’m also on the Board of Directors of NeuroClastic.org, an autistic nonprofit that provides education, opportunities, and resources for autistic individuals. I’m a prolific writer and lecturer. I’ve written 3 professional journal articles on autism for the Journal of Health Services Psychology (JHSP), one focusing on diagnosing adults and one specifically on diagnosing women. My blog “Divergent Thinkers” was on Psych Central for 2016- 2020, and my current blog on Psychology Today is “Everyday Neurodiversity.” I’ve presented many workshops on autism, including the “Learning and the Brain” conference co-sponsored by Harvard, MIT, Johns Hopkins, and Tufts, and an international conference, “Special Kids International Summit” co-sponsored by UNESCO. As a result of my focus on autistic women, I’ve has worked with women from all over the United States to provide an autistic diagnosis when they were misunderstood and misdiagnosed by their clinical providers. I graduated from Yale University Magna cum laude and with honors, received my Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the City University of NY in 1982 and completed my internship and fellowship at NY Hospital-Cornell Medical Center (now NY Presbyterian Hospital). “Marcia Eckerd is a leading advocate for the neurodivergent community. I listened to one of her talks last year. She gave me a door into the challenges and contributions of those whose minds work differently. Marcia is one of the many first women in Yale College making the world a better, more just and more inclusive place” Christine Taut Miller