Biography

Websites: 
Google Scholar
Website
Research with Rowan

Education:
Post-doctoral Associate, Vanderbilt University
Ph.D., Clinical Psychology, University of Michigan
B.A., English Language and Literature, University of Michigan

Research Expertise:
Emotional Health in Autistic Adults | Depression in Autism | Autism Assessment and Diagnosis

I study emotion processing and emotional health problems in the context of the autism spectrum. In my lab, we use behavioral and psychophysiological methods to learn about mechanisms underlying depression in people with autism, particularly autistic adults. We want to use that knowledge to develop more effective treatments to support emotional health in neurodivergent adolescents and adults.

My early research aimed to improve the accuracy and utility of commonly used autism diagnostic instruments. As a result, I am an author on the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS-2), and I continue to teach and train others on assessment and diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder.

Selected Publications:
Gotham, K., Cassidy, S., & Weiss, J. (2020). Mental health across the lifespan. Editorial in the special issue “Mental Health Across the Lifespan,” Eds. K. Gotham, S. Cassidy, & J.Weiss, Autism, 24(4), 805-808. PMID: 32429820

Williams, Z. J., Everaert, J., & Gotham, K. O. (2021). Measuring depression in autistic adults: Psychometric validation of the Beck Depression Inventory–II. Assessment, 28(3), 858-876. PMCID: PMC8522206

Williams, Z.J., McKenney, E.E., & Gotham, K. (2021). Investigating the structure of trait rumination in autistic adults: A network analysis. Autism, 25(7), 2048–2063. PMC8419022.

McKenney, E. E. , Cucchiara, C.L., Senanayake, A., & Gotham, K.O. (2024). “I don't care if it would kill the mood. I'm going to use my words if I'm unsure even in the slightest”: Perceptions and use of explicit verbal sexual consent in neurodiverse students. The Journal of Sex Research.

McKenney, E. E., Richards, J. K., Day, T. C., Brunwasser, S. M., Cucchiara, C.L., Kofner, B., McDonald, R. G., Gillespie-Lynch, K., Lamm, J., Kang, E., Lerner, M.D., & Gotham, K. O. (2024). Satisfaction with social connectedness is associated with depression and anxiety symptoms in neurodiverse first-semester college students. Autism.