Areas of Expertise: autism spectrum disorders, positive behavior support, barriers to dissemination of empirically-supported treatments
Melissa L. Rinaldi received her BA degree in psychology from New York University, and her MA and PhD degrees in clinical psychology from the University at Albany, State University of New York. She is a licensed clinical psychologist in the states of New York and Rhode Island. Dr. Rinaldi has worked with individuals with disabilities, their families, and members of their support team in both clinical and research capacities. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University where she provided individual and group therapy to children and adolescents with combined developmental disabilities and psychiatric conditions. Dr. Rinaldi has extensive experience conducting diagnostic, cognitive, and adaptive assessments of individuals with developmental disabilities and providing behavioral and educational consultation services to homes, schools, and residential facilities. Her research focus is on the development, administration, and evaluation of training models and treatment approaches for individuals with autism spectrum disorders.