About

Discipline: Clinical Psychology

Summary Statement:

Grace Lee Simmons is a licensed psychologist at the Chapel Hill TEACCH Autism Center and clinical assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at UNC. She specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of individuals with autism across a variety of ages and levels of functioning. She provides both individual and group-based clinical therapy services to children and their families, including PEERS, GoriLLA Group, and Facing Your Fears. She is also involved with the TEACCH training team, including 5-day hands-on training for school-age learners, and she is certified to lead clinical and research workshops supporting professionals administering the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-2nd Edition (ADOS-2).

In addition to clinical services, Grace Lee is actively involved in several ongoing clinical research trials at TEACCH designed to support mental health and social development in autistic youth and young adults. Her published research has examined mechanisms underlying social difficulties in youth with neurodevelopmental disabilities, which may serve as targets for clinical interventions. She is particularly interested in developing, implementing, and disseminating psychosocial interventions for autistic youth that support their self-directed social development.