Differentiating between autism and schizophrenia spectrum disorder can be quite difficult, particularly in adolescents and young adults. This educational webinar will review the two diagnoses and how to differentiate between them. For individuals who have both disorders, figuring out which one is actually contributing to the patient’s impairment can be challenging, and this webinar will address this concern. Finally, how to treat those with autism, those with psychosis, and those with both disorders will be reviewed.

Presenter: Dr. Jean A. Frazier is the Executive Director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center at UMass Chan Medical School. The Shriver Center engages in outstanding research, education, and clinical care and service programs that are devoted to supporting, empowering, and including people with autism spectrum disorder and those with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in the community. She has led the Shriver Center since 2015. In addition, she is the Robert M. and Shirley S. Siff Endowed Chair in Autism and Tenured Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics. Since 2020, she has been the Medical Director of the Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Program for those with Autism (ASD) and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) - a program that aims to support our Massachusetts Crisis Teams in their work with individuals with ASD and IDD during times of behavioral crises. She is the founder of the Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders (CANDO) clinical program. Dr. Frazier served as a Vice Chair in the Department of Psychiatry and as the Division Director of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Division at UMASS Chan Medical School and UMASS Memorial Health Care from 2008-2018. She has 3 decades of clinical and research experience in working with individuals with ASD who also have comorbid psychiatric conditions, most especially bipolar disorder and schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Dr. Frazier has published 185 peer reviewed journal articles and 30 book chapters. She is a highly sought out mentor and teacher and has won numerous awards for her teaching and mentoring including the Outstanding Educator Award for Mental Health Education from the New England Educational Institute.

If you would like accommodations to participate in any of our events, please contact us at [email protected].