The Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD) at Kennedy Krieger Institute offers a postdoctoral residency in clinical child psychology, specializing in the care of autistic children. Clinical fellows also receive clinical training in common associated conditions such as intellectual disability, developmental delays, genetic disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, learning issues, and social-emotional disorders. The residency features specialized training and experiences utilizing gold standard testing instruments and implementing empirically based intervention strategies specific to autism. The program provides residents with the opportunity to work with a highly diverse patient population ranging from early childhood to late adolescence and who present with a wide variety of clinical needs. Through these experiences, fellows obtain the skills necessary to begin their careers as psychologists and to become leaders in the field of autism.

The CARD postdoctoral psychology program offers a one year training model with the option for fellows to pursue a second year of training. This additional year of training allows fellows to further advance their clinical competency across the highly diverse autistic population. In their first year of training, fellows develop assessment and treatment skills specific to school-age children and adolescents as well as young and early functioning children. 40 to 50 percent of their time is spent providing direct clinical care. In accordance with the scientist-practitioner model of training and practice, postdoctoral fellows receive training via didactic instruction, specific skill modeling, supervised and independent practice, and direct evaluation of research. Over the course of the fellowship, the fellow will increase competence in ethics and cultural diversity through clinical experiences, supervision, and didactic training. Fellows remaining for a second year take on greater responsibility for the care and direction of their assessment and treatment cases. Fellows electing to pursue a two year fellowship also have the opportunity to participate in minor training rotations in a variety of programs across the Institute, such as the Psychiatric Mental Health Program, the Department of Neuropsychology, and the Kennedy Krieger School Programs, and to initiate or to collaborate on research projects.

There is no requirement for postdoctoral training in order to obtain licensure as a psychologist in Maryland. This fellowship does, however, satisfy supervised practice hours that are required in surrounding states (e.g., Pennsylvania, Virginia).