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Brenna M. Cavanaugh, Psy.D.

Brenna M. Cavanaugh, Psy.D.

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About Me

Dr. Cavanaugh is a licensed psychologist and board certified behavior analyst. She specializes in work with children and adolescents with developmental disabilities and autism spectrum disorder. Dr. Cavanaugh's clinical care is focused on the application of evidence-based behavioral and cognitive-be...
Dr. Cavanaugh is a licensed psychologist and board certified behavior analyst. She specializes in work with children and adolescents with developmental disabilities and autism spectrum disorder. Dr. Cavanaugh's clinical care is focused on the application of evidence-based behavioral and cognitive-behavioral strategies in the assessment and treatment of challenging behaviors in children and adolescents. She provides parent training, behavioral skills training, and individual therapy within Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics' Behavior Treatment Program and Behavioral Intervention for Families Program. Her primary goal in her clinical work is to improve caregiver and child well-being by effectively adapting interventions to meet the unique needs of each patient and his or her family. Dr. Cavanaugh also provides diagnostic evaluations for children and adolescents with suspected autism spectrum disorder, and consults with schools in the community regarding evidence-based interventions for students.

Dr. Cavanaugh graduated from Nova Southeastern University with her doctorate in clinical psychology. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at the University of Nebraska Medical Center's Munroe-Meyer Institute, where she provided care to children with developmental disabilities in their pediatric feeding and severe behavior day treatment programs. Dr. Cavanaugh completed her post-doctoral training at the University of Rochester Medical Center's Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics.

Faculty Appointments

Assistant Professor (Part-Time) - Department of Pediatrics, Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics (SMD)

Credentials

Post-doctoral Training & Residency

Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics
University of Rochester Medical Center 2015 - 2017

Munroe-Meyer Institute
University of Nebraska Medical Center 2014 - 2015

Education

PsyD | Nova Southeastern University. Clinical Psychology. 2015

MS | Nova Southeastern University. Clinical Psychology. 2012

BA | Binghamton University, State University of New York. Psychology. 2010

Research

Dr. Cavanaugh's research interest include:

• Application and dissemination of applied behavior analytic assessment and intervention for child challenging behavior

• Effectiveness of behavioral parent training interventions in clinical settings

• Early detection and prevention of...
Dr. Cavanaugh's research interest include:

• Application and dissemination of applied behavior analytic assessment and intervention for child challenging behavior

• Effectiveness of behavioral parent training interventions in clinical settings

• Early detection and prevention of behavioral disorders in children with developmental disabilities

Publications

Journal Articles

Neurodevelopmental Outcomes of Extremely Preterm Infants Fed Donor Milk or Preterm Infant Formula: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Colaizy TT, Poindexter BB, McDonald SA, Bell EF, Carlo WA, Carlson SJ, DeMauro SB, Kennedy KA, Nelin LD, Sánchez PJ, Vohr BR, Johnson KJ, Herron DE, Das A, Crawford MM, Walsh MC, Higgins RD, Stoll BJ, , , Ambalavanan N, Wyckoff MH, D'Angio CT, Bugg GW, Ohls RK, Reynolds AM, Sokol GM, Laptook AR, Olsen SL, White JR, Jadcherla SR, Bajaj M, Parimi PS, Schmidt B, Laughon MM, Barks J, Fisher KA, Hibbs AM, Peralta-Carcelen M, Cook N, Heyne RJ, Cavanaugh B, Adams-Chapman I, Fuller J, Hartley-McAndrew ME, Harmon HM, Duncan AF, Hines AC, Kilbride HW, Richards LA, Maitre NL, Natarajan G, Trembath AN, Carlson MD, Malcolm WF, Wilson-Costello DE, ,

JAMA.. 2024 February 20331 (7):582-591. Epub 1900 01 01.

Thinking Small to Think Big: Modular Approach for Autism Programming in Schools (MAAPS).

Anderson CM, Iovannone R, Smith T, Levato L, Martin R, Cavanaugh B, Hochheimer S, Wang H, Iadarola S

Journal of autism and developmental disorders.. 2021 January 51 (1):193-211. Epub 1900 01 01.

A method to establish stimulus control and compliance with instructions.

Borgen JG, Charles Mace F, Cavanaugh BM, Shamlian K, Lit KR, Wilson JB, Trauschke SL

Journal of applied behavior analysis.. 2017 October 50 (4):830-842. Epub 09/20/2017.

Evaluation of multiple schedules with naturally occurring and therapist-arranged discriminative stimuli following functional communication training.

Shamlian KD, Fisher WW, Steege MW, Cavanaugh BM, Samour K, Querim AC

Journal of applied behavior analysis.. 2016 June 49 (2):228-50. Epub 01/21/2016.