Current Environment:

Deborah Waber | Education

Undergraduate School

Psychology

University of Pennsylvania

1970, Philadelphia, PA

Graduate School

Developmental Psychology

Yale University

1974, New Haven, CT

Fellowship

Boston Children's Hospital

1974, Boston, MA

Deborah Waber | Professional History

I completed my Ph.D. at Yale University in developmental psychology and then two years of post-doctoral training with at Boston Children's Hospital, joining the staff thereafter. With grant support from NIMH, NINDS, and NICHD, I have pursued research on learning disabilities, physical growth and cognitive development, nutrition and the impact of cancer and its treatment on neuropsychological function. Since 1985, I have been a neuropsychologist with the Learning Disabilities Program in the Department of Neurology, becoming director of the program in 2011. I was promoted to Professor in 2013.

Deborah Waber | Publications

My interest in learning disabilities arises from my background in developmental psychology and the "whole child" approach to disabilities. I see learning disabilities as a variant of normal development, from which problems arise when the requirements and expectations of the community, in particular schools, are not a good fit for the child's profile of strengths and weaknesses. Our goal in the Learning Disabilities Program is to find ways to promote development by improving the fit between the child's profile and the school.