Diana Robins, PhD

Director and Professor
Expertise autism early detection

Diana L. Robins, Ph.D. is director and professor at the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute, where she also leads the Research Program in Early Detection and Intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Much of her work has centered around developing, validating and refining a widely used screening tool for ASD, the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers. The original M-CHAT paper has been cited more than 1,600 times, and the validation of the recent revision, M-CHAT-R with Follow-Up (M-CHAT-R/F), demonstrated that the 2-stage screening questionnaire detects many cases of autism, and children in the study were diagnosed about two years younger than the national median, which improves access to ASD-specific early intervention.

Her work has been published in leading pediatric and autism journals, including Pediatrics, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders and Autism: The International Journal of Science and Practice.

Contact

215.571.3439 dlr76@drexel.edu

Media Inquiries

Annie Korp

amk522@drexel.edu 215.571.4244

In The News

Philly Researchers Are Using AI Robots to Better Support Aging Adults With Autism
Apr 24, 2025
Diana Robins, PhD, director, and Giacomo Vivanti, PhD, an associate professor, both in the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute, were quoted in an April 24 WHYY story about research gaps in tracking aging autistic adults and how a South Jersey nonprofit, Bancroft, is helping seniors with intellectual and developmental disabilities in its assisted living complex in Voorhees, New Jersey.
What Happens When an Autism Screening Flags More Mild Cases
Jan 30, 2025
A 2024 study on standardized autism screening during pediatric well-child visits led by Diana Robins, PhD, director, and Giacomo Vivanti, PhD, an associate professor, both in the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute, was featured in a Jan. 30 Psychology Today article about how the study showed that the standardized screening was able to identify more children with high autism likelihood at a younger age, including those presenting with more subtle symptoms, but parents of children with milder symptoms were less likely to follow up with a diagnostic evaluation.
How Do We Screen for Autism?
Apr 4, 2023
Diana Robins, PhD, director of the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute, was quoted in an April 4 episode of KYW-Newsradio’s “In Depth” podcast about screening for autism in young children and her recently published research analyzing the autism screening tool M-CHAT, which was developed by Robins.
Community Newsletter: A Call To Bring Megastudy Might to Autism Behavioral Studies
Feb 20, 2022
Diana Robins, PhD, director of the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute, and Anne Roux, a research scientist at the Institute, were mentioned in a Feb. 20 Spectrum News article about recent highlights in autism research including a conference where Robins was the keynote speaker and the launch of the Policy Impact Project from the Institute.

Related Articles

Young girl in doctors office with doctor and parent Standardized Autism Screening During Pediatric Well Visits Identified More, Younger Children with High Likelihood for Autism Diagnosis
Nov 14, 2024
New research from Drexel University’s A.J. Drexel Autism Institute found that the use of standardized autism screening during pediatric well-child visits identifies more children with high autism likelihood at a younger age, including those presenting with more subtle symptoms.
Young girl in doctors office with doctor and parent A.J. Drexel Autism Institute Finds Strong Performance of Autism Screener When Used as Intended
Feb 20, 2023
Newly published in JAMA Pediatrics, a study by Andrea Wieckowski, PhD, Diana Robins, PhD and their co-authors systematically reviewed and analyzed factors that may lead to different performance estimates of the M-CHAT(-R/F) tests. the most commonly used autism-specific screening tool for young children.
A family of three shopping for produce The A.J. Drexel Autism Institute Awarded $10 Million for Advancing Equitable Strategies and Reducing Barriers for Autistic Individuals of All Ages
Sep 9, 2022
Drexel University’s A.J. Drexel Autism Institute was awarded a 5-year, $10 million Autism Centers of Excellence (ACE) award from the National Institutes of Health to understand and reduce barriers to good health and health care access for people with autism. The project titled “Public Health and Autism Science advancing Equitable Strategies across the life course” (PHASES) will employ a public health research framework to examine health determinants, health services delivery and health inequity – especially in under-represented diverse populations – and the impact of these forces on autistic people’s health outcomes.
Two children with a group of adults and toys A.J. Drexel Autism Institute Researcher Awarded $11 Million Grant to Investigate Early Intervention Efforts
Sep 7, 2017
A researcher from the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute received a $11 million Autism Centers of Excellence grant from the NIH to look into how early detection and treatment efforts lead to better outcomes for children on the spectrum.

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