Drew C. Coman, Ph.D.

Dr. Coman received his undergraduate degree with Departmental Honors at the University of Miami (UM) and also completed his graduate studies there in Child Clinical Psychology.  He concluded his training with a pre-doctoral internship/residency and a postdoctoral fellowship at the Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School (MGH/HMS).  He has been a faculty at MGH/HMS since 2014.  His work has been published in some of the nation’s top psychology journals, such as the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, and Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America.  Dr. Coman has also presented his work at conferences both nationally and internationally.

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Dr. Coman conducts comprehensive neuropsychological and educational evaluations for children, adolescents, transition-aged youth, and young adults (i.e., around ages 2 to 28 years) for various learning, socio-emotional, and behavioral difficulties (please refer to the services page).  He also provides school observations as well as educational and psychiatric consultations in addition to evidenced-based therapeutic treatments-which informs his recommendations in assessments as well as his consultation reports.  He has trained and worked within an array of outpatient clinical settings serving multicultural families employing each of these services.  More specifically, Dr. Coman has expertise in the following, which can be reviewed further in his Curriculum Vitae:   

 

Developmental Language Disorders & Specific Learning Disabilities

Dr. Coman has training and expertise in conducting comprehensive neuropsychological and educational evaluations for a myriad of neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., Intellectual Disability, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), executive dysfunction) as well as learning and language-based learning profiles (e.g., Specific Learning Disorders [Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, impairments in mathematics], Nonverbal Learning Disability).  He has been providing assessments, educational treatment planning, and supervision for trainees for over a decade across hospital, clinical, and school settings.  Dr. Coman also co-authored the chapter on Language Disorders in The Massachusetts General Hospital Guide to Learning Disabilities. 

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Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Dr. Coman also specializes in providing evaluations for individuals presenting with concerns for ASD or developmental delays, and more specifically, provides diagnostic clarification in the context of individuals presenting with symptoms associated with ASD and other comorbid learning or psychiatric conditions.  He is Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition (ADOS-2) trained and research reliable, providing gold-standard and focused diagnostic differential evaluations for individuals, across the lifespan, presenting with concerns for ASD.  Dr. Coman also authored the chapter on Autism Spectrum Disorders in The Massachusetts General Hospital Guide to Learning Disabilities.  

 

Furthermore, Dr. Coman has conducted research that has examined the impact of particular school factors (e.g., teacher commitment and burnout) on both the implementation of classroom-based treatments and outcomes of students with ASD funded by the U.S. Institute of Education Sciences.  He has also assisted with studies that have evaluated the efficacy of some of the most widely used classroom-based treatments (e.g., TEACCH and LEAP) for children on the spectrum, and helped develop some of the first fidelity measures that can be utilized in evaluating school districts’ autism-specific early childhood programs.  Additionally, Dr. Coman’s work has assisted in elucidating factors contributing to the phenotypic variability in the social-emotional development in high functioning adolescents with autism (i.e., the “Modifier Model” of autism).  Lastly, he has vast experiences in community- and school-based advocacy work and provided consultation services for families with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) while at the UM Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD).      

 

Major Psychiatric Conditions & Co-Occurring Disorders

A primary clinical and research interest as well as expertise for Dr. Coman is providing evaluations for concerns regarding major psychiatric disorders (e.g., anxiety, depression, mood disorders, trauma, psychosis) and co-occurring conditions (e.g., ASD, language-based learning disorders/Dyslexia) with a strong emphasis on developing comprehensive and detailed treatment and educational planning for his patients presenting with such difficulties.  For over a decade, he has worked with children, adolescents, and young adults presenting with a broad array of complex neuropsychiatric, developmental, medical, and neuropsychological conditions (e.g., anxiety, mood disorders, bipolar spectrum conditions, oppositional defiant disorders, language delays, nonverbal learning disabilities, primary psychotic disorders, and Autism Spectrum Disorders). He is presently faculty in the Psychosis and Clinical Research Program at MGH/HMS where he works with patients with psychosis or at clinical high risk for psychosis. Additionally, Dr. Coman has vast experience in coordinating care for those presenting with acute symptoms and has previously worked in the MGH ED.  He has also been trained and certified in the Structured Interview for Psychosis-Risk Syndromes (SIPS/SOPS) by the Yale University Medical School Psychosis Prodrome Research Clinic.  Lastly, Dr. Coman has published guidelines and standards on supporting youth with psychosis across academic settings (article).  

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Consultation for Professional Sports Organizations

Dr. Coman has worked with professional sports organizations (e.g., National Football League [NFL]) to offer evaluations that assist with workplace accommodation determinations.

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On a personal note, Dr. Coman is a Michigan native who enjoys spending time with his family, grilling out, traveling, and college football (Go 'Canes!).  He is also a board member of the Special Education Advisory Board (SEPAC) in his local community.