Interdisciplinary Connections

Interdisciplinary Approaches to Understanding and Improving Self-injurious Behaviors Workgroup

Mission Statement: The Self Injury Working Group aims to foster an interdisciplinary approach to the research, practice, and knowledge of self-injury and those at risk of self-injury.

Pictured from left: Jessica Simacek, Jason Wolff, Adele Dimian, Stacey Brandjord, Chandra Carl, Andrea Castillo, Caroline Roberts, Laura Chubb, Katelyn Visina, Erin Tower, Amy Esler, Kathryn Cullen, and Megan Manternach. Not pictured: Julie Eisengart, Rebekah Hudock, Rachel Freeman, and Frank Symons.

Workgroup Presentations on Self-injury

Watch the following presentations from members of our working group.

Improving research on depression and self-injury in adolescents

An interdisciplinary approach to self-injury: From mental health to developmental disabilities

Self-injurious behavior

MIDB Colloquium Katie Cullen, MD - January 25, 2024

Workgroup Members, Labs, and Teams

Stacey Brandjord, Ph.D., LP, Psychologist, Center for Neurobehavioral Development , Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain

Chandra Carl, MA, Speech Language Pathologist, Research Specialist, Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain

Andrea Castillo, MA, Research Professional, TeleOutreach Center, Institute on Community Integration

Laura Chubb, M.ADS, Ph.D. Candidate and Interdisciplinary Doctoral Fellow, Department of Educational Psychology

Kathryn R. Cullen, MD, Associate Professor, Division Director of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences ; Co-Director of the RAD Lab

Adele Dimian, Ph.D., Research Associate, TeleOutreach Center, Institute on Community Integration

Julie B. Eisengart, Ph.D., LP, Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics ; Director, Neurodevelopmental Program in Rare Disease , Division of Clinical Behavioral Neuroscience

Amy Esler, Ph.D., LP, Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics ; Co-Director of Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain Clinical Services

Rachel Freeman, Ph.D., Director of State Initiatives, Institute on Community Integration, Minnesota DHS Regional Organization-Wide Training and TA on Person-Centered Positive Behavior Support

Rebekah Hudock, Ph.D., LP, Assistant Professor and Pediatric Neuropsychologist, Department of Pediatrics , Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain Autism & Neurodevelopment Clinic

Bonnie Klimes-Dougan, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Psychology , College of Liberal Arts; Co-Director of the RAD Lab

Seunghee Lee, Ph.D., Research Associate, TeleOutreach Center, Institute on Community Integration

Tim Moore, Ph.D., LP, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences , University of Minnesota Medical School

Nikolaos Papanikolopoulos, Ph.D., McKnight Presidential Endowed Professor; Director of the Minnesota Robotics Institute , Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Caroline Roberts, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Associate, Institute on Community Integration

Jessica J. Simacek, Ph.D., Director, TeleOutreach Center + Service Hub, Institute on Community Integration/College of Education and Human Development

Frank Symons, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Educational Psychology , College of Education and Human Development

Erin Tower, MPH, Project Manager, Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain

Katelyn Visina, MS, BCBA, Research Professional, Center for Neurobehavioral Development , Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain

Jason Wolff, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Educational Psychology , College of Education and Human Development

Recent Publications from the Workgroup

Byiers, B. J., Gunderson, J., Huebner, A., & Symons, F. J. (2025). Prospective characterisation of age‐related changes in self‐injurious behaviour in a sample of children with global developmental delay aged 2–12 years. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research. https://doi.org/10.1111/jir.13228

Dimian, A. F., & Symons, F. J. (2022). A systematic review of risk for the development and persistence of self-injurious behavior in intellectual and developmental disabilities. Clinical Psychology Review, 102158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2022.102158

Dimian, A. F., Estes, A. M., Dager, S., Piven, J., & Wolff, J. J. (2023). Predicting self‐injurious behavior at age three among infant siblings of children with autism. Autism Research. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.2981

Moore, T. R., Lee, S., Freeman, R., Mahmoudi, M., Dimian, A., Riegelman, A., & Simacek, J. J. (2024). A meta-analysis of treatment for self-injurious behavior in children and adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Behavior Modification, 48(2), 216-256. https://doi.org/10.1177/01454455231218742

Roberts, C. L., Avina, A. H., & Symons, F. J. (2023). A qualitative analysis of family caregiver experiences accessing treatment for self-injurious behavior in individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Journal of Mental Health Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 17(4), 346–368. https://doi.org/10.1080/19315864.2023.2223546

Roberts, C. L., Larsh, M., & Symons, F. (2024). Interdisciplinarity and self-injury: Toward an inclusive research and treatment paradigm. Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability, 49(4), 378–390. https://doi.org/10.3109/13668250.2024.2370564

Roberts, C. L., Larsh, M., & Symons, F. (2024). Self-injury and the treatment gap: An interdisciplinary exploration of beliefs about causal variables and treatment goals among caregivers, researchers, and clinicians. Journal of Mental Health Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/19315864.2024.2424744

Roberts, C. L., & Symons, F. J. (2024). The critical insight of family caregivers of individuals with intellectual and developmental disability and severe self-injurious behavior. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1111/dmcn.16212

Roberts, C. L., & Symons, F. (2023). Self-injurious behavior in individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities: An interdisciplinary family systems review. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 1-23. https://doi.org/10.1111/jftr.12548

Get Involved in Interdisciplinary Work

Please email: telehealthstudy@umn.edu