Roula N Choueiri, MD

Roula Choueiri, MD, is a neurodevelopmental disabilities pediatrician and a leader in the early identification of autism. She is the Division Director for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics and Visiting Professor at the Stony Brook University Renaissance School of Medicine. Dr. Choueiri has completed residencies in Pediatrics and Child Neurology at the American University of Beirut, and Pediatric Residency at Massachusetts General Hospital and Fellowship in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities at Boston Children’s Hospital. Dr. Choueiri’s clinical and academic work focuses on improving early and equitable diagnosis of autism in children under 5 years of age, especially those under 3 years of age, at a critical period for brain development. She is the developer and principal investigator of the “Rapid Interactive Screening Test for Autism in Toddlers”, a low‑cost, evidence‑based tool widely implemented in clinical and community settings across the US and internationally to reduce diagnostic delays and improve access for underserved populations.  Dr. Choueiri has held leadership roles at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School (Division Director, Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics -2014 to 2022); Director Early Childhood Outreach Programs (Boston Children’s Hospital -2022-2023); Director, Primary Care and Community Partnerships (Center for Autism Services, Sciences and Innovation- Kennedy Krieger Institute- 2023-2026). She has been a LEND alumni and Faculty since 2008 and was a founding member of the MA state Team for the CDC Act Early Campaign (2010-2023). She has extensive program development experience, and a strong commitment to education, mentorship, and community partnerships. Dr. Choueiri has led national and international trainings and workshops on the early identification of autism and neurodevelopmental disorders, to Early Intervention providers and Primary Care Providers and continues to advance innovative systems of care that promote early diagnosis and improved outcomes for children with autism.

Choueiri R, DeMeo M, Tokatli V, Zhu G, Zhang B. Demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of patients diagnosed with autism through the Rapid Interactive screening Test for Autism in Toddlers. Pediatr Investig. 2024; 8: 209–214. https://doi.org/10.1002/ped4.12453

Kadak, M. T., Serdengeçti, N., Seçen Yazıcı, M., Sandıkçı, T., Aydın, A., Koyuncu, Z., Meral, Y., Haşimoğlu, A., Çalışkan, Y., Bayraktar, G., Can Öztürk, E., Gökler, M. E., Choueiri, R., & Tarakçıoğlu, M. C. (2023). Turkish Validation of the Rapid Interactive Screening Test for Autism in Toddlers. Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 13623613231217801. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613231217801

Choueiri R, Garrison WT, Tokatli V, et al. The RITA-T (Rapid Interactive Screening Test for Autism in Toddlers) Community Model to Improve Access and Early Identification of Autism in Young Children. Child Neurology Open. 2023;10. doi:10.1177/2329048X231203817

Choueiri, R., Garrison, W.T. & Tokatli, V. Early Identification of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Strategies for Use in Local Communities. Indian J Pediatr (2022).

Choueiri R, Lindenbaum A, Ravi M, Robsky W, Flahive J, Garrison W. Improving Early Identification and Access to Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Toddlers in a Culturally Diverse Community with the Rapid Interactive screening Test for Autism in Toddlers. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. Published online 2021:1-9. doi:10.1007/s10803-020-04851-3

Yassin R, Abbas LA, Krayem M, Salame E, Choueiri R, et al. (2020) The Rapid Interactive Screening Test for Autism in Toddlers (RITA-T): Validity in a Lebanese Cross-Cultural Pilot Study. Int J Autism & Relat Disabil: IJARD-136. DOI: 10.29011/2642-3227.000036

Roula N. Choueiri and Andrew W. Zimmerman. New Assessments and Treatments in ASD. Review paper. March. Curr treat Options Neurol 2017. 19:6. DOI: 10.1007/s11940-017-0443-8.

Zwaigenbaum L, Bauman ML, Choueiri R, et al. Early Identification and Interventions for Autism Spectrum Disorder: Executive Summary. Pediatrics. 2015 Oct; 136 Suppl 1:S1-9.

Choueiri R, Wagner S. A New Interactive Screening Test for Autism Spectrum Disorder in Toddlers. Journal of Pediatrics. 2015 Aug; 167(2):460-6. DOI: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2015.05.029. PMID:26210844