Dr. Gilbert is an Associate Professor and Core Faculty Member in the Psy.D. School/Community Psychology Program at Hofstra University and a licensed Clinical Psychologist with over 30 years of clinical experience. She holds a Ph.D. in Clinical and School Psychology and serves as the Founding Director of the Diagnostic and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders at Hofstra University. In her role as Founding Director, Dr. Gilbert has served as a consultant to multiple autism centers, guiding their design, development, and implementation of evidence-based services.

Dr. Gilbert specializes in developmental disabilities, with particular focus on Autism Spectrum Disorders across the lifespan, from early childhood identification through adulthood. Her clinical expertise is in comprehensive diagnostic differential evaluations and encompasses autism diagnosis and assessment utilizing evidence-based measures such as the ADOS-2 and ADI-R, individual therapy with high-functioning children, adolescents, and adults with ASD, and early intervention approaches including prelinguistic and language interventions, particularly Milieu Communication Therapy. Dr. Gilbert has received extensive training in a variety of evidence based treatments, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Exposure and Response Prevention, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Parent-Child Interaction Therapy, mindfulness-based interventions, and Applied Behavior Analysis. Dr. Gilbert has expertise in evidence-based individual therapy for individuals of all ages and also specializes in the assessment and treatment of comorbid conditions such as anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, ADHD, and OCD. She emphasizes family-centered care with comprehensive support services and parent training programs.

Dr. Gilbert teaches doctoral-level courses including Advanced Developmental Theory, Psychopathology of the Emotionally Disturbed Child, Exceptional Child, Assessment and Intervention Strategies, Intellectual and Vocational Assessment, and Clinical Seminar in Autism Spectrum Disorders. She has sponsored well over 60 doctoral dissertations and has chaired and worked on countless dissertation committees. She mentors practicum, internship, and externship students in empirically validated clinical practice. Her current research is focused on developing a comprehensive assessment measure for diagnosing Autism Spectrum Disorder in adults. Her broader research interests include language and behavior interventions, special needs assessment, parent training and support, and evidence-based communication interventions. Dr. Gilbert has published in peer-reviewed journals including the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disabilities and Perspectives on Language Learning and Education, and has contributed chapters to the AAPI Textbook of Autism Spectrum Disorders and Sage's Handbook of Developmental Disorders. She has presented her research at national and international conferences.

Dr. Gilbert has held clinical and academic positions at leading institutions, including the Yale Child Study Center as a consulting clinical psychologist, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in their Teaching and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders program as an Assistant Professor, and the Susan Gray School at Vanderbilt University where she worked as an early interventionist, special education teacher, and infant/parent program specialist. She has also worked as a school psychologist within the Rockville Centre School District on Long Island, NY, and she currently serves as a behavioral consultant for school districts throughout the region. Dr. Gilbert has been a consultant psychologist with the Molloy Autism Center, the Greenwich Autism Program, and the YAI National Institute for People with Developmental Disabilities. Early in her career, Dr. Gilbert contributed to research teams at the John F. Kennedy Center at Vanderbilt University, specializing in behavior and language intervention studies. Dr. Gilbert maintains a private practice in which she conducts comprehensive differential diagnostic evaluations and provides a variety of evidence-based therapeutic interventions to individuals on the autism spectrum and those with other mental health needs. In her practice, she works with individuals and couples, serving clients across the lifespan including children, adolescents, and adults.

Dr. Gilbert has provided expert consultation on autism-related topics for television, documentaries, and news venues. Dr. Gilbert has been featured in HBO's Expecting Amy and Netflix's Room to Move, both addressing later in life autism diagnoses, served as an ASD expert consultant for the television series Life & Beth, and provided voiceover narration for the off-Broadway theatrical dance piece, Is it Thursday Yet?, which was created, choreographed, and danced by Jenn Freeman and chronicles her transformative journey following her late in life autism spectrum disorder diagnosis by Dr. Gilbert.

Throughout her career, Dr. Gilbert's greatest fulfillment has come from serving individuals with autism and celebrating their unique strengths and contributions. Dr. Gilbert remains steadfastly committed to advancing understanding, acceptance, and full inclusion of autistic individuals in all aspects of life.