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Biography
Dr. Jackie Shinall is a clinical psychologist with over 14 years of experience working with the autism population, and over eight years of experience conducting diagnostic assessments and completing reports. She supervised doctoral students through diagnostic assessments and reviewed reports. At Prosper Health, Dr. Shinall focuses on ensuring clients feel heard and understood, and she aims to provide thorough and accurate diagnostic clarity for adults seeking an autism diagnosis.
Education
Doctorate of Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.) Rutgers University Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology
Masters of Clinical Psychology (Psy.M.) Rutgers University Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology
Masters of Science (M.S.) in Neuroscience and Education – Columbia University’s Teacher’s College
Bachelor’s degree (BA) in Psychology
Certifications
She is a licensed clinical psychologist in Florida.
Area of Expertise
- Autism in adults - particularly diagnosis and assessing - I have used a wide range of tools and techniques to best understand the adults presenting for a diagnostic assessment.
- Differential diagnoses and co-occurring diagnoses with ASD. Many adults and adolescents with ASD have prior or co-occurring diagnoses, and I help clients to understand the different symptoms to help them best learn to manage those symptoms.
- Psychoeducation – Helping clients learn about the different mental health conditions, traits/symptoms, and how those have impacted them across their lifespan.
Modalities
Affiliations
Research and Publications
Bal, V. H., Mournet, A. M., Glascock, T., Shinall, J., Gunin, G., Jadav, N., ... & Kleiman, E. M. (2024). The emotional support plan: Feasibility trials of a brief, telehealth-based mobile intervention to support coping for autistic adults. Autism, 28(4), 932-944.
Mournet, A. M., Gunin, G., Shinall, J., Brennan, E., Jadav, N., Istvan, E., ... & Bal, V. H. (2024). The impact of measurement on clinical trials: Comparison of preliminary outcomes of a brief mobile intervention for autistic adults using multiple measurement approaches. Autism Research, 17(2), 432-442.
Albright, J., Shinall, J. A., Tomczuk, L., Stewart, R. E., Mandell, D. S., Stahmer, A. C., ... & Pellecchia, M. (2024). A multi-constituent qualitative examination of facilitators and barriers to caregiver coaching for autistic children in publicly funded early intervention. Autism, 13623613241272993.
Bal, V. H., Mournet, A., Gunin, G., Shinall, J., Glascock, V., Zhang, D., ... & Chu, B. (2023). Transdiagnostic Approaches to Supporting Mental Health of Autistic Adults. INSAR 2023.
Mournet, AM, Shinall, J, Gravino A, etal. Mental health guide for autistic college students. Organization for Autism Research. 2022. https://researchautism.org/resources/mentalhealth-guide/
Ferretti, C.J., Taylor, B.P., Shinall, J., & Hollander, E. Psychiatric Assessment and Pharmacological Treatment. In Hollander, E., Hagerman, R., & Fein, D., (2018), Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Luo, S. X., Shinall, J. A., Peterson, B. S., & Gerber, A. J. (2016). Semantic mapping reveals distinct patterns in descriptions of social relations in adults with autism spectrum disorder. Autism Research, 9(8), 846-853.
Autism and Eating Disorders: Understanding the Overlap in Adults
When my daughter was diagnosed with autism and ADHD a couple of years ago, suddenly, her lifelong eating challenges started to make sense: Her constant refusal to try new foods and her insistence on a “safe foods”-only diet was due to her neurodivergent brain.
While this is something we’re working on every day, and her nutrient intake is improving, I know she will still have to manage these eating differences in adulthood.
Autism can undoubtedly affect one’s eating habits or behaviors, and autistic people are at a higher risk of developing eating disorders. However, even though there are some overlaps, it’s important to recognize that eating differences in autistic adults aren’t necessarily a gateway to an eating disorder.
In this article, we’ll explain not only the overlap between autism and eating disorders but also clarify the deviations. Plus, we’ll discuss how to identify eating differences, as well as outline autism-informed eating disorder care.
Alexithymia Explained: How It Works, How It Feels, and How to Get Support
Most people have likely had moments when they struggled to put emotions to words, or couldn't quite put their finger on how they were feeling internally, but when is it more than just a moment?
If feeling detached from your emotions is common for you, you could have alexithymia.
Alexithymia is defined as the challenge of naming, recognizing, and expressing emotions, at some point in one's life. Alexithymia may also manifest as difficulty or differences in identifying emotions vs. bodily sensations, such as thirst, instead construing it as anger or irritability.
I am autistic, and I often struggle with difficulty identifying my emotions and bodily states. For example, it is very difficult for me to identify when I’m hungry. If I wait too long to eat or fail to recognize the signs, I can grow frustrated and foggy, and often need the help of a checklist to identify the issue.
Many autistic individuals struggle with alexithymia. But autistic people aren’t the only ones who tangle with emotional difficulty: individuals with depression can struggle with recognizing their emotions, as can people with anxiety. Those with trauma–both physical and emotional–can also exhibit alexithymia. Alexithymia is also common among those with other neurodivergences, like ADHD.
In this article, we will explain what alexithymia is, its common characteristics, and how to develop strategies to both identify and ameliorate the condition.
How to Get Comfortable Stimming Around Others: A Guide for Autistic Adults
Stimming, or self-stimulatory behavior, is self-regulating behavior common among autistic individuals. Autistic people stim for many reasons, including combatting sensory overload, interrupting anxious thoughts or satisfying sensory-seeking needs.
When thinking of stimming, many people imagine rocking or hand flapping. These are common stims, but stimming can look many different ways. Stims can include behaviors like playing with a fidget toy, pacing, jumping, repeating words or phrases and many, many more.
While many autistic individuals frequently engage in stimming, it isn’t always something that they feel comfortable doing publicly. Often, stigma and mistreatment make us autistic individuals fear judgment or harassment when stimming around others. Stimming comes along with benefits, including helping us manage sensory input, regulate our nervous systems, unmask and live more authentically. However, it can take a lot of work to feel comfortable openly stimming. Read on to learn how to get comfortable stimming around others.
