Heather Carmichael Olson, PhD

Dr. Heather Carmichael Olson has been working in clinical, research and teaching activities in the field of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders for over 20 years. She is a faculty member in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington (UW) School of Medicine, and an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences in the UW College of Arts and Sciences. She is also a research affiliate of the UW Alcohol and Drug Institute and the UW Center for Human Development and Disability.

In her clinical work, Dr. Carmichael Olson has been a staff psychologist for the past 17 years in the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Diagnostic and Prevention Network (FAS DPN) at the University of Washington. She is also an attending psychologist at Seattle Children’s Hospital, and in that capacity directs the Early Childhood Clinic serving families raising children aged birth to 5 years with developmental or behavior problems. In these clinical settings, she works closely and collaboratively with children and families.

Dr. Carmichael Olson’s research interests include fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), and the impact of parental substance abuse on child and family development. She is especially interested in developing and testing interventions for children with FASD, and the families who care for them. She has written a number of scientific publications, including journal articles on FASD intervention findings and a recent review of FASD and the family, and many other papers and chapters. She also authored a recent, nationally distributed “Call to Action” monograph on FASD, hoping to help maintain the momentum on public awareness and action about FASD created by dedicated families and professionals.

Among Dr. Carmichael Olson’s teaching responsibilities are clinical training for child psychiatry residents and psychology interns. She also does a wide variety of presentations to professionals and the public, typically on topics of FASD and intervention for children born substance-exposed and their families.

If there is one word to describe Dr. Carmichael Olson’s attitude toward FASD, it would be “hope.” Working with children with FASD, and their families, is something she considers an honor. She has recently written that “clinical literature and informal reports are replete with descriptions of how engaging, innocent, straightforward, amusing, curious, social and alert children [with FASD] can be, and the sometimes intriguing perspective they bring to understanding life.” She has also written that “many stories of families raising children with an FASD are tales of courage, persistence, flexibility and the ability to stay optimistic in the face of challenge.”