Carter was an associate professor of psychology at Yale University.[1] She is now a professor in the psychology department at the University of Massachusetts Boston, where she also serves as the director of the graduate program in clinical psychology.[3][2] Carter also holds concurrent appointments as an associate research scientist at the Yale Child Study Center and a research associate in the Boston University School of Medicine's Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology.[1]
Carter’s work is focused on the development of young children within the context of family relationships, emphasizing the early identification of psychopathology and factors that place children at risk.[1][2] Her research seeks to improve the early detection, evaluation, and treatment of infants and toddlers with social-emotional problems, including anxiety and autism spectrum disorders (ASD).[3][4][1] She also evaluates interventions that reduce parenting stress and enhance child competencies, and studies the reciprocal relations between child development and family functioning.[3] She has received continuous funding from the National Institute of Mental Health to study early-emerging psychopathology and from Autism Speaks for a trial of a parent-mediated intervention for toddlers with ASD.[1] Carter also contributes to research on young children with ASD as part of the Boston University Studies To Advance Autism Research (STAART).[2]
A former fellow of Zero to Three, Carter has authored or co-authored over 150 articles and chapters.[3][1] She is the co-author of the Handbook of Infant, Toddler, and Preschool Mental Health Assessment and two assessments, the Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment (ITSEA) and the Brief Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment (BITSEA).[3][1] Carter has conducted trainings on infant mental health and early detection of ASD.[3][1]
