My research interests emphasize social and emotional development in infants and young children. My current work focuses on early social-emotional development in infants and toddlers at high genetic risk to develop an autism spectrum disorder because they have an older sibling with autism. This work is funded by NIMH and is being conducted as part of a larger study of high risk infants and toddlers, the Pitt Early Autism Study, in collaboration with other faculty in Psychology and Psychiatry. Other interests include parent-child relationships and family risk factors; the emergence of behavior problems in young children; maternal depression and child adjustment; and the effects of early child care on children's development

Representative Publications

Northrup, J. B., Leezenbaum, N. B., & Campbell, S.B. (2021).  Observed social behavior at 22- months predicts a later ASD diagnosis in high-risk siblings. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 51, 3187-3198.

Campbell, S.B., Mahoney, A.S., Northrup, J., Moore, E. L., Leezenbaum, N. B., & Brownell, C.B. (2018).  Developmental changes in pretend play from 22- to 34-months in younger siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 46, 639-654. 

Campbell, S.B., Moore, E.L., Northrup, J., & Brownell, C.B. (2017).  Developmental changes in empathic concern and self-understanding in toddlers at genetic risk for autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 47, 2690-2702.

Campbell, S. B. (2017).  The State of Young Children in the United States: A Developmental Psychopathology Perspective on the Mental Health of Preschool Children.  Chapter to appear in Elizabeth Votruba-Drzal & Eric Dearing (Editors).Handbook of Early Childhood Development Programs, Practices, and Policies.  New York: Wiley.