Meet the Team

Dr. Stephanie Lavoie, C. Psych

Clinical/Neuro Psychologist
Director
(she/her)

I am deeply passionate about supporting children, teens, and families who are navigating complex challenges, especially when it feels like the system was not built for them. I have spent many years working with children and adolescents with layered developmental, emotional, learning, and medical profiles, including autism, ADHD, learning differences, anxiety, mood concerns, giftedness and twice-exceptionality, epilepsy, stroke, traumatic brain injury, genetic conditions, and other complex developmental or medical profiles.

As a clinician, supervisor, director, and consultant, I help bring together assessment, therapy, caregiver support, school advocacy, clinical consultation, and coordination with other professionals. Grounded in a developmental and neuroaffirming lens, I gently challenge labels such as “defiant,” “unmotivated,” or “attention seeking” by seeking to better understand a child’s profile and support needs, including the roles of regulation, sensory processing, cognitive flexibility, communication differences, masking, burnout, and environmental fit. My goal is to reduce shame and stigma, help families understand their child’s strengths and needs, advocate more effectively, and build supports that feel practical, respectful, and grounded in real life.

As a mother of three, I also bring lived experience navigating IEPs, testing, medical systems, and child advocacy as a parent.

*I do not provide medicolegal or motor vehicle accident assessments.

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Professional Bio

Dr. Stephanie Lavoie is a clinical psychologist and clinical neuropsychologist dedicated to improving how children, adolescents, and families experience mental health care, particularly when they are navigating neurodivergence, complex medical needs, learning differences, emotional challenges, and fragmented systems of support.

She is the Co-Founder and Co-Director of WonderTree Child, Adolescent, and Family Practice, a child, youth, and family focused practice in Ontario offering assessment, therapy, consultation, caregiver support, school advocacy, and wrap around care. WonderTree was created in response to a gap Dr. Lavoie and Dr. Fardella saw repeatedly in the system: families with complex needs were often being asked to coordinate care across disconnected medical, educational, developmental, and mental health services, while also struggling to access appropriate care because their child’s needs were considered too complex, layered, or difficult to fit within a single service pathway.

Dr. Lavoie’s work is strongly rooted in advocacy for neurodivergent children, youth, and families. She helps parents understand their child’s profile, navigate school systems, advocate for meaningful accommodations, and communicate effectively with educators and health professionals. Her clinical and consultation work aims to reduce shame and stigma by reframing behaviour through a developmental, relational, and neuroaffirming lens.

Her advocacy also extends beyond individual families. Dr. Lavoie contributes to broader conversations about psychology practice in Ontario, access to quality mental health care, neuroaffirming assessment and therapy, ethical service delivery, and the importance of strong training and supervision standards. She has provided teaching, supervision, and mentorship across hospital, university, community, and private practice settings, helping clinicians provide thoughtful, ethical, developmentally informed, and family centred care.

Dr. Lavoie is an Assistant Professor, part time, in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences at McMaster University and a member of the McMaster Autism Research Team. Her research, teaching, and knowledge translation have focused on autism, neurodevelopment, multisensory processing, sexual health and safety, victimization risk, giftedness and twice-exceptionality, IEPs, school anxiety, digital citizenship, and neuroaffirming care. She has authored peer reviewed publications, contributed to autism focused research, and presented to professional, parent, school, and community audiences.

Her professional education work includes presentations on neuroaffirming care for autistic youth, supporting autistic teens and young adults, giftedness and twice-exceptionality, understanding IEPs in Ontario, school anxiety, digital citizenship, safety, and healthy sexuality for autistic youth. She has also contributed to professional and public education related to the clinical care of neurodivergent individuals.

Across her career, Dr. Lavoie has worked at the intersection of clinical care, research, advocacy, education, and systems change. Her earlier work in paediatric neuropsychology and neonatal follow up at McMaster Children’s Hospital, Hamilton Health Sciences, involved comprehensive assessment and consultation for children with complex neurological, medical, developmental, and mental health needs. Her longstanding work with autistic individuals has included research, assessment, therapy, mentorship, school consultation, caregiver support, and professional education.

As both a clinician and a mother of three, Dr. Lavoie brings professional expertise and lived experience in navigating IEPs, testing, medical systems, and child advocacy. This perspective deepens her commitment to families who feel dismissed, overwhelmed, or alone. Through WonderTree and her broader professional contributions, Dr. Lavoie is helping to advance mental health care by reducing stigma, improving mental health literacy, strengthening parent and school advocacy, training clinicians, and changing how neurodivergent children are understood and supported.

Education & Credentials

Registered Psychologist, College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts

Authorized areas of practice include Clinical Psychology and Clinical Neuropsychology with children and sdolescents

PhD, Clinical-Developmental Psychology, CPA Accredited (2016)

York University, Toronto, ON.

Pre-doctoral residency: Hamilton Health Sciences, Clinical Child Psychology, Child and Family Track.
Dissertation Focus: Examining the Neurological Underpinnings of Multisensory Perception in Autism

MA, Clinical-Developmental Psychology, CPA Accredited (2011)

York University, Toronto, ON.

Thesis Focus: Understanding the role of language and intellectual disability in intermodal perception for Autistic youth

B.A. Honors Specialization in Psychology, Minor in Visual Arts (2008)

University of Western Ontario, London, ON.

Professional Appointments & Affiliation

Co-Founder & Co-Director

WonderTree Child, Adolescent, and Family Practice

Assistant Professor (Part-Time), McMaster University,

Department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences

Member, McMaster Autism Research Team

Select Publications & Professional Presentations

Manuscripts Published in Peer Reviewed Journals

Brown-Lavoie, S. M., Viecili, M. A., & Weiss, J. A. (2014). Sexual knowledge and victimization in adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-014-2093-y
McMorris, C. A., Brown, S. M., & Bebko, J. M. (2012). An examination of iconic memory in children with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 43(8), 1956-1966. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-012-1748-9

Peer Reviewed Presentations and Symposia

Stevenson, R. A., Brown-Lavoie, S. M., Segers, M., Bebko, J., Stevens, W. D., Viviano, J., Baum, S., Ferber, S., Barense, M. D., & Wallace, M. T. (2014). Impaired neural processing efficiency of multisensory integration in Autism Spectrum Disorders. 2014 Society for Neuroscience, Washington, DC.
Brown, S. M., Viecili, M. A., & Weiss, J. A. (2013, May). Sexuality and ASD. Ontario Association for Developmental Disabilities, Research Special Interest Group, Niagara Falls, ON.

Invited Presentations, Clinical Rounds, Workshops, and Guest Lectures

Lavoie, S. (2025, May). Rethinking Support: Nuanced Care for Neurodivergent Individuals. Inaugural Clinical Section Series talk, Canadian Psychological Association Clinical Section.
Fardella, M., & Lavoie, S. (2025, March). Giftedness and Twice-Exceptionality. Invited address at SickKids Psychiatry Rounds.
Lavoie, S., Hooper, M., & Fardella, M. (2024, April). Neurodiversity Affirming Practice. Guest lecture, Department of Psychology, York University.
Lavoie, S. M., & Fardella, M. A. (2017, January). ASD and Healthy Sexuality: Dealing with Problematic Sexual Behaviours. York Region District School Board in-service for professionals working with youth with ASD in the school setting.
Fardella, M., Lavoie, S. M., & Weiss, J. (2016, May). Sexual Knowledge, Experiences, and Interpersonal Violence in ASD: Research results from self-report studies. Reach Out Centre for Kids Clinical Rounds.
Lavoie, S. M., Fardella, M. A., & Weiss, J. (2016, February). Sexual Knowledge, Experiences, and Interpersonal Violence in ASD. Hamilton Health Sciences Ron Joyce Children's Health Centre Rounds.
Brown-Lavoie, S. M., & Viecili, M. A. (2014, April). Sexuality and ASDs. Invited presentation to Autism Treatment Network
Viecili, M. A., Brown-Lavoie, S. M., & Weiss, J. A. (2013, June). Sexuality and Autism Spectrum Disorders. 35th Annual Guelph Sexuality Conference, Guelph, ON.
Brown-Lavoie, S. M., Viecili, M. A., & Weiss, J. A. (2013, April). Sexuality and ASD. Ontario Association for Developmental Disabilities, Research Special Interest Group, Niagara Falls, ON.

Select Media

Ongoing authorship on the WonderTree blog.

Monthly contributing writer for the Orangeville Citizen Community Voices column.

Public education and community presentations through WonderTree, including parent workshops and professional training related to autism, neuroaffirming care, giftedness and twice-exceptionality, digital citizenship, IEPs, safety, and school anxiety.