Dr Kelly McKenna-Kerr

Dr Kelly McKenna-Kerr is an experienced Consultant Psychiatrist with specialist expertise in Autism. She has received awards from both the University of Western Australia and the Royal Australian College of Psychiatrists for clinical and academic excellence. She contributes to academic research in the field of Autism through affiliation with the UWA School of Psychological Sciences. She is a member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists Special Interest Group in the Psychiatry of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, and the WA Autism Peer Review Group.

Dr McKenna-Kerr founded the Youth Diagnostic clinic in conjunction with the Autism Association of WA in 2019, in response to identifying major barriers to diagnostic assessment associated with poor outcomes for young people in Western Australia. She is particularly experienced in youth and adult diagnostic assessment, appreciating the factors that influence later presentation eg presentations in women and girls. She is trained and experienced in the administration of specialised Autism assessments including the ADOS-2, 3di and ADI-R. She is passionate about identifying and supporting all people on the spectrum, and works hard to be an ally in advocacy roles in addition to her clinical work. She has developed a range of resources and provides educational seminars to WA public mental health services and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists. She is an invited speaker on the topic of Autism to national conferences and the WA Mental Health Commission. She has been privileged to provide clinical care to both adults and adolescent youth on the spectrum in a variety of settings throughout her career.