From 2008 to 2013, Dawson was research professor of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and was chief science officer for Autism Speaks.
Dawson has had a career as a scientist and practicing clinical psychologist focusing on autism spectrum disorders and the effects of early experience on the developing brain.
Dawson is currently William Cleland Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and founding director of the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development.
Early in her career, Dawson was an assistant professor of child clinical psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and affiliate of the TEACCH (Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communication-handicapped Children) program from 1980 to 1985.
[9] Dawson's work has been featured in the media, including programs such as the Jim Lehrer NewsHour, PBS Scientific American Frontiers with Alan Alda, The New York Times, among many others.
[10] Her research demonstrating that early intervention is associated with changes in brain activity in autistic children was recognized by Time magazine as one of the top 10 medical breakthroughs of 2012.
[13] Dawson has testified before the United States Senate to advocate for autistic individuals and their families: in 1999 in support of the Children's Health Act of 2000, in 2002 on behalf of the Federation of Behavioral, Psychological, and Cognitive Sciences, in 2009 at the request of the Senate to provide an update on the current state of autism science,[14] and in 2012 in support of a bill to increase access to autism services for military families.