As the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) continues to increase, more students with ASD will require support in educational settings. Recent systematic reviews have identified numerous evidence-based interventions for individuals with ASD, but none have focused specifically on intervention in schools. This is important because educators…

As evidence-based interventions are scaled, fidelity of implementation, and thus effectiveness, often wanes. Validated fidelity measures can improve researchers' ability to attribute outcomes to the intervention and help practitioners feel more confident in implementing the intervention as intended. We aim to provide a model for the validation of…

Childhood exposure to adversity is prevalent, with most individuals in the United states having experienced at least one adverse event in childhood (Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative, 2019; Merrick et al., 2018). Low dosages of childhood adversity experienced within the context of a safe and caring home environment can promote the…

As the youth mental health crisis continues to worsen, there is a need for more evidence-based social-emotional interventions that can be applied in schools -- the setting in which youth are most likely to seek and receive mental health treatment (Simon et al., 2015). Further, exploring ways to culturally adapt interventions for marginalized…

This dissertation explored the effectiveness of a well-researched social skills intervention for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder for ethnically and linguistically diverse families. The UCLA PEERS program (Laugeson et al., 2009; 2012) has largely been studied using predominately White and affluent populations; thus, the study explored…

Project "TEAM" teaches transition-age youth with developmental disabilities (DD) to identify physical and social environmental barriers and supports, generate solutions to barriers, and request modifications to increase participation. Establishing the social validity of this environment focused intervention with youth and their parents…

Educational researchers conduct studies to gather critical empirical evidence in the determination of what are "evidence-based" curricular programs, which in turn, directly inform adoption efforts. The predominate method of validating these programs is through the use of group experimental designs, although single-case designs have also…

Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) and behavior interventions have been effective in the management of challenging behavior among children with developmental disabilities including autism spectrum disorders. Research suggests the need for valid measurement instruments for verifying, calibrating and scoring competence in FBA and behavior…

Accurate measurement of quality of life (QoL) is important for evaluation of autism services and trials of interventions. We undertook psychometric validation of the World Health Organisation measure--WHOQoL-BREF, examined construct validity of the WHO Disabilities module and developed nine additional autism-specific items (ASQoL) from extensive…

The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) evaluates research studies that look at the effectiveness of education programs, products, practices, and policies, which the WWC calls "interventions." Many studies of education interventions make claims about impacts on students' outcomes. Some studies have designs that enable readers to make causal…

Although the literature suggests that it is feasible to train paraprofessionals to effectively implement social interventions for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), there is a paucity of research that addresses the social validity of these programs. The present study replicated and extended previous research on paraprofessional…

Special education professionals are charged with using evidence-based practices, but various unproven, disproven, and pseudoscientific interventions continue to proliferate. Unproven and ineffective interventions emerge and are adopted for various reasons. Ineffective interventions are inevitably harmful and require professionals to adopt a…

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects individuals across all racial and ethnic groups, yet rates of diagnosis are disproportionately higher for Black and Hispanic children. Caregivers of children with ASD experience significant stressors, which have been associated with parental strain, inadequate utilization of mental health services and lower…

This study used exploratory factor analysis to test the factor structure of the Project for Educational Research That Scales (PERTS) instrument. Research that reports the reliability, construct validity, and factor structure of the PERTS scale is useful for interpreting the results from the use of the widely distributed survey and for suggesting…

The need for a robust evidence base able to demonstrate the impact of widening participation activity across the student lifecycle has been emphasised in recent guidance to the higher education sector. However, with competing demands on their time this is likely to represent a challenge for practitioners. Yet, there is wide recognition of the need…