Joint Attention (JA) and Supported Joint Engagement (Supported JE) have each been reported to predict later language development in typically developing (TD) children and children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In this longitudinal study including 33 TD children (20 months at V1) and 30 children with ASD (33 months at V1), the contributions…

The present study examined the way in which behavioural difficulties in cool and hot EFs relate to measures of cognitive and affective ToM in preschoolers. A total of 144 children between 35 and 71 months were assessed with a first-order false-belief task (measuring cognitive ToM), the Test of Emotion Comprehension (measuring affective ToM) and a…

Daily Behavior Report Cards (DBRCs) have proven effective across a vast array of behaviors and students by provide a rating system for school staff to report students' behavior progress. The current meta-analysis included eleven studies between 2007-2022, wherein participants ranged from preschool to sixth grade. The current study further…

This study examined connections between parental quality of life (QoL) and features of children (autism severity, cognitive ability, behavioral profile, and sociodemographic factors). Parents of 97 children attending an autism-specific preschool completed the Quality of Life in Autism, Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales and Child Behavior…

For students exhibiting challenging behaviors that are nondangerous to others and nondisruptive to classroom activities, such as daydreaming and doodling, educators are unlikely to refer these students for more individualized and resource-intensive behavioral support. As a step towards understanding how to address these students' motivational…

This research determined the predictors of the adaptive behaviour of children with autism who are enrolled in special education centres using a descriptive correlational design. There were 40 children with autism whose adaptive behaviour was assessed in terms of their communication, daily living, social and motor skills using the modified Vineland…

Background: Positive symptoms of schizophrenia are associated with significant difficulties in daily functioning, and these difficulties have been associated with impaired executive functions (EEFF). However, specific cognitive and socio-emotional executive deficits have not been fully established. Objective: The present study has several…

Students with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) tend to have difficulty regulating their emotions and behaviors, which can have adverse academic and social effects (e.g., academic underachievement, failing grades, grade retention, suspensions, expulsions, school dropout, and peer rejection). Possible interventions that have…

Autistic children's play provides insights into social, communication, and other skills; however, methods for measuring these observations can be labor-intensive and rely on subjective judgment. This study explored whether children's movement and location during play measured via automated video tracking correlates with clinical features. Movement…

Few studies have examined the relationship between attention problems (AP) and observed parenting in families of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Participants were 41 mother-child dyads with ASD recruited from an Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) U.S. preschool and whose behaviors were observed during parent-child interactions. Children…

Core reading instruction and interventions have differential effects based on student characteristics such as cognitive ability and pre-intervention skill level. Evidence for differential effect based on affective characteristics is scant and ambiguous; however, students with problem behavior are more often non-responsive to core reading…

We examined the correlation between interviewer-administered Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale II (VABS-II) and the parent-rated Adaptive Behavior Assessment System II (ABAS-II) questionnaire in 352 participants (ages 1.5-20.8 years) with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to determine if ABAS could be used as a screen to reduce the number of VABS…

This dissertation consists of a theoretical review and two empirical studies investigating college students' academic effort beliefs (AEB) and their relationship to academic functioning. The overarching goal of this project was to (a) better understand how college students think about effort as it relates to their academic endeavors, (b) develop a…

After decades of advancement in education equality, a disproportional number of racially minoritized students are placed in special education. Addressing the disproportionality is a complicated issue due to various contributing factors. One possible cause is racial bias from teachers who rate problem behaviors of African American boys for special…

Social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) instruments are currently used in schools to screen, refer, and progress monitor students. Although many of these instruments have demonstrated strong technical adequacy, there has been far less examination of their consequential validity--that is, positive or negative intended and unintended consequences of…