This mixed-methods research study investigates Pakistani Muslim American immigrant two mother-daughter dyads' styles of social interactions (inclusive of the content of social interactions) during three virtual museum visits designed to contribute to their ethnic identities. Data were collected from (1) qualitative significant anecdotes; (2)…

In 3 experiments, I investigated the role of verbal behavior development in reading and spelling sight words. I evaluated effects of different interventions for reading and spelling sight words and establishing the transformation of stimulus function across word reading and spelling. In Experiment 1, I evaluated the effects of 3 interventions on…

Audiovisual (AV) integration, identified as a pivotal factor in comprehending speech in noisy environments, is a complex phenomenon. Understanding speech perception, even within a single modality, presents various nuances due to language specificity. When consolidating information from multiple modalities, it is imperative to understand how the…

Social Stories (SS) serve as a catalyst to increase social engagement for children with autism. While numerous studies have examined the impact of SS on behavior, the research has mostly focused on static, paper-based stories. This study breaks new ground by examining Interactive Social Stories (ISS), which offer a more inclusive and dynamic…

Despite attempts by medical schools and professional organizations to address the problem in recent decades, the issue of bullying remains a widespread and serious problem in medical training and the training of medical scientists. Because of the hierarchical structure found in many medical schools and institutions of higher education training…

This applied dissertation was designed to analyze the effect Melodic Based Communication Therapy has on minimally verbal children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, particularly tact responses and their generalization in the natural environment. MBCT is a replicable protocol for pairing melodies with target words to elicit speech in children…

While the challenges of collecting multiple streams of digital trace data are diminishing with the help of the rapid development of learning technologies, the challenges of analyzing and understanding multimodal interactions remain substantial. Diverse multimodal data sources, such as digital tool use, speech, gesture, and more, can make it…

The current study evaluates the effectiveness of the commercial video modeling program "GemIIni"© ("GemIIni"© Educational Systems, 2012) in increasing expressive spoken language production in individuals who exhibit characteristics of autism spectrum disorder and are considered nonspeaking or minimally speaking. Based upon the…

Parents play a significant role in the educational development of their children. However, there is little research around utilizing parents to collect data on their children's language skills. In particular, children with autism oftentimes demonstrate delays in the acquisition and use of language. Having information on a child's language…

In a previous study (here termed Study 1), we explored the effects of working memory loads on young children's recall of passive voice structures. We found that participants (n = 36) were more likely to use the passive voice in recall responses when holding an unrelated memory load but were more likely to use the active voice when not under load.…

The current study aims to contribute to the literature supporting better understanding cognitive functions, namely working memory and verbal fluency, in undergraduate pre-lingual deaf sign language users. It is important to understand the specific nuances of cognition in deaf sign language users, as the interplay between working memory and verbal…

Mentorship between faculty members and graduate students is critical for students' success, especially when it includes career and psychosocial support (Byars-Winston & Lund Dahlberg, 2019; Crisp & Cruz, 2009; Paglis et al., 2006). When mentors offer both types of support, mentees benefit in professional and personal ways (Gardiner et al.,…

Students struggling with reading in secondary school are between "learning to read" and "reading to learn." Struggling readers require metacognitive and cognitive reading skills to tackle the complexities of reading. Combining the research of worked-examples and think-aloud shaped the instructional intervention in this study.…

The present study explored strategies teachers use to help people with ASD develop sociosexual skills for empathy expression. Previous research found the curriculum for people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) does not always include strategies to teach the socio-sexual skills required for empathy expression. This qualitative descriptive study…

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a peer mediated intervention to increase social communication acts of preschool children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Utilizing a single-subject A-B design across four peer dyads, I examined the overall effectiveness of the intervention in relation to specific nonverbal,…