Profile

My research agenda has evolved via conducting systematic reviews of the literature, publishing studies across multiple areas (e.g., evidence-based practices and predictors, life skills instruction, professional development), and submitting research grants to various funding sources (e.g., IES, NIDRR, OSEP, US Dept. of Education Office of Innovation and Improvement). My goal as a researcher is to identify practices that will improve both in-school and post-school outcomes for students with disabilities, particularly those with more intense support needs.

Much of my current research is guided by the social-ecological approach (Walker et al., 2011). The model is built upon the understanding that behaviors are interactional, including student characteristics and characteristics in the environment (e.g., school, community, employment) that affect student behavior and outcomes. I believe that understanding both the characteristics of the student and the demands of the environment in which they are functioning are critical to providing effective instruction and supports to students and ensuring the sustainability of any school-wide program (i.e., primary, secondary, post-secondary) to support individuals with disabilities in the development of academic, functional, and social-emotional skills necessary to persist through school into adulthood.