Applied Developmental Psychology
I am currently a first-year Ph.D. student in the Applied Developmental Psychology program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, with a particular interest in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and the systems that influence behavioral outcomes within this population. I first began working with children and adolescents with ASD and other developmental disabilities as an undergraduate student and have since done so in a variety of capacities. More specifically, I spent the past three years working at Kennedy Krieger Institute in their Special Education Department and Neurobehavioral Inpatient Unit as a Clinical Specialist, where I was involved in the assessment and treatment of severe problem behavior and clinical research surrounding these areas. In order to gain a more comprehensive understanding of developmental disabilities and the settings in which they are treated, I have also worked in social skills training groups, individual and group psychotherapy, and earned a M.S. in Clinical Psychology.
Now, as a Ph.D. student at UMBC, I look forward to acquiring the additional knowledge and training necessary to become a successful scientist, researcher, and practitioner. Under the supervision of Dr. Jolene Sy, I will be conducting research surrounding the application of behavior analysis in the school setting and the factors that influence treatment integrity of such interventions. After completing my degree, I hope to work with special education systems to provide effective behavioral interventions and programming for students with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities.