Research Interests

My research interests include assessment and intervention issues in early childhood.  I am also interested in topics such as autism, the assessment of early literacy skills, consultation with teachers and parents, Response to Intervention (RTI) procedures, and functional behavioral assessment.  Current projects include: (a) an examination of the usefulness of behavior rating scales in identifying autism in preschoolers, (b) determining what factors increase the likelihood that a Social Story intervention will work with a preschooler with autism, (c) the fidelity of treatment interventions during the RTI process, and (d) a historical view of consultation in the school psychology literature.

Courses Taught

• Psy 455: Introduction to the Clinical Practice of Psychology
• Psy 541: Professional Issues and Ethics in Psychology
• Psy 561: Advanced Assessment in Educational Settings
• Psy 562: Practicum in Psychological Assessment
• Psy 662: Practicum in Psychology
• Psy 699: Specialist Project

Brief Biography

I worked as a school psychologist in Iowa for nine years before obtaining the Ph.D.  I completed my predoctoral internship at the Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland.  I have been teaching at Western since 1995 and am the School Psychology graduate program coordinator.  I am a licensed psychologist in Kentucky.  I served as the President of the Kentucky Association for Psychology in the Schools (KAPS) during the 2001-02 school year and currently serve as the Chair of the KAPS Professional Standards Committee.

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