New Publication on Teacher Perspectives in Supporting Autistic Students
June 2026
Autism ACCESS Lab researchers published a qualitative study that examined what teachers need to effectively support students with autism. Read the article to find out more!
Graduation Season
May 2026
Three of our lab members graduated in May 2026. Huge congratulations to Ramella Lee, Travis Hammond, and Rozana Ateeq! Wishing them the best in their next chapter.
New Practitioner Paper on Supporting Multilingual Families
May 2026
It is important for professionals to learn how to support the language development of children with autism from multilingual backgrounds. This paper describes three strategies with examples for Spanish-speaking families. Read the article to learn more!
American Educational Research Association (AERA) Conference 2026
April 2026
Fellows in Dr. Iesha Jackson’s Office of Faculty and Inclusive Excellence presented at a roundtable session at AERA held in Los Angeles. Their paper “Looking Back to Move Forward: Insights from Utilizing Indigenous Research Methods” explores storytelling as a research method that has historically been dismissed as lacking rigor and validity in educational research.
Our session was met with a lot of interest. We had wonderful conversations with other session presenters and participants.
Ramella Lee’s Dissertation Defense
March 2026
Congratulations to Dr. Ramella Lee, who successfully defended her dissertation “The effect of dialogic reading with an adapted reader on narrative reading comprehension of high school students with autism spectrum disorder” on March 5th.
She conducted a systematic literature review on dialogic and shared reading interventions for students with autism and designed a single-case experimental study to evaluate her reading intervention. She used graphic novel designs and dialogic reading strategies as key components of her intervention. Her research participants enjoyed the intervention and showed significant improvements in reading comprehension skills.
We are grateful for the contributions of her dissertation committee members, including Drs. Pollard-Durodola, Smith, Garza, and Vo.
New Publication on Noncontingent Reinforcement for Adults
January 2026
We conducted a systematic literature review to examine the research evidence on noncontingent reinforcement used to address challenging behavior in adults with disabilities. Read the article to find out more!
New Publication: Understanding How Paraeducators Choose to Become Teachers
January 2026
As we design programs and pathways for paraeducators to pursue teacher licensure, we need to better understand their motivations and barriers, and identify effective ways to support them in their academic and professional journey. We investigated this through a qualitative study that captured the perspectives of 43 paraeducators. Read the article to learn more!
Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities (DADD) 2026 Conference
January 2026
Drs. Lory and Baltodano-Van Ness shared their program evaluation findings from Project CREA:TE at the annual DADD Conference in Long Beach, California.
In another session, Dr. Lory, Dr. Gerow, and their collaborators from University of Missouri and University of Illinois Chicago shared their insights from a series of research studies on the topic “Coaching and Support for Caregivers and Teachers to Implement Evidence-Based Practices for Students with Autism.”
NCASE Program Success
December 2025
The Nevada Collaborative on Autism and STAR Endorsement (NCASE) program was featured in the local news! This program was developed and coordinated by Drs. Joseph Morgan, Heather Baltodano-Van Ness, and Catharine Lory, in collaboration with Clark County School District. The aim was to address urgent teacher vacancies in autism and STAR (emotional behavioral disorders) classrooms. We are excited to share that the program has graduated over 70 teachers this school year and received additional funding to prepare 30 more teachers in the next cohort.
Teacher Education Division (TED) 2025 Presentation
November 2025
Purdue doctoral student Fan Cao presented the findings of her qualitative study at the Council for Exceptional Children – Teacher Education Division conference. She conducted focus groups with pre-service teachers to find out what they think about using AI to help with teaching. Fan had a good time at her first conference!
Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) 2025 Conference
November 2025
Dr. Lory chaired a symposium at the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) conference in Lisbon, Portugal. The symposium highlights two randomized controlled trials conducted by Dr. Rose Osnaya and Dr. Stephanie Gerow that evaluated coaching programs designed for teachers and parents respectively.
Council for Learning Disabilities (CLD) 2025 Conference Presentations
October 2025
Doctoral candidate Travis Hammond presented the preliminary findings of his dissertation study at the CLD conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. He expressed that it was an awesome opportunity to showcase the progress he made in his research and meet some familiar faces from the conference in the previous year.
Many UNLV faculty and students presented their work across multiple sessions at the CLD conference. Dr. Lory and colleagues shared their work on (1) the motivations and barriers of paraeducators seeking teacher licensure pathways, and (2) preliminary evaluation findings of a series of on-the-job professional development for current teachers and paraeducators in self-contained classrooms.
Nevada ABA Conference Presentation
October 2025
At the Nevada Association for Behavior Analysis annual conference, doctoral students Clarissa O’Connor and Stephanie Meza presented practical strategies that can be implemented in the home to help with the language development of Spanish/English bilingual children with autism, who often have unique language learning needs. Clarissa and Stephanie are working on further disseminating these recommendations through a practitioner piece and aim to publish the manuscript in the near future.
New Publication on Community-based Instruction for Adolescents with Autism
March 2025
Dr. Lory and collaborators published an experimental study that used a picture activity schedule to teach adolescents with autism how to shop for groceries, use the self-checkout machine, and pay through their mobile phone. Read the article to find out more!
Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Conference 2025 Presentation
March 2025
Dr. Lory and collaborators shared some insights about coaching as a method of professional development for educators and caregivers of children and adults with disabilities. Exploring Baltimore was a treat!
CEC’s UNLV Student Chapter Pre-Conference Gathering
March 2025
Students who are part of Council for Exceptional Children’s UNLV Student Chapter gathered before CEC’s annual conference in Baltimore to get ready for professional development (and fun!) Dr. Lory was happy to join them and share some conferencing tips.
Follow the UNLV student chapter of CEC on instagram: @unlv_cec
UNLV Ed Expo Presentations
March 2025
Doctoral student Ramella Lee and Dr. Lory shared their work with the college and community partners at the Ed Expo 2025.
Teacher Education Division Conference 2024 Presentation
November 2024
Dr. Lory presented the findings of a qualitative study with teachers examining their perspectives on the barriers they face in teaching students with autism at the Teacher Education Division of Council for Exceptional Children conference in Pittsburgh. It was great to engage with fellow researchers and teachers who work tirelessly to improve educational practices.
Council for Learning Disabilities Conference 2024 Presentations
October 2024
Doctoral student Travis Hammond discussed his dissertation study on using AI to support teachers in developing IEP goals at a roundtable session. Dr. Lory and colleagues held two panels on the topics of conducting research and supporting international scholars. It was interesting to explore Charlotte, North Carolina!
New Publication on the Strength of Evidence of Prevent-Teach-Reinforce
July 2024
Dr. Lory and collaborators published a systematic review of Prevent-Teach-Reinforce, which is a standardized behavioral intervention that includes five main components: teaming and goal setting, data collection, functional behavior assessment, intervention, and data analysis. This review suggests that Prevent-Teach-Reinforce can be effective in reducing challenging behavior. Read the article to find out more!
New Publication on Teaching Computation Skills
June 2024
In collaboration with Dr. Liu and her students in Shanghai and Dr. Lei in Chicago, Dr. Lory published a meta-analysis of studies that examined strategies to teach computation skills to students with autism. Read the article to find out more!
New Publication on Comparing Recent Versions of What Works Clearinghouse Research Standards
April 2024
Drs. Lory and Gregori published a research review that examined the similarities and differences across Version 4.1 and 5.0 of the What Works Clearinghouse Standards. Based on their review findings, they discussed the implications for research and recommended future directions for single case research in special education. Read the article to find out more!
New Publication on Supporting the Behavioral Needs of Students with Autism in More Inclusive Contexts
March 2024
Doctoral students Stephanie Huff, Ramella Lee, and Nate Rendon worked with Dr. Lory to publish a systematic literature review that examined inclusive, evidence-based supports for students with autism who have behavioral challenges. Read our article to find out more!
Presentations at Autism Conference in Town
March 2024
Doctoral students Ramella Lee, Stephanie Huff, and Travis Hammond had a great time presenting their work at the 18th Annual Autism Conference organized by the Association for Applied Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) and hosted in our very own city, Las Vegas. Unfortunately, Ramella did not make it for the photoshoot… maybe next time!
Congratulations to Travis Hammond for receiving the Hammill Institute Doctoral Fellowship
March 2024
Travis Hammond received the Hammill Institute Doctoral Fellowship, which is a competitive fellowship that recognizes doctoral students across the nation who are committed to serving the field of special education.
Doctoral fellows receive a scholarship amount to support their dissertation and professional activities. Travis’ research focuses on utilizing current advancements in technology (e.g., Artificial Intelligence) to increase the efficiency and feasibility of the work that educators and related service professionals do to support students with disabilities.
Presenting Teacher Focus Group Study Preliminary Findings at International Conference on Positive Behavior Support
March 2024
Travis Hammond presented the findings of the teacher focus group study alongside Drs. Catharine Lory and Emily Gregori at the 21st International Conference on Positive Behavior Support in Chicago, Illinois. Many conference attendees were interested to hear about this study!
Providing a Workshop at International Conference on Positive Behavior Support
March 2024
Drs. Gregori and Lory were invited to provide a workshop on the topic of training staff to support adults with disabilities at the 2024 annual conference organized by the Association for Positive Behavior Supports (APBS) in Chicago, Illinois.
Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities Early Career Research Award
January 2024
Dr. Catharine Lory received the 2024 Early Career Research Award presented by the Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities (DADD), which is part of the Council for Exceptional Children — the largest international professional organization dedicated to supporting the needs of students with disabilities. This award recognizes those exhibiting exceptional promise at the beginning stages of their career in research related to students with autism, intellectual disability, and/or other developmental disabilities. The award ceremony at the International Conference for Autism, Intellectual Disability, & Developmental Disabilities provided a perfect opportunity for celebration with colleagues.
Presentation at CEC’s Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities Conference
January 2024
Drs. Lory and Gerow shared their work in a lecture presentation “Coaching Natural Change Agents in Autism Intervention Across the Lifespan” at the International Conference for Autism, Intellectual Disability, & Developmental Disabilities in Honolulu, Hawaii. Session attendees were rather attentive despite the attractive view outside the building!
Panel at Council for Learning Disabilities International Conference
October 2023
Dr. Catharine Lory and collaborators put together a panel at the Council for Learning Disabilities International Conference in Denver, Colorado. Their presentations focused on research-supported practices in training pre-service and in-service teachers to engage in culturally responsive instruction for students with learning and developmental disabilities. Their audience included school administrators, teachers, related service personnel in special education, and researchers.
Sharing Tools and Tips for Educators in Mentoring/Coaching Roles
September 2023
Drs. Taylor and Lory developed a workshop on the topic of mentoring pre-service teachers and coaching in-service teachers for community members. They shared their knowledge and tips for educators and instructional coaches who are interested in becoming a mentor or expanding their skills as a mentor. The webinar recording is available for anyone to view!
Research Presentation at ABAI Annual Convention
May 2023
Faculty and doctoral students across universities, including UNLV, Baylor University, and Purdue University, presented in a research symposium at the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) Annual Convention in Denver, Colorado. Dr. Lory presented some preliminary findings from the inclusive behavioral interventions systematic review project and Dr. Gerow served as a discussant for this research symposium.
New Publication on Teaching Measurement Concepts
May 2023
How can we support autistic students who have difficulties learning foundational concepts in mathematics? Dr. Di Liu’s research team implemented explicit instruction with virtual manipulatives to teach the concepts of length, size, and quantity to three students with autism. They demonstrated positive effects with the intervention and published this study in the Journal of Special Education. Read the article to find out more!
New Publication on Enhancing Teaching Practices in a Resource Classroom
March 2023
We worked with a special education teacher to support his teaching in a resource classroom where he had students with a range of disabilities spanning grades K-5. An individualized and collaborative coaching approach was used. We saw improvement in the teacher’s implementation of systematic instruction and received positive feedback from the teacher: “I had a lot of fun working on this, and it was very helpful for myself and my students! I hope to teach it to my paraprofessionals as well.” Read the article to find out more!
New Publication on Piloting a Biobehavioral Assessment to Subtype Repetitive Behavior in Children with Autism
January 2023
Does an individual with autism engage in repetitive behavior (repeated patterns of vocalization or physical movement) because they are over-stimulated, under-stimulated, or both? Can we determine this based on the environmental context? We attempted to answer these questions through a novel biobehavioral assessment that consists of a functional analysis paired with a wearable technology. We found some interesting answers and published the study in Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Read the article to find out more!
New Publication on Evidence-based Practices for Autistic Students
December 2022
The number of autistic students educated in inclusive school settings is on the rise. This means educators in these settings need to be prepared to use evidence-based practices to serve them. This review paper synthesized existing school-based intervention research that targeted autistic students’ academic, behavioral, social communication, or functional skills in settings where typically developing peers are present. Read the article in the Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders to find out more!
Educator-focused Presentations at Council for Learning Disabilities Conference
October 2022
Dr. Lory and colleagues, Dr. Jennifer Smith and Dr. Jasmine Begeske, presented research at the Council for Learning Disabilities 44th International Conference in Richmond, VA. They had a great time interacting with other conference presenters and attendees who are committed to supporting teachers!
Invited Presentation on Telehealth Interventions at APBS Conference
April 2022
Dr. Lory and collaborators, Dr. Emily Gregori and Dr. David Cosottile, had an invited presentation on the topic “Advances in Telehealth-Delivered Behavioral Assessment and Intervention in Underserved Communities” at the 19th International Conference on Positive Behavior Support in San Diego, CA.
