Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Dr. James McPartland's Laboratory

Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology

My role at the Rhode Island Consortium for Autism Research and Treatment (RI-CART) was to recruit families for a statewide research registry. Specifically, I reviewed the research consent with families and assessed participants using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS-2) and several parent-completed questionnaires. I have been research reliable using modules 1-4 of the ADOS-2 since January 2014. In addition, I managed the research database (currently > 900 participants) and helped submit IRB revisions. I was also responsible for data analysis and reporting results as needed, including authoring abstracts and manuscripts.

I served as a teaching assistant for two graduate level courses, Statistical Methods in Psychology I and II, as well as an undergraduate Experimental Psychology course. I prepared and delivered several lectures for each class, led discussion sessions, held office hours to assist students with projects, and graded homework.

My master’s thesis, entitled “Parent-Mediated Intervention to Improve the Perceptions of Mothers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder,” explored treatment effects of a parent-mediated intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder on mother’s perceptions and cognitions. Data analysis indicated improvements in perceptions of child attachment and developmental knowledge.

I supervised the programming for children and young adults with special needs as well as the coordination of afternoon care for children with special needs. Additionally, I managed the section of summer camp for children 12-21 with special needs. My responsibilities included speaking with parents, working directly with children, and the hiring, training and supervising of staff.