In the Reading and Oral Comprehension in Kids & Teens (ROCK&T) Lab at UCF we believe that all children can learn to read and we make it our mission to help them attain this goal. Our primary focus is to support the development of robust reading and listening comprehension skills for children and adolescents with autism or those with or at risk for reading disabilities using evidence-based practices in school settings.What we do: -Language and reading comprehension development in school-aged children and adolescents with autism -Classroom-based listening and reading comprehension interventions for students with autism -Classroom-based comprehensive reading interventions for young struggling readers -Professional development and implementation support for educators and school-based speech-language pathologists working with students with autism or those with or at risk for reading disabilities

•Review and collaborate on data extraction for extensive systematic review of intervention research targeting infants through adolescents with autism to identify EBPs (NCAEP).•Selected participant for IES 2019 Summer Institute: training in cluster randomized control trial design, implementation and analysis.•Measurement development and data collection coordination on $1.1 million, 2-year, multi-site, follow-up study to determine longer-term outcomes for young adults with autism using structured interviews and surveys.*Instructor of record for doctoral seminar: Research Methods in Appraisal, Dissemination, and Implementation of Evidence-Based Practices.•Lead systematic review of literature examining cognitive, social, and language factors underpinning comprehension challenges for children and adolescents with autism.•Co-PI on 2019 IES Development and Innovation Grant Submission examining teacher and specialist collaboration for young children with or at risk for reading disabilities.

UC Davis RAD Center Reading Clinic:* Collaborated with an experienced team of reading researchers and credentialed reading specialists to lead assessment and evidence-based intervention services for children and adolescents with or at risk for reading disabilities. Provided professional development and ongoing mentorship for undergraduate students providing targeted reading intervention services to more than 80 families. The reading clinic specialized in reading services enhanced by positive behavior support for children with autism spectrum disorder.

Research Projects:* Completion of longitudinal study of social communication and academic development (see below).* Reading comprehension intervention study for children with ASD (UC Davis Reading and Academic Development [RAD] Center; Solari & Mundy, PI's).* Early identification and intervention for first-graders at risk for reading disability: a Randomized- Control Trial (Solari, PI).

$1.5 million longitudinal study, (Peter Mundy, PhD, PI) funded by the Federal Department of Education (IES),investigating factors that affect academic achievement in students with autism and/or ADHD. Specifically, for my dissertation research, I investigated cognitive and linguistic factors posited to affect reading comprehension development in children with autism.Dissertation: "Social, Language, and Executive Cognition Factors in Reading Development in School-Aged Children with High-Functioning Autism"