The Department of Special Education would like to congratulate three Ph.D. students on their recent awards which include winning a scholarship, a paper competition and an investment in a company. Our students continue to inspire and lead and follow their callings to make a global impact, and we congratulate them on their well-deserved recognitions!
Patricio Erhard
Ph.D. Candidate
Patricio recently won the Association for Behavior Analysis International DEI Paper Competition for his paper “Evaluation of Instructive Feedback and Multiple-Exemplar Training as Strategies for Generalizing Tacts Across English and Spanish Responses.”
A large part of Patricio’s research is focused on expanding strategies that promote generalization of treatment effects (i.e., the application of behavioral strategies to teach individuals how to “generate” untrained responses in appropriate contexts) with individuals with autism or other developmental disabilities, from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Patricio felt strongly about entering the competition because he wanted to share the results of his study with practitioners and families, in the hopes that it could help their students/children get one step closer to learning multiple languages.
In addition to his research, Patricio also teaches a Spanish-speaking course in the college that is aimed at providing future teachers, therapists and administrators with a comprehensive understanding of autism through a compassionate and culturally responsive lens.
Alyssa Barrera Lansford
Ph.D. Candidate
Alyssa was awarded a student scholarship from the Association of Professional Behavior Analysis (APBA) and Black Applied Behavior Analyst (BABA) to attend The Association of Professional Behavior Analysts (APBA) convention. The scholarship was a competitive student essay and only five students were selected. The scholarship included full conference payment with workshops and continuing education credits (CEUs).
Alyssa is pursuing her Ph.D. in special education with a concentration in equity and diversity. Her research interests include developing culturally responsive frameworks and therapy within special education and applied behavior analysis. Alyssa is also interested in incorporating neurodiverse voices within special education research by using qualitative methodology.
During her time at the convention Alyssa plans to take workshops, attend many events for CEUs as well as events for community and mentoring with other researchers and BCBAs.
Molly Oshinski
Ph.D. Candidate
Molly recently won the Health Innovation Award at the Texas Ventures Lab Investment Competition and was awarded $5,000 for her company Pickle System. Molly is a Ph.D. candidate whose research focuses on teaching menstrual care using a video model to individuals with autism.
Pickle System was co-founded by Molly and her sister Morgan Marquez, and develops video models to teach daily living skills including menstrual care, hygiene and other intimate skills to individuals with autism and developmental disabilities. The company is backed by previous research and has ongoing research examining their video models. All Pickle System videos come in four skin tones and both genders when appropriate. The company also offers printable visual aids and data collection sheets.
