Ciara Ousley is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Educational Psychology, Counseling, and Special Education, focusing on Special Education. Her research interests include literacy interventions that increase meaningful communication and participation for individuals with complex communication needs and severe disabilities in schools and community settings. Ciara is specifically interested in developing interventions that can be taught to natural intervention agents (e.g., classmates, teachers), leading to greater access to the general education curriculum.
To date, Ciara has worked on projects that include increasing independent grocery shopping skills for an individual with Down syndrome, and a systematic review comparing various quality evaluation tools when applied to functional communication training (FCT) research.
Prior to entering the Ph.D. program, Ciara worked as a special educator in Nebraska and Ohio for individuals with mild to moderate and severe disabilities, respectively. While in Ohio, she worked with many individuals who displayed many challenging behaviors and were unable to verbally speak without the assistance of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems.
She received her master’s degree in Special Education with emphasis on Autism Spectrum Disorders from Saint Joseph’s University. Prior to this, Ciara received her bachelor’s degree from The University of Nebraska – Lincoln in general education (K-6) and special education (K-6).
Dissertation Chair: Dr. Tracy Raulston