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Marie Kirkpatrick, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Educational Psychology

Marie Kirkpatrick, Ph.D.

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Bio

Dr. Kirkpatrick is an Assistant Professor of Educational Psychology at The University of Texas at San Antonio. She is a Doctoral-level Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA-D) and Licensed Behavior Analyst (LBA) in the State of Texas. She is a former special education teacher and paraeducator. Dr. Kirkpatrick is the director of the Teacher Education in Autism for Classroom Help (TEACH) Lab, which focuses on educator training and coaching to support students with autism and developmental disabilities in schools. The TEACH Lab currently has two grants focused on educator training and coaching, Project ABA TEACHER (funded by the Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs) and Project RETAIN (funded by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's Autism Grant Program). Additionally, Dr. Kirkpatrick’s research interests include social communication skills and play for autistic children and youth, as well as training graduate students in providing culturally responsive services. She also serves on the editorial board for two journals, Behavior and Social Issues and Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders.

Degrees

  • Ph.D., Educational Psychology, Baylor University, 2021
  • M.Ed., Special Education with a concentration in Autism and Applied Behavior Analysis, 2017
  • B.A., Interdisciplinary Studies: Special Education, EC-12, 2013

Honors and Awards

  • Doctoral Student Scholar, Division for Research
    • Year Awarded: 2020
    • Organization: Council for Exceptional Children
  • Jo Webber Award for Research
    • Year Awarded: 2017
    • Organization: Texas State University

Grants, Patents and Clinical Trials

  • Grant: Project RETAIN (Responsive Education and Training in Autism Inclusion Needs)
    • Duration: 2024-2026
    • Total Dollars: $400,000

  • Grant: Project ABA TEACHER (Applied Behavior Analysis for Training Educators in Autism and Culturally responsive, Hispanic focused Evidence-based practices and Research)
    • Duration: 2023-2028
    • Total Dollars: $1,099,844

  • Grant: Ensuring Teacher Effectiveness with Data-Based Decision Making and Applied Behavior Analysis (Project ABA TEACHER)
    • Duration: 2022-2024
    • Total Dollars: $422,795

  • Grant: Project FIESTA (Family Intervention and Education Services to Treat Autism)
    • Duration: 2022-2024
    • Total Dollars: $500,000

  • Grant: Understanding the Effect of an ABA-based Educational App
    • Duration: 2022-2023
    • Total Dollars: $4,662

  • Grant: Self-Instructed Video Activity Schedules to Support Academic Learning for Students with ASD During Small Group Activities
    • Duration: 2020-2021
    • Total Dollars: $1,730

Publications

Peer Reviewed Journal Articles

*Indicates student co-author

  • Carnett, A., Neely, L., Gardiner, S., Kirkpatrick, M., Quarles, J., & Christopher, K. (2023). Systematic review of virtual reality in behavioral interventions for individuals with autism. Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders, 7, 426-442. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41252-022-00287-1

  • Gerow, S., Kirkpatrick, M., McGinnis, K., Sulak, T., Davis, T. N., & Fritz, S. (2023). Evaluation of a telehealth program for caregivers of children with ASD. Behavior Modification, 47(2), 349-379.

  • Gerow, S., Rivera, G., Akers, J., & Kirkpatrick, M., & Radhakrishnan, S. (2019). Parent-implemented treatment for automatically maintained stereotypy. Behavioral Interventions, 34(4), 466-474. https://doi.org/10.1002/bin.1689

  • Hodges, A., Davis, T. N., & Kirkpatrick, M. (2020). A review of the literature on the functional analysis of inappropriate mealtime behavior. Behavior Modification, 44(1), 137–154. https://doi.org/10.1177/0145445518794368

  • Kirkpatrick, M., Akers, J. S., & Rivera, G. (2019). Use of behavioral skills training with teachers: A systematic review.Journal of Behavioral Education, 28(3), 344-361. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10864-019-09322-z

  • Kirkpatrick, M., Lang, R., Lee, A., & Ledbetter-Cho, K. (2019). A video-enhanced activity schedule reduces food stuffing in child with pervasive developmental disability: A single subject design case study. Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders, 3(3), 281-286. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41252-019-00100-6

  • Kirkpatrick, M., O’Guinn, K. N., Carrillo Vega*, R., Akers, J. S., Davis, T. N., & Avery, S. K. (2023). Systematic review of video activity schedules to teach autistic people. Journal of Behavioral Education. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10864-023-09535-3

  • Kirkpatrick, M., Rivera, G., & Akers, J. S. (2022). Systematic review of behavioral interventions using digital technology to reduce problem behavior in the classroom. Journal of Behavioral Education, 31(1), 69-93. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10864-020-09406-1

  • Kirkpatrick, M., Rehfeld, D. M., Akers, J. S., Sulak, T. N., & Rivera, G. (2021). Using behavioral skills training with pre-service teachers in the university classroom. Behavioral Interventions, 36(1), 145-158. https://doi.org/10.1002/bin.1764

  • Kirkpatrick, M., Tankersley*, M. E., Ferrer*, G. N., & Carrillo Vega*, R. (2024). Using a video activity schedule to teach cooperative games to autistic children in a camp setting. Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10882-024-09966-4

  • Ledbetter-Cho, K., Lang, R., Lee, A., Murphy, C., Davenport, K., Kirkpatrick, M., Schollian, M., Moore, M., Billingsley, G., & O'Reilly, M. (2021). Teaching children with autism abduction-prevention skills may result in overgeneralization of the target response. Behavior Modification, 45(3), 438-461. https://doi.org/10.1177/0145445519865165

  • Pullen*, M., Neely, L., Kirkpatrick, M., & Alaeddini, A. (2023). Teaching pool side safety skills to decrease elopement-related incidents for children with ASD. Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10882-024-09978-0

  • Rehfeld, D. M., Kirkpatrick, M., O’Guinn, N., Renbarger, R. (2022). A meta-analysis of phonemic awareness instruction provided to children suspected of having a reading disability. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 53(4), 1177-1201. https://doi.org/10.1044/2022_LSHSS-21-00160

  • Rivera, G., Gerow, S., & Kirkpatrick, M. (2019). A review of school-based interventions to reduce challenging behavior for adolescents with ASD. Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, 31(1), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10882-018-9626-9

  • Smith*, K., MacNaul, H., Kirkpatrick, M. (2023). Using behavior skills training and a group contingency to promote mask-wearing in an early childhood special education classroom. Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship, 12(3), 39-49. https://doi.org/10.58729/2167-3454.1180

 

Book Chapters

  • Padilla, K., Akers, J. S., & Kirkpatrick, M. (2020). Coordinating ABA services. In M. B. McClain, J. D. Shahidullah, & K. R. Mezher (Eds.) Interprofessional care coordination for pediatric autism spectrum disorder: Translating research into practice (pp. 225-240). Springer International Publishing.

 

Manuscripts Submitted for Publication

  • Cantu-Davis*, K., Neely, L., Ximenez, T., Kirkpatrick, M., & Alaeddini, A. (2024). Augmented reality to train behavior response teams to de-escalate behavior: A replication and extension. [Manuscript submitted for publication]. Department of Educational Psychology, The University of Texas at San Antonio. Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at San Antonio.

 

Manuscripts in Preparation

  • Tapia*, H., Kirkpatrick, M., & Davis, H. (2024). Teaching initial self-advocacy skills to autistic youth [Manuscript in preparation]. Department of Educational Psychology, The University of Texas at San Antonio.