Mentor Areas
Dr. Pellecchia is a licensed clinical psychologist, nationally certified school psychologist (NCSP), and board certified behavior analyst (BCBA). Dr. Pellecchia’s clinical and research interests lie in improving the implementation of evidence-based treatments for children with autism spectrum disorders in under-served communities. She has extensive experience developing and evaluating publicly-funded education programs for children with autism spectrum disorder, and working with teachers, staff, and administrators to improve their implementation of high quality treatments. Dr. Pellecchia is interested in partnering with community stakeholders to improve access to evidence-based treatments, such as parent-mediated interventions, for young children with autism.
Description:
Research projects aim at improving the implementation of evidence-based practices for children with autism in community settings. Student responsibilities may include data entry, qualitative interview coding, behavioral coding of videos, and accompanying a more senior staff for field-based data collection or tele-intervention visits. Current projects include:
1. Parent Empowerment and Coaching in Early Intervention (PEACE): Using a community-partnered iterative development process to develop a toolkit of implementation strategies based on finding from qualitative interviews with stakeholders. Currently, a pilot test of the toolkit’s feasibility and promise is being implemented. The findings will inform a randomized field trial of the toolkit’s effectiveness in improving the use of parent coaching within early intervention.
2. Randomized Controlled Trial of Project ImPACT: A three-arm randomized field trial to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of Project ImPACT within Philadelphia’s Infant and Toddler Early Intervention System. The results will provide rigorous information about whether evidence-based autism interventions for young children can be implemented successfully with the resources available in cities like Philadelphia, the role of hours of treatment in improving child outcomes, and the cost-benefit implications for families and community agencies.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience with Redcap and qualitative/behavioral coding preferred.
Details:
Preferred Student Year
Second-Year, Junior, Senior
Academic Term
Fall, Spring, Summer
I prefer to have students start during the above term(s).Volunteer
No
Yes indicates that faculty are open to volunteers.Paid
No
Yes indicates that faculty are open to paying students they engage in their research, regardless of their work-study eligibility.Work Study
Yes
Yes indicates that faculty are open to hiring work-study-eligible students.