Dr. Hood's Research in Practice Lab
Social Skills Assessment Intervention and Learning Clinic (SSAIL Lab)
SSAIL Lab
Research Team
Sylvia Aquino
She/Her/Hers
Graduate Research Assistant
Sylvia Aquino is a third-year doctoral student. She received her Bachelor of Psychology at California State University - Channel Islands. She received her Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis at California State University - Northridge. Her current research relates to the understanding of and how to teach complex social and conversational skills. Specifically, she is completing a structured descriptive assessment of listener behavior during a conversation of preferred and non-preferred topics and evaluating the effects of discrimination training on initiating go and no-go topics (i.e., topics of common interest, preferred and aversive topics to the conversation partner). Additionally, she is completing descriptive assessments of cues in a conversation (interest and uninterest) to inform clinical practice. Sylvia is also evaluating an assessment of conversational attention and conversation skills to inform intervention.
Jesey Gopez
She/Her/Hers
Graduate Research Assistant
Jesey Gopez is a second-year doctoral student in the Behavior Analysis program at Marquette University. She completed her undergraduate degree at California State University, Northridge with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Child and Adolescent Development. She received her Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis from Marquette University. Jesey has had over 4 years of experience working with individuals with ASD and developmental disabilities. In the future, Jesey would like to become a clinical director and open up her own social skills clinic teaching individuals with social skill deficits. She is currently evaluating an intervention to teach social and play skills.
Kendall Kastner
She/Her/Hers
Graduate Research Assistant
Kendall Kastner is a third-year doctoral candidate. Kendall completed her Bachelor's and Master's degrees at Marquette University. Her research interests surround the refinement of procedures used in the assessment and treatment of severe problem behavior. Kendall's current research relates to parameters of reinforcement and evaluating the durability of procedures used to teach delay tolerance. Kendall is currently pursuing post-doctoral fellowship positions and job opportunities for Fall 2023.
Natalie Schmaus
She/Her/Hers
Graduate Research Assistant
Natalie Schmaus is a second-year Master’s student in Marquette’s Behavior Analysis program. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Spanish from Marquette University. Natalie began working as an undergraduate research assistant in the SSAIL Center in Fall 2020. She became a Behavior Technician in Spring 2021 and started seeing clients in-person and via Telehealth. Currently, her clinical population of interest is college students who have a disability. She is interested in being able to work with these students on expanding their social skills and increasing their confidence and independence in their new environment. Under Dr. Stephanie Hood’s supervision, Natalie hopes to continue to expand her research and clinical experience and grow her skill set as a clinician in the field of Behavior Analysis.
Tressa Forrest
She/Her/Hers
Graduate Research Assistant
Tressa Forrest is a current first-year Master's student at the SSAIL lab. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in 2019 in biology and psychology at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. There she spent time working in a research lab focusing on psychological test development. She has spent the last two years working at ABA clinics in Minneapolis, MN, where she found her passion for ABA. Tressa hopes to one day receive her Ph.D. in Behavior Analysis so she can teach the next wave of behavior analysts and help move the field forward.
Elizabeth Goodbody
She/Her/Hers
Graduate Research Assistant
Elizabeth Goodbody is a first-year master's student in the behavior analysis program at Marquette University. She obtained her undergraduate degree from Oberlin College. She has a passion for research and hopes to one day receive a Ph.d. She is currently assisting with a pedagogical research study that focused on teaching behavior analytic content to undergraduate students.
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Emory Payne
She/Her/Hers
Graduate Research Assistant
Emory Payne is a second-year master’s student in the Behavior Analysis program at Marquette University. She completed her undergraduate degree in 2021 at St. Norbert college with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Sociology. Emory is currently assisting with the UNT CAN collaboration serving as a lead data collector and a novel conversation partner. She is also currently working towards her final project where she hopes to teach clients to provide a target word when provided with various intraverbals (i.e., establishing convergent control) and responding to the main ideas of a conversation partner’s utterance (i.e., responding to the “gist” of the conversation).
Claudia Todd
She/Her/Hers
Graduate Research Assistant
Claudia Todd is a 4th-year (senior) undergraduate student at Marquette University. She is working towards degrees in Psychology and Gender and Sexualities Studies and a minor in Political Science. She has been working with Dr. Hood since October 2020 as an applied behavior analysis research assistant and therapist. She is looking forward to growing in the field of behavioral psychology and understanding how she can apply it to her future goal of studying the intersection of behavior, gender, and social skills.
Robert R.J. Botalla
He/Him/His
Graduate Research Assistant
Robert R.J. Botalla is a 4th-year (senior) undergraduate student at Marquette University.
Grace Philip
She/Her/Hers
Undergraduate Research Assistant
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Nicholas (Nick) Pikarski
He/Him/His
Graduate Research Assistant
Nicholas (Nick) Pikarski is a first-year master's student and a recent graduate from Marquette university. Nick attained a bachelor's in science in Cognitive Science and is now working for a master's in science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Nick has been working with Dr. Hood and the SSAIL team since April of 2022 as a technician and is currently assisting with research pertaining to teaching individuals with ASD complex conversation skills. Nick’s goal is to one day start his own research project on factors that help build resilience in adolescents and adults as well as applying his research to his practice as a mental health therapist.
Caroline Paslaski
She/Her/Hers
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Caroline (she/her) is a senior majoring in psychology with a minor in criminology and law studies. She is interested in research and clinical work related to training data collection skills, complex conversation skills, sexual and relationship education for neurodiverse populations, and consent. Outside of the SSAIL Center, Caroline is an undergraduate research assistant in Dr. Lindsay Holly’s Child and Family Interventions Lab, volunteers at the Crisis Text Line, and is in the Disciplinary Honors Program in Psychology. She hopes to continue for her Ph.D. and become a clinical psychologist.
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SSAIL Alumni
SSAIL alumni
Jessica Sauter, Kortney Classen, Attie Arnold, Frankie Randle, and Kristina Lane in CO on a hike during ABAI.
Britany Beauchesne
CSUN class of 2019
Britany Beauchesne received her master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from California State University, Northridge, in 2019. Under the mentorship of Dr. Hood in the SSAIL lab, she completed a descriptive analysis of social skills used in various contexts by young adults for her thesis project. The project won first place in the graduate student poster session at the CSUNposium research symposium. Britany is now the first year in the School Psychology Ph.D. program at Indiana University under the mentorship of Dr. Scott Bellini. Britany was awarded the Adolescent Counseling Fellowship. This is a prestigious award given to doctoral students in the School of Education Counseling and Educational Psychology department who focus on adolescent issues and are pursuing a degree in counseling and counselor education, counseling psychology, and/or school psychology.
Maya Fallon
CSUN class of 2019
Maya Fallon received her Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis from California State University, Northridge under the mentorship of Dr. Stephanie Hood, where she researched and taught advanced social skills. During her time in the master's program, she was a recipient of a CalABA student poster presentation award, inducted as a distinguished scholar at the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies, and received an outstanding achievement award from the MS-ABA faculty. Currently, Maya is working under the mentorship of Dr. Kevin Luczynski in the Applied Behavior Analysis doctoral program at the University Nebraska Medical Center, where she will continue to work with individuals to improve social skills.
Francesca Randle
BCU Class of 2017
Francesca, known as Frankie, studied with Dr. Hood from 2015-2017 at Briar Cliff University, where ABA permanently changed her outlook on life for the best. During her experience in Dr. Hood's lab, Frankie worked as a research assistant for social skills projects (giving and accepting Compliments, common interests, conversation skills) and a job skills project. Other experiences included work as a behavior analysis intern at a local elementary school, as a behavior analysis assistant at the Briar Cliff University Behavior Analysis Clinic, and as an teaching assistant and adjunct professor of psychology. Following graduation, Frankie began her career as a clinical BCBA at Trumpet Behavioral Health where she worked for over 3 years. She has since returned to the Midwest with her husband and son, and works as a clinic supervisor for Balance Autism in Davenport, IA. Frankie continues to support the SSAIL Clinic through manuscript writing and editing.
Atalie Arnold
BCU class of 2016
Atalie serves as a BCBA for Umoⁿhoⁿ Nation Public School. The school is located in Macy, NE on a Native American Reservation. The students she serves are all 100% Native American. She works at the Tier 1 Level teaching school-wide functional communication, social skills, and classroom behavior management. Atalie also serves on the school leadership team and is responsible for implementing school-wide reinforcement procedures. She is also the Safety-Care trainer for the entire district. At the Tier 2 Level, Atalie serve students with developmental disabilities, and students on behavior programs through inclusion. At the Tier 3 Level, she oversees three severe problem behavior classrooms. She also supervises paraprofessionals that serve as RBTs, teachers that are BCBA candidates and consults with other school districts in the area.
Emma Josey
CSUN class of 2020
My name is Emma Josey and I recently graduated from California State University, Northridge in May 2020 with a degree in Psychology. Currently I am at JD Power as a Research Design and Consumer Insights analyst, working on customer satisfaction studies publishing later this year. In the future, I plan to attend graduate school to pursue a Master's Degree in Applied Psychology with an emphasis in market research. I was previously a member of the SSAIL Lab during my two years at CSUN, and it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my college career. I was pushed to work harder to reach my full potential and learned that it was important to work outside of my comfort zone. I've been able to take constructive criticism and grow from my mistakes, which are both things that have helped me in my current job. I've missed the lab so much, but I am so grateful for the opportunities I was given and the wonderful people I worked with.
Marcus Strum
CSUN Class of 2020
Marcus Strum received his Master of Science in Applied behavior Analysis from California State University, Northridge under the mentorship of Dr. Stephanie Hood. Currently, Marcus is a doctoral student at the University of North Texas under the mentorship of Dr. Samantha Bergmann.