Education

Ph.D. in Educational Psychology Special Education, Texas A&M University
M.Ed. in Administration, Schreiner University, Kerrville, TX
B.S.E. Interdisciplinary Studies: Special Education, Texas State University

Certifications

State of Texas Special Education Teacher Pre-K - 12
State of Texas Elementary Education Teacher Self-Contained Grades 1-8
State of Texas Principal Grades EC-12
Education Service Center Region XIII Behavior Coach Endorsement

Courses Taught

• Psychology & Education of Children with Exceptionalities
• Content Arae Teaching, Learning, and Transitioning for Secondary Students with Exceptionalities
• Strategies and Techniques for Teaching the Child/Adolescent with Exceptionalities
• Families and the Child with Exceptionalities
• Field Experience in Education of Children with Exceptionalities
• Introduction to Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Research in Autism Spectrum Disorder
• First Year Seminar

• Introduction to Children with Exceptionalities
• Behavior Intervention Strategies
• Special Education and the Law
  
  

Listen to Dr. Smith's "Supporting Our LGBTQ+ Students" Guest Appearance on the Behavior Now! Podcast, June 2022

Research Areas of Interest

• In-situ coaching with technology (i.e., Bug-in-Ear)
• Classroom management training and coaching
• Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
• Emotional and Behavioral Disorders
• Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Recent Presentations

• Sallese, M. R., Fuller, M., Farrell, E., Smith, S. D. (2019, October) Is What You’re Doing Working? Oral presentation at the Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders Annual Conference on Severe Behavior Disorders of Children & Youth, Tempe, AZ.
• Smith, S. D., Mendoza, M., Gushanas, C., & Burke, M. D. (2017, October) Interventions to Increase On-Task Behavior of Students with ADHD: A Systematic Review. Oral presentation at the Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders Annual Conference on Severe Behavior Disorders of Children & Youth, Tempe, AZ.
• Smith, S. D., Burke, M.D., & Yanoush, K. (2017, June). Interventions to increase on-task behavior of students with ADHD: A systematic review of single case research. Poster presentation at the 1st Research Symposium of the PBS-Europe Network, Siegen, Germany.
• Gushanas, C., Smith, S. D., Mendoza, M., Bowman-Perrott, L., & Burke, M. D. (2017, October). The effect of self-determination interventions among students with and at-risk for emotional behavior disorder: A meta-analysis. Oral presentation at the Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders Annual Conference on Severe Behavior Disorders of Children & Youth, Tempe, AZ. SDS
• Smith, S. D., Mendoza, M., & Burke, M. D. (2017, March) Interventions to Increase On-Task Behavior of Students with ADHD: A Systematic Review. Poster presentation at the Association for Positive Behavior Supports Annual International Conference, Denver, CO.
• Gushanas, C., Burke, M., Bowman-Perrot, L., Hagan-Burke, S. D., Smith, S., & Sanchez, L. (2017, March). What interventions are promoting self-determination for students with disabilities at behavioral risks? Denver, CO: Poster presented at the 14th International Conference on Positive Behavior Support.
• Smith, S. D. (2016, October). What the research says about interventions for ADHD. Oral presentation at the Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders Annual Conference on Severe Behavior Disorders of Children & Youth, Tempe, AZ.
• Gregori, E., Hatton, H. Lynch, P. S., Peltier, C., & Smith, S. D. (2016, April). Incorporating technology into a survey of disability course to improve student engagement. Oral presentation at the Council for Exceptional Children Special Education Convention and Expo, St. Louis, MO.
• Gregori, E. & Smith, S. D. (2015, October). Incorporating technology into a survey of disability course to improve student engagement. Poster presentation at the Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children Conference, Phoenix, AZ.

Recent Publications

• Haas, A., Vannest, K. J., & Smith, S. D. (2019). Using peers to support academic learning for children with autism spectrum disorder. Behavior Analysis in Practice. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-019-00363-4
• Mendoza, M., Smith, S. D., & Bowman-Perrott, L. (2019) Strategies to prevent suspension and expulsion of students with behavioral challenges. Preventing School Failure (Manuscript in review).
• Ganz, J. B., Pustejovsky, J., Reichle, J., Vannest, K., Foster, M., Haas, A., Pierson, L. M., Wattanawongwan, S., Bernal, A., Chen, M., Haas, A., Skov, R., & Smith, S. D. (2022). Considering instructional contexts in AAC interventions for people with ASD and/or IDD experiencing complex communicative needs: A single case design meta-analysis. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40489-022-00314-w
  
• Ganz, J. B., Pustejovsky, J., Reichle, J., Vannest, K., Foster, M., Fuller, M. C., Pierson, L. M., Wattanawongwan, S., Bernal, A., Chen, M., Skov, R., Smith, S. D., & Yllades, V. (2022). Augmentative and Alternative Communication Intervention targets for school-aged participants with ASD and ID: A single-case systematic review and meta-analysis. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40489-022-00326-6
• Ganz, J. B., Pustejovsky, J., Reichle, J., Vannest, K., Foster, M., Pierson, L. M., Wattanawongwan, S., Bernal, A., Chen, M., Haas, A., Sallese, M. R., Skov, R., & Smith, S. D. (2022). Participant characteristics predicting communication outcomes in AAC implementation for individuals with ASD and IDD: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Augmentative and Alternative Communication. https://doi.org/10.1080/07434618.2022.2116355
• Ganz, J. B., Pustejovsky, J., Reichle, J., Vannest, K., Foster, M., Pierson, L. M., Wattanawongwan, S., Fuller, M. C., Haas, A., Sallese, M. R., Smith, S. D., & Yllades, V. (2023). A Case for increased rigor in AAC research: A methodological quality review. Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities, 58(1), 3-21.
• Haas, A., Vannest, K. J., & Smith, S. D. (2019). Utilizing peers to support academic learning for children with autism spectrum disorder. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 12, 734-740. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-019-00363-4
• Smith, S. D. (2023). Wellness and health supports for LGBTQ+ community members. In M. P. Bratina (Ed.), Forensic mental health: Framing integrated solutions (2nd ed., p. X). Taylor Francis/Routledge.
• Wattanawongwan, S., Smith, S. D., & Vannest, K. J. (2021). Cooperative Learning strategies for building relationship skills in students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Beyond Behavior, 30(1), 32-40. https://doi.org/10.1177/1074295621997599
• Manuscripts Under Review or Preparation
  Carrero, K. M., Smith, S. D., Roming, S., & Garcia, M. (in development). Bug-in-ear behavior coaching with teachers in rural districts.
• Ganz, J. B., Pustejovsky, J., Reichle, J., Vannest, K., Foster, M., Fuller, M. C., Pierson, L. M., Wattanawongwan, S., Bernal, A., Chen, M., Haas, A., Skov, R., Smith, S. D., & Yllades, V. (2021). Selecting communicative interventions targets for school-aged participants with ASD and ID: A Single-case experimental design meta-analysis. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.
• George, S., O’Leary, M., Smith, S. D., Zappala-Piemme, K. (in press). Working with families of children with exceptionalities. In Grant, K. B. & Ray, J. A. (Eds), Home, school, and community collaboration: Culturally responsive engagement (5th ed., p. X-XX).
• Gushanas, C. M., Smith, S. D. (in press) Choice-making: A strategy to promote desired classroom behaviors and self-determination among students with emotional behavioral disorders. Beyond Behavior.
• Smith, S.D. et al. (in review) A meta-analysis of research on the effects of bug-in-ear coaching in the classroom. Journal of Special Education Technology.
• Recent Peer-Reviewed Conference Presentations
  McCollum, D. G., Smith, S. D., & Benton, J. F. (2022). Higher education recruitment and retention: Mentoring new faculty in a higher education setting. Oral presentation at the Association of Teacher Educators 2022 annual meeting, Chicago, IL.
• Gushanas, C. M. & Smith, S. D. (2021) Building self-determination for students with and at-risk for EBD. Oral presentation at the Council for Exceptional Children Learning Interactive Virtual Event. Virtual conference.
• Gushanas, C. M. & Smith, S. D. (2021). How to build self-determination skills within students with emotional behavior disorders. Oral presentation at the 18th International Virtual Conference on Positive Behavior Support. Virtual conference.
• Haas, A., Sallese, M.R., Smith, S.D., & Vannest, K.J. (2020, February). The Evidence for Coaching & Performance Feedback in Teachers and Peers and the Implications for Knowledge and Use of Evidence-Based Practice. Oral presentation at the Council for Exceptional Children annual conference, Portland, OR
• Sallese, M. R., Fuller, M., Farrell, E., Smith, S. D. (2019, October) Is What You’re Doing Working? Oral presentation at the Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders Annual Conference on Severe Behavior Disorders of Children & Youth, Tempe, AZ.