Education
Ph.D., Special Education, University of Maryland College Park, 2022
M.H.S., Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 2016
B.S., Psychology; Minor, Biology, Denison University, 2015
Briella Baer Chen
she/her/hers
Assistant Professor
Contact Info
Email:
Areas of Expertise
Autism
Intellectual and developmental disabilities
Postsecondary transition
Employment supports
Technology-based intervention
Video modeling
Universal design for learning (UDL)
Stakeholder engagement
Biography
Briella Baer Chen, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of special education at Towson University. Dr. Chen comes from a multidisciplinary training background through which she has gained expertise in evidence-based practices to support autistic individuals. Prior to pursuing her doctorate at the University of Maryland College Park, Dr. Chen worked as a senior research assistant at the Interactive Autism Network (IAN) at Kennedy Krieger Institute, and completed her Master’s of Health Science in Mental Health at Johns Hopkins University. Currently, Dr. Chen teaches coursework on universal design for learning (UDL) and best practices for teaching autistic students, in addition to conducting research. She firmly believes in the importance of socially valid and neurodiversity-affirming practices to support the independence and well-being of autistic people.
Research Interests
Dr. Chen has two primary areas of research interest:
- investigating ways to support autistic youth and young adults as they transition from high school to postsecondary employment and independent living
- using instructional technology to support autistic individuals in learning new skills, as well as partnering with autism community stakeholders to evaluate the authentic implementation and social validity of these supports
Selected Publications
Chen, B.B., Yakubova, G., O’Connor, J.T., Herman, S., and Myers, L. (2023). Assessing the effects of practitioner-created and implemented video-based intervention to teach vocational skills to autistic young adults. “Journal of Special Education Technology.” https://doi.org/10.1177/01626434231187061
Chen, B.B., and Yakubova, G. (2023). Evaluating the effects of video-based intervention to teach vocational skills to transition-age youth with autism spectrum disorder: An evidence-based systematic review. “Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders,” 10, 22–37. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40489-021-00282-7
Chen, B.B., and Yakubova, G. (2019). Promoting independence with vocational audio and video prompting for students with ASD. “Teaching Exceptional Children,” 52(2), 98–106. https://doi.org/10.1177/0040059919874308
Chen, B.B., and Yakubova, G. (2023, January). “Supporting a neurodiverse workforce: Examining transition-age autistic individuals’ views of critical workplace supports.” International Conference on Autism, Intellectual Disability, and Developmental Disabilities, Council for Exceptional Children Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities (DADD). Clearwater Beach, Florida, USA.