Vanderbilt researchers in the Departments of Special Education, Psychology and Human Development, Pediatrics, Speech and Hearing, and Teaching and Learning use the Susan Gray School in several ways. Research is conducted in the school, research participants (children and their families) are recruited for federally and internally funded research studies conducted outside the school, researchers use the school to develop and test procedures and train coders, and researchers use the SGS for unfunded pilot studies.
Susan Gray School also is frequently a site for Vanderbilt student research, particularly research related to documenting and improving practices to help children learn. In recent years more than 20 graduate students have conducted thesis and dissertation studies in the School such as:
- Using point-of-view video modeling to teach play to children with autism (Jeff Hine)
- Effects of training teacher assistants to be more responsive to children's communication during mealtimes (Cara Reske)
- Effects of child choice and teacher selection of toys on children's engagement with toys (Meredith "Ryan" Koppe)
- Efficacy of using checklists to teach adults to help children perform complex chains of behavior (Heather Roberts)