Jennifer Ledford

Associate Professor, Department of Special Education

Jennifer Ledford is an Associate Professor in the Department of Special Education. She has expertise in single case research design, effective instructional practices, and children with autism spectrum disorders. Her current research relates to systematic instruction in early childhood classrooms and increasing physical activity for students with autism spectrum disorders. Dr. Ledford is a faculty member in the Early Childhood Special Education and Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) programs.

Dr. Ledford has worked with graduate students on recent projects to answer the following research questions:

1.      Do young children prefer embedded instruction or massed-trial instruction, and which is more efficient? (publication)

2.    What are the effects of shaping and peer modeling on food acceptance for young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD)? (publication)

4.      What instructional procedures are most effective for individuals with disabilities? (publication)

5.   What are some alternatives to use of escape extinction for children who engage in challenging behavior to escape tasks? How effective are they? (in progress)

6.      How do we teach children with disabilities to imitate, and can imitation objectives and teaching strategies be improved? (in progress)

Dr. Ledford is also the PI on a federally-funded grant to prepare master’s students to provide services to young children with intensive support needs.