Education
M.A. Applied Behavior Analysis — 2019
Ball State University – Muncie IN
M.S. Speech-Language Pathology — 2017
Texas Woman‘s University – Denton TX
B.S. Communication Disorders and Deaf Education — 2012
Utah State University – Logan UT
B.S. Psychology — 2007
University of Houston – Houston TX
Licenses And Certifications
Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), Behavior Analyst Certification Board
Cert#: 1-19-37178
Licensed Behavior Analyst
TDLR#: 0361
Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC–SLP), American Speech-Language-Hearing Association — 2018
ASHA#: 14229141
License to practice Speech–Language Pathology in the State of Texas — 2017
TDLR#: 113981
Professional Memberships
Association for Behavior Analysis
Texas Association for Behavior Analysis
American Speech–Language–Hearing Association
Texas Speech–Language–Hearing Association
Houston Association for Communication Disorders
Clinical Special Interests
Applied Behavior Analysis
- Applied intervention and research within various populations with behavior difficulties, including autism and emotional disorders
- Study of application to difficulties in children of all populations
Autism Spectrum Disorders
- Development, application, and evaluation of individualized behavioral and cognitive–behavioral interventions
- Analysis of parents of children with autism focused on parent training methods
- Interaction between intelligence, adaptive functioning, language, and stereotypic behaviors
- Research and intervention of community-based safety, including, assertion, seeking assistance, pedestrian safety, and appropriate voice volume modulation
Special Education
- Development and application of effective treatment in the public school system
- Generalization of skills to the school environment
- Study and implementation of training of teachers and professionals in schools
Communication Disorders
- Development, and application of effective interventions to develop receptive and expressive language skills for children with developmental delays
- Research and intervention for swallowing and feeding issues for children with developmental delays
Clinical Experience
Director, Texas Young Autism Project– Day Treatment Center, Houston, TX
Speech-Language Pathologist, Santa Fe ISD, Santa Fe, TX
Workshop Consultant, Texas Young Autism Project, Houston, TX
Behavior Consultant in schools, Texas Young Autism Project, TX
Intensive Case Supervisor for center-based services, Texas Young Autism Project – Day Treatment Center, Houston, TX
Intensive Case Supervisor for in-home services, Texas Young Autism Project, Houston, TX
Senior Behavior Therapist, Texas Young Autism Project, Houston, TX
Research Experience
Research project assistant, Texas Young Autism Project, Houston, TX, January 2003 – 2014: Supervisor Gerald Harris Ph.D., BCBA-D
Project development and management, Texas Young Autism Project, Houston, TX, January 2003 – 2014: Supervisor Gerald Harris Ph.D., BCBA-D
Research Assistant / Project Coordinator, “I Have a Dream” program evaluation, University of Houston and California State University at Long Beach, May 2006 – May 2007: Supervisor Beth Manke, Ph.D.
Research Assistant / Project Coordinator, Head Start Program Evaluation, University of Houston, June 2002- August 2002. Supervisors: Renee McDonald, Ph.D., Jason Alexander, Ph.D.
Research Assistant / Project Coordinator, Family Interaction Study, University of Houston, September 2001- May 2002. Supervisors: Renee McDonald, Ph.D., Ernest N. Jouriles, Ph.D.
Research Assistant / Project Coordinator, Project SUPPORT, University of Houston, September 2001- May 2002. Supervisors: Renee McDonald, Ph.D., Pamela Miller, Ph.D., Nanette Stephens, Ph.D.
Presentations
Childs, M., Salinas, K., & Harris, G. E. (2009). Teaching young children with autism to seek assistance when lost. Presentation for the 35th annual convention of the Association for Behavioral Analysis International, Phoenix, AZ.
Salinas, J., Childs, M., & Harris, G. E. (2009). Teaching children with autism to respond to police. Presentation for the 35th annual convention of the Association for Behavioral Analysis International, Phoenix. AZ.
Salinas, K. Childs, M., Bayat, E., & Harris, G. E. (2008). Using environmental cues to teach volume modulation to young children with Autism. Presentation for the 34th annual convention of the Association for Behavior Analysis International, Chicago, IL.
Childs, M., McClintock, K., Bayat, E., & Harris, G. E. (2007). Teaching pedestrian safety skills to children with Autism. Presentation for the 33rd annual convention of the Association for Behavior Analysis International, San Diego, CA.
Childs, M., McClintock, K., Bayat, E., & Harris, G. E. (2007). Pedestrian safety for children with Autism. Presentation for FEAT-Houston to parents and educators. Houston, TX.
Childs, M., Harrington, L., Cervantes, M., & Harris, G. E. (2006). A comparison of two different approaches for teaching assertiveness to young children with Autism. Presentation at the 32nd annual International Conference of Applied Behavior Analysis, Atlanta, Georgia.
Childs, M., McClintock, K. & Harris, G. E. (2006). Electronic versus traditional data collection procedures in a behavioral program for children with Autism. Poster presentation at the 32nd annual International Conference of Applied Behavior Analysis, Atlanta, Georgia.
Childs, M., McClintock, K., Bayat, E., & Harris, G. E. (2006). Teaching pedestrian safety skills to children with Autism. Poster presentation at the 32nd annual International Conference of Applied Behavior Analysis, Atlanta, Georgia.
Rogers, L. W., Childs, M., Pedraza, S., Ferguson, C., & Harris, G. E. (2005). A comparison of two different approaches for teaching assertiveness to young children with autism. Poster presentation at the 31st annual International Conference of Applied Behavior Analysis, Chicago, Illinois.
Drake, T., Borg-Hansen, C., Childs, M., Harris, G.M., & Harris, G.E. (2004). Effects of Video-Modeling and Verbal Feedback on Skill Acquisition. Presentation at the annual Texas Psychological Association Conference, San Antonio, Texas.
Drake, T., Borg-Hansen, C., Childs, M., Harris, G.M., & Harris, G.E. (2004). Acquisition of ABA Treatment Skills: In-vivo Versus Video Modeling. Presented in Training Issues in Applied Behavior Analysis symposium at the 30th Annual Association of Behavior Analysis International Conference, Boston, Massachusetts.
Childs, M., Salinas, J., & Harris, G.E. (2004). Examination of an Alternative Method for Teaching Receptive Language. Poster presented at the International Conference of Applied Behavior Analysis, Boston, Massachusetts.
Salinas, J., Childs, M., & Harris, G.E. (2004). Acquisition of Cup Drinking in a Child with Autism. Poster presented at the Texas Association for Behavior Analysis, Dallas, Texas.
Professional development
- May 27-31, 2021: ABAI Convention, Online
- February 11-14, 2021: TXABA Convention, Online
- April 24-26, 2020: TXABA Convention, Online
- February 26 – 27, 2020: Multidisciplinary Approach to Dyslexia Identification – MADI Project – Building and Fostering Multidisciplinary Teams, Kara Zwolinski M. Ed. Gayla Lutz, MA, CCC-SLP, Houston, TX
- February 20-22, 2020: TSHA Convention, Houston, TX
- February 7, 2020: Autism and Social Communication Deficits: Addressing Behavior, Executive Function and Social Skills, Pam Wells, Ed.D., Lani Popp, MS, CCC-SLP, Houston, TX
- February 28 – March 2, 2019: TSHA Convention, Fort Worth, TX
- November 2018 – April 2019: Assistive Technology Team Seminars, Shannon Paige, MA., CCC-SLP, Gayla Lutz, MS., CCC-SLP, Sara King, MS., CCC-SLP, Houston, TX
- March 22-23, 2018: Social Story 10.2 / Comic Strip Conversation Workshop- Not Your Mother’s Social Stories, Carol Gray, Houston, TX
- March 1 – 3, 2018: TSHA Convention, Houston, TX
- October 13, 2017: School Age Stuttering Therapy: What do we ALL need? Nina Reeves, MS., CCC-SLP.
