UROP Project

Autism and Visual Impairment Diagnosis and services: A National Mixed Methods Study

autism, blindness, diagnosis, survey
SQ Headshot 2024.jpg
Research Mentor: Ms. Saurym Quezada, She/her
Department, College, Affiliation: Special Education Department, Education, Health, and Human Sciences
Contact Email: squezada@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators: Dr. Dr. Michael Tuttle He/his
Faculty Collaborators Email: mtuttle@fsu.edu
Looking for Research Assistants: Yes
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: medicine, education, applied behavior
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: No, the project is remote
Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 10 hours, Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link:
  • Day: Tuesday, September 2
    Start Time: 2:00
    End Time: 2:30
    Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/my/saurymquezada
  • Day: Tuesday, September 2
    Start Time: 2:30
    End Time: 3:00
    Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/my/saurymquezada
  • Day: Friday, September 5
    Start Time: 4:00
    End Time: 4:30
    Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/my/saurymquezada
  • Day: Friday, September 5
    Start Time: 4:30
    End Time: 5:00
    Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/my/saurymquezada

Project Description

The research project is a grant-funded convergent mixed methods study examining the assessment, diagnosis, and service experiences of children with profound autism spectrum disorder (P-ASD) and visual impairment (VI) in the United States. A preliminary pilot study of children experiencing a visual impairment in combination with autism spectrum disorder (ASD+VI) found that there is a gap of about five years between an initial diagnosis of VI and a subsequent diagnosis of ASD in the state of Florida (Quezada et al., In Preparation) and consequently many of these children are not receiving timely and appropriate early intervention services, ultimately impacting school readiness and life outcomes. This is particularly troublesome for children with P-ASD who have complex communication and extensive support needs. A lack of vision and symptoms of ASD impede all aspects of development (Hughes et al., 2023a, 2023b; NASEM, 2016; Rainey et al., 2016) and the co-occurrence of the two disabilities is well-documented (de Verdier et al., 2018; Jure et al., 2016; Wrzensinka et al., 2017) including common manifestations in children born with complex neurological conditions, a history of early brain damage (Chokron et al., 2021), and/or the presence of other disabilities (Kiani et al., 2019). To properly support these students, a timely diagnosis of the dual condition is necessary. The project will gather national survey data and narrative interviews from parents to identify factors influencing the diagnostic process and subsequent educational services of children with P-ASD+VI in the US to inform future research, policy, and practice regarding equitable access to appropriate early intervention therapies and services.

Research Tasks: Assist with literature review summaries.
Assist with data generation and collection for survey research
Assist with data clean up for qualitative research
Participate in research meetings and peer debriefs

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Research assistant must be detailed oriented and well organized. Prefer an assistant with strong writing skills and interest in reading educational and medical articles. Interest in human experience and family services also encouraged.

Mentoring Philosophy

As a mentor, I aim to promote learning through personal goals and experiences, driving the student's research interest and pursuit of training. I seek to make them active and equal junior partners who can take ownership of the skills and value they bring to the project, serving them as a model and avenue for training and creative thinking. Adequate and positive feedback, through check-ins and formal periodic evaluations of performance, is present and constant in my approach to mentorship, promoting accountability and professional growth. I value a student-teacher relationship in which mentees recognize the role I hold as their supervisor but also the responsibility I have in ensuring tasks yield productive learning and their expected outcomes. I strive to build a healthy communication and a safe environment in which mentees feel free to ask questions without fear of judgment, accept responsibility, and fail forward (learn from their mistakes). Teaching and learning are a reciprocal journey; thus, a mutual respect for the value each individual in a mentor-mentee relationship brings to every interaction is central. I expect mentees to be present and prioritize our meetings and scheduled time. I seek to grow from our mutual exchange of experiences during our time together and to pour into my mentees to help them mature and succeed through life and research challenges.

Additional Information


Link to Publications

https://researchautism.org/research-item/exploring-the-diagnosis-process-and-educational-services-for-children-with-autism-spectrum-disorder-and-visual-impairment/
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