University of Florida
Project Title: Evaluating Culturally Tailored Generative Instruction Procedures for Promoting Language Acquisition in Learners with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Lydia Lindsey is a first-year doctoral student in the Translational and Applied Behavioral Science (TABS) laboratory at the University of Florida, working under the advisement of Dr. Corina Jimenez-Gomez. She earned her M.S. in Behavior Analysis at Auburn University in 2019. Her research interests include evaluating methods to promote the emergence of novel responses and generalization in diverse learners, adapting instructional strategies to meet diverse linguistic and cultural needs, social validity of interventions, and translating applied research to ready-to-use tools in clinical settings. The proposed project aligns with her long-term research goals of developing culturally responsive, evidence-based practices that lead to socially meaningful outcomes for the individuals and communities we serve.
The generous funds provided through the Innovative Student Research Grant in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion will help evaluate the comparative effects of culturally responsive generative instruction procedures for diverse populations while also providing a model for implementation for educators and clinicians. Culturally responsive interventions are hypothesized to be more effective than traditional interventions; however, there is limited direct evidence to support these claims. Generative instruction procedures are effective and efficient for teaching functional language, but there is limited information on how collaborating with stakeholders can increase the efficiency and acceptability of the procedures. One of the main goals of Lydia’s research is to demonstrate that collaborating with stakeholders increases the effectiveness, efficiency, and acceptability of both matrix training and instructive feedback procedures for promoting the emergence of novel verbal behavior compared to traditional procedures. By empirically testing whether caregiver‑informed instruction leads to faster, more durable, and culturally congruent verbal skill acquisition, Lydia hopes to provide actionable guidance for clinicians and educators who serve families with diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. The significance of this work lies in its potential to bridge a longstanding gap between research protocols and real‑world family contexts. This grant will allow her to contribute to evidence-based solutions that empower practitioners, improve interventions, and generate tangible benefits for the communities they serve.
Lydia’s work would not be possible without the grant’s emphasis on diversity and inclusion. It enables the systematic consideration of family perspectives that have historically been overlooked in behavior analytic research.
Lydia is honored to be a recipient of this grant and looks forward to disseminating the results of this research at national conferences, peer reviewed journals, and practitioner forums. With this support, Lydia hopes to advance both the science of verbal behavior and the equity of services delivered to families.
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