Sidney W. and Janet R. Bijou Fellowship Recipients
2008: Jessica Frieder, Idaho State University
Jessica Frieder received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Allegheny College (2001), and credits the classes and guidance she received from Dr. Rodney D. Clark for her decision to pursue a career and lifelong goals in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis. While completing her studies there, she worked as a juvenile probation officer and was in charge of coordinating community service activities and carried a unique caseload of individuals with special needs. That experience led Jessica to seek further education in behavior analysis. She completed her Master’s degree in Applied Behavior Analysis/Special Education (2003) at The Ohio State University under the direction of Dr. Stephanie M. Peterson and Dr. Lloyd D. Peterson. During her training at Ohio State, Jessica was involved in a variety of research projects from effective interventions for individuals with severe problem behavior primarily motivated by escape to utilizing self-monitoring to increase on-task behavior in school-based settings. Jessica’s thesis concentrated on implementing self-monitoring across different social skills for children in an elementary school setting who were at-risk for school failure and expulsion. Jessica also worked in the campus’ Office for Disability Services, where she trained college students with disabilities to use adaptive technology and assistive devices.
Following her training at The Ohio State University, she worked as a behavior analyst for Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic in Pittsburgh, PA on a highly specialized multi-disciplinary program called RESPOND under the direction of Dr. Bernie Fabry, Dr. Martin J. Lubetsky, and Dr. John J. McGonigle. During her stint there, she designed, implemented, and trained residential staff to deliver behaviorally based interventions for individuals with dual diagnoses and multi-system involvement. During this time Jessica also became a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.
In 2005, Jessica decided to pursue her doctorate degree under the primary supervision of Dr. Stephanie M. Peterson and Dr. Lloyd D. Peterson at Idaho State University. She has since had the opportunity to work on a variety of research projects. Currently, she is serving as the project coordinator for an Institute of Education Sciences (IES) grant under principal investigator, Dr. Stephanie Peterson, that is examining the effects of concurrent schedules of reinforcement and adjusting demand requirements on the communication, compliance, and problem behavior of children with varying disabilities who display escape-maintained problem behavior in school-based settings. Jessica has also been instrumental in research on collaborating with educators to conduct functional analyses via the use of web-based technology and to design and implement reinforcement-based interventions. Jessica’s other areas of interest include: effective social skills instruction, self-monitoring and self-management procedures as they relate to both academic and social behavior; the integrity with which behavioral strategies are implemented; and effective training for future teachers and other practitioners.
Following the completion of her doctorate, Jessica plans to continue her research interests in a higher education setting and to train future behavior analysts and teachers.
Other 2008 Recipient:
Sara Kupzyk, University of Nebraska, Lincoln
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