Jamie Pearson

View CV

Bio

Dr. Jamie Pearson, a former behavioral interventionist and program consultant, is an Associate Professor of Special Education in the Department of Teacher Education and Learning Sciences. Dr. Pearson earned her PhD in Special Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she developed FACES, a parent advocacy program designed to support Black families raising autistic children and youth.

Selected Scholarly Publications

Articles Published in Referred Journals

• Thompson Brown, L., Kasambira Fannin, D., Lamptey, A., Uzonyi, T.E., & Pearson, J.N. (accepted). Black caregiver perspectives during a developmental diagnostic appointment. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disabilities. 
• Pearson, J.N., Mason Martin, D. L., Stewart-Ginsburg, J. H., Malone, K., Manns, L.D.C, Johnson, J.A., Macko, J., Rivera, A.D., Lewis, J., Green, K., & Minerali, A. (in press). Who you Gonna Call?: A Content Analysis of Communication with Black Families Raising Autistic Children. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disabilities. 
• Pearson, J.N., Outlaw, J. K., & Stewart-Ginsburg, J. & Mason Martin, D (in press). “I Know How to Get Around Your ‘No:’” A Follow-up of the FACES Psychoeducational Intervention. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.
• Pearson, J.N., Manns, L.D.C, Stewart-Ginsburg, J.H., Mason-Martin, D.L., & Johnson, J.A. (2024). Experiences of Family Peer Advocates Supporting Black Families Raising Autistic Children. Exceptional Children. https://doi.org/10.1177/00144029241271151
• Kasambira Fannin, D., Williams, E.G., Fuller, M., Pearson, J.N., Boyd, B.A., Drame, E., Taylor, J. C., Dickerson, A.S., Spinks-Franklin, A., & Coles-White, D. (2024). Unpacking the prevalence: A cautionary tale against overstating the impact of the recently narrowed gap. Autism Research. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.3168
• Pearson, J.N., Stewart-Ginsburg, J., Malone, K., Manns, L., Martin, D.M., & Sturdivant, D. (2023). Best FACES Forward: Outcomes of an Advocacy Intervention for Black Parents Raising Autistic Youth. Exceptionality. 31 (2), 135-148. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09362835.2022.2100392
• Pearson, J.N., Malone, K., Stewart-Ginsburg, J. (2023). We Should All Be Welcome: A Discourse Analysis of Religious Coping for Black Parents Raising Autistic Children. Journal of Disability & Religion. https://doi.org/10.1080/23312521.2023.2178993
• Malone, K., Pearson, J.N., Manns, L.D., Palazzo, K., Riviera, A., Martin, D.M., (2022). The Scholarly Neglect of Black Autistic Adults in Autism Research. Autism in Adulthood. https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2021.0086
• Pearson, J. N., Stewart-Ginsburg, J., Malone, K., Manns, L., Martin, D.M., & Sturdivant, D. (2022). Best FACES Forward: Outcomes of an Advocacy Intervention for Black Parents Raising Autistic Youth. Exceptionality.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09362835.2022.2100392
• Steinbrenner, J., McIntyre, N., Rentschler, L., Pearson, J.N., Luelmo, P., Jaramillo, M.E., Boyd, B., Wong, C., Nowell, S., Odom, S., Hume, K. (2022). Patterns in Reporting and Participant Inclusion Related to Race and Ethnicity in Autism Intervention Literature: Data from a Large-Scale Systematic Review of Evidence-Based Practices. Autism. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613211072593
• Pearson, J.N., Stewart-Ginsburg, J., Malone, K., & Harris, J.R.A. (2022) Faith and FACES: Black Parents’ Perceptions of Autism, Faith, and Coping.  Exceptional Children. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613211072593
• Hamilton, M.B., Stansberry, L., & Pearson, J.N. (2021). Culturally Competent Educational Practices to Support Children with Disabilities and their Families DADD Online Journal. 8, 114-128.
• Pearson, J.N. & Meadan, H. (2021). FACES: An Advocacy Intervention for African American Parents of Children with Autism. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. 59 (2), 155-171. DOI: 10.1352/1934-9556-59.2.155
• Pearson, J.N., Traficante, A., Denny, L.M., Malone, K., & Codd, E. (2020). Meeting FACES: Preliminary Findings from a Community Workshop for Minority Parents of Children with Autism in Central North Carolina. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 50 (1), 1-11. 10.1007/s10803-019-04295-4
• Pearson, J.N., Meadan, H., Malone, K., & Martin, B. (2020). Parent and Professional Experiences Supporting African American Children with Autism. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities. 7 (2), 305-315. 10.1007/s40615-019-00659-9
• Pearson, J.N., Akamoglu, Y., Chung, M., & Meadan, H. (2019). Building Family- Professional Partnerships with Culturally, Linguistically, and Economically Diverse Families of Young Children. Multicultural Perspectives, 21 (4), 208-216.
• Akamoglu, Y., Meadan, H., Pearson, J.N., & Cummings, K. (2018). Getting Connected: Speech Language Pathologists’ Perceptions of Building Rapport via Telepractice: A Pilot Study. Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities. 30, 569- 585.
• Pearson, J.N., Hamilton, M-B., & Meadan, H. (2018). “We Saw our Son Blossom”: A Guide for Fostering Culturally Responsive Partnerships to Support African American Autistic Children and their Families. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, 3, 84-97.
• Pearson, J.N., & Meadan, H. (2018). African American Mothers’ Perceptions of Diagnosis and Services for Children with Autism. Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities. 53, 17-32.
• Burke, M. B., Meadan, H., Patton, K., Pearson, J.N., Cummings, K., & Lee, C. E. (2018). Advocacy for children with social-communication needs: Perspectives from parents and school professionals. Journal of Special Education. 51, 191-200.

Book Chapters

• Stewart-Ginsburg, J. H., Macko, J., Pearson, J. N., & Snyder, S. G. (in press). Partnering with families of students with Intellectual Disability and Extensive Support Needs. In E. Bouck (Ed.), Handbook for Educating Students with Disabilities: Implications and Strategies, Section 2: Students with Intellectual Disabilities or Extensive Support Needs. SpringerNature.
• Pearson, J.N., Stewart-Ginsburg, J., & Hopkins, S. L. (2023). Collaborate with Families to Support Student Learning and Secure Needed Services. In Pennington, R., Ault, M., Courtade, G., Jameson, M., & Ruppar, A. (Eds). High Leverage Practices: Ensuring Access for Students with Extensive Support Needs. Routledge.
• Sabornie, E.J., McKeithan, G., & Pearson, J.N. (2022). Classroom Management of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders. In Emmer, E. & Sabornie, E.J. (Eds). Handbook of Classroom Management. Routledge.
• Meadan, H., & Pearson, J.N. (2022). Collaborative Partnerships: Parents and Families. In Chezan, L., Wolfe, K., & Drasgow, E. (Eds). Guide to Evidence-Based Practices for Practitioners Working with Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Rowman & Littlefield.
• Pearson, J.N., Hamilton, M.B., Stansberry, L., & Hussein, D. (2021). Empowering families by utilizing culturally responsive strategies in the education of children with multi-layered identities. In E. Harkins, M. Fuller, & L Brusnahan (Eds) Diversity, Autism, and Developmental Disabilities: Guidance for the Culturally Sustaining Educator.
• Bentz, J., Pearson, J.N., & Witt, M.A., (2016). Study Abroad Australia: Practice and Research. In A. Heejung (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Efficacy and Implementation of Study Abroad Programs for P-12 Teachers. Hershey, PA: IGI Global.

Other Scholarly Publications

• Pearson, J.N. (2016). From Parents to Teachers: Supporting African American Families of Students with Autism. DADD Express, 27. 1, 8.

Courses Taught

• ECI 416: Teaching Exceptional Students in the Mainstream Classroom
• ECI 584: Intervention and Behavior Problems of Students with Disabilities

Area(s) of Expertise

My broad research interests include supporting racially marginalized families supporting children with disabilities. More specifically, my interests include (a) investigating disparities in the diagnosis of autism and access to services for Black autistic children and their families, (b) assessing the impact of parent-advocacy and empowerment training on family dynamics and child outcomes, (c) implementing classroom-based interventions that promote effective learning and engagement for Black autistic students; and (d) building positive partnerships between educators and parents of disabled youth who come from racially marginalized backgrounds.