Sarah N. Douglas

Biography

Accepting Applications for Graduate Students for the 2024-2025 Academic Year

Dr. Sarah Douglas began her work with children with disabilities as a special education teacher. She obtained a PhD in Special Education from Penn State University (2011) with an emphasis on augmentative and alternative communication. She remained as faculty at Penn State from 2012- 2014 where she taught courses on inclusive ... special education, severe disabilities, English language learners with special needs, assistive technology, and autism. She joined the faculty at MSU in 2014 and started the RADD lab where she conducts research to support children with disabilities, their families, and educational teams. Her research focuses on three distinct areas: paraeducator supports for students with disabilities, communication partner training to support children who use augmentative and alternative communication, and sensor technologies to measure social interactions of children with disabilities. She has current funding through the U.S. Department of Education to create, test, and revise an online training program for paraeducators and supervising teachers who support children with complex communication needs.

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