B.A. 2005 Psychology and American Sign Language, University of Rochester

As a Research Assistant for the STAART Child and Family Project, I am responsible for conducting a variety of assessments, including ones that are cognitive, diagnostic and language based.

My coursework at the University of Rochester, clinical experiences and interest in children has brought me to the Lab. For the past four years, I have a studied American Sign Language and Psychology with a focus on child development. Additionally, as an undergraduate, I conducted my own research on the parental influence on a child’s social competence in a typically developing population. While gaining a thorough understanding of the typically developing population and its familial influence through this research, I have also gained an understanding of people with developmental disorders through my clinical experiences. I spent my summers volunteering at a residential facility for adolescents with pervasive developmental disorders, and an integrated preschool for children with pervasive developmental disorders, autism, and typical development. I have immensely enjoyed my study of psychology, as well as my clinical work with people with pervasive developmental disorders, and hope to continue eventually to graduate school for clinical psychology with a research focus on those populations.

contact: arayno@bu.edu