Education
Ph.D. Special Education, University of California, Los Angeles, 2013
M.A. Education, University of California, Los Angeles, 2013
M.A. Special Education, California State University, Northridge, 2008
Mild-to-Moderate Teaching Credential Special Education, California State University, Northridge, 2008
Biography
Michelle's research interests include the social development of children with disabilities at school, school-based intervention services for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in economically disadvantaged communities, and the study of gender differences in the social behaviors of boys and girls with ASD. She also studies film and television portrayals of ASD.
Michelle is a former special education teacher for the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Select Publications
Dean, M. and Chang, Y. (2021). A systematic review of school based social skills interventions and observed social outcomes for students with ASD in inclusive settings, Autism, 1-16, https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613211012886
Dean, M. and Nordahl-Hansen, A. (2021). A review of research studying film and television representations of ASD. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40489-021-00273-8
Sevier, B. and Dean, M. (in press). Defining New Teacher competencies in and as a diverse community of educator preparation stakeholders. In S. Helfrich, S. Hartman, and D. Yendol-Hoppey (Eds.), Advances in Teacher Education. Information Age Publishing
Dean, M., Williams, J., Orlich, F., & Kasari, C. (2020). Adolescents with autism spectrum disorder and social skills groups at school: A randomized trial comparing intervention environment and peer composition. School Psychology Review.
Shih, W., Dean, M. Kretzmann, M., Locke, J., Senturk, D., Mandell, D., Smith, T., Kasari, C. & AIR-B Network (2019). Remaking Recess intervention for improving peer interactions at school for children with autism spectrum disorder: Multisite randomized trial. School Psychology Review, 48, (2), 133-144.
Kasari, C., Dean, Michelle., Orlich, F., Whitney, R, Landa, R., Lord, C. & King, B. (2016). Children with ASD and social skills groups at school: Randomized trial comparing intervention approach and peer composition. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.
Dean, M. (2015). Teaching social skills in school. In Murawski, W.W.& James, K. L. (Eds.) What Really Works In Elementary Education, Research-based practical strategies for every teacher. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Dean, M. (2015). Teaching social skills in school. In Murawski, W.W.& James, K. L. (Eds.) What Really Works In Secondary Education. Research-based practical strategies for every teacher. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Dean, M., Kasari, C., Shih, W., Landa, R., Lord, C., Orlich, F., Harwood, R. (2014). The peer relationships of girls with ASD at school: Comparison to boys and girls with and without ASD. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 55(11), 1218-1225.
Dean, M., Fox, G. A. & Kasari, C. (2013). How narrative difficulties build peer rejection: A case study of a girl with Asperger’s syndrome and her female peers. Discourse Studies.
Representative Courses Taught
- SPED 345 Individuals with Disabilities in Society
- SPED 530 Typical and Atypical Development
- EDUC 615 Educational Research
- EDSS 424 Creating and Managing Effective Learning Environments
Scholarship
Keywords
Social skills, inclusion, autism, mild-to-moderate disabilities, gender differences