Amplifying Voices: Exploring Educational Access and Support Experiences of Children with Autism

On Wednesday, April 23, 2025 at 7:00pm (ET) join Dr. Tiffany Banks and Dr. Andrea Suk as they present: Amplifying Voices: Exploring Educational Access and Support Experiences of Children with Autism and Creating Inclusive Research Teams

The growing literature to support the use of animal-assisted interventions to benefit the lives of Autistic individuals demonstrates increased methodological rigor over the last decade. In this presentation we explore the rationale and justification for amplifying Autistic voices as part of the research process. We will review best practices and considerations for interviewing Autistic youth and conclude with recommendations on creating inclusive research teams to further align our work with ethical research practices.

About our presenters:

Tiffany Banks, PhD, LCSW-C*
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Assistant Professor, School of Social Work
University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC)

Tiffany Banks (she/her), Ph.D., Assistant Professor, earned her BS in Social Work from Niagara University, her MSW with a concentration in maternal and child health from the University of Maryland at Baltimore, and her Ph.D. from Colorado State University, School of Social Work. Her practice focuses on providing mental health care and allyship for individuals impacted by disability and chronic health issues. Dr. Banks has provided this care in a variety of settings including schools, community-based mental health settings, and private practice. She utilizes her clinical experiences to inform her macro-level advocacy efforts to improve policy practices impacting the experience of disability. Her research interests include best practices in mental health care for children with Autism, sibling issues within the disability community, and animal-assisted interventions.

Dr. Andrea Suk
Salisbury University

Meet Dr. Andrea Suk! She kicked off her educational journey by earning a bachelor's degree in Learning Behavior Specialist education from Bradley University. After that, she dove into teaching as a high school special education teacher in Illinois and Arizona, where she quickly found herself guiding students toward exciting post-graduation careers. Her passion for helping others led her to earn a Master’s degree in Transition from the University of Kansas and later complete her doctorate at the University of Oklahoma, diving deep into transition and behavior analysis.

While working as a transition specialist in Texas, Andrea crafted an impressive 150 transition plans for students, supporting both high school and middle schoolers in their path forward. Her hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed—she has received fantastic accolades, including the ACE Mentor of the Year in Phoenix, the Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year in Glendale, Arizona, and even a Target Grant Field Trip award!

These days, Dr. Suk is making a difference as the Assistant Professor of Inclusion at Salisbury University. Plus, she is a certified therapeutic horseback riding instructor.

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Topic: Amplifying Voices: Exploring Educational Access and Support Experiences of Children with Autism and Creating Inclusive Research Teams