Our Team

5th year PhD Student; Predoctoral Internship at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta/ Emory University- Neurodevelopment Assessment and Early Intervention Track

Rabbiya is from Karāchi, Sindh, Pakistan. She earned her MSEd in School Psychology from Indiana University. Her research and clinical interests include autism in girls and multicultural considerations in autism assessment. Rabbiya loves reality TV and spending time with friends and family.

Email: rashahid@iu.edu

5th year PhD Student; Predoctoral Internship at Nationwide Children’s Hospital- IDD Track

Ciara is from Homewood, IL. She earned her BS in Psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and her MSEd in School Psychology from Indiana University. Her research and clinical interests include experiences of Black families pursuing an autism diagnosis, and culturally responsive neurodevelopmental assessment practice and service delivery. Ciara loves all things reality TV, reading, and spending quality time with friends. Her most recent hobby and self-care activity has been nail design.

Email: cithom@iu.edu

4th year PhD Student

Gwen Davis is from Ann Arbor, MI. They earned their BA in Psychology from Kalamazoo College and completed postbacc training at the Center for Children and Families of Western New York and Florida International University. They earned their MSEd in School Psychology from Indiana University. Their research and clinical interests include equitable and neuroaffirming neurodevelopment assessment, culturally responsive clinical practice, and complex medical cases. In their free time, they love hiking and crocheting and have two cats.

Email: gwmdavis@iu.edu

4th Year PhD Student

Alexa is from Richmond, VA. She earned her BS in Psychology from Virginia Tech and completed postbacc training at the Center for Autism and Brain Development at Duke University. She earned her MSEd in School Psychology from Indiana University. Her research and clinical interests include autism assessment, early childhood, and inclusive sex education. In her free time, she is usually in the kitchen experimenting with new recipes, hunting for gems at the thrift store, or out on the Monon Trail getting in a run.

Email: anb9@iu.edu

4th Year PhD Student

Devin is from Mooresville, IN. He earned his BA in Psychology from Franklin College and his MSEd in School Psychology from Indiana University. His research and clinical interests include interprofessional and interagency collaboration, autism assessment practices, and cross-system service delivery (education and clinical). In his free time, he is a coffee enthusiast who keeps a running notebook of coffee shops he has visited—currently at 85 and counting.

Email: dibyers@iu.edu

3rd Year PhD Student

Andrea Lopez is from Madison, WI. She earned a BS in Brain & Cognitive Science and a BA in Psychology from the University of Rochester and completed postbacc training at the Center for Autism at Children’s National Hospital. Her research and clinical interests include culturally responsive autism assessment and bilingual (Spanish-English) psychoeducational assessments. In her free time, she loves soccer, holds a black belt in karate, and has a dog and a bearded dragon.

Email: lopezand@iu.edu

1st Year PhD Student

Rylie is from Grand Rapids, MI. She earned her BS in Psychology & Neuroscience from Loyola University Chicago. Her research and clinical interests include advancing psychoeducational assessment and translational science to address global disparities in early diagnostic practices. In her free time, she loves to travel, hike, watch the Chicago Cubs, and try new foods.

Email: rjsteuer@iu.edu

1st Year PhD Student

Alexa is from Coral Springs, FL. She earned her BS in Cell & Molecular Biology from the University of South Florida and her MPH from Emory University Rollins School of Public Health. Her research and clinical interests include community engagement, culturally responsive interventions and services, and implementation and dissemination. In her free time, she enjoys trying new coffee spots, attending soccer games (Vamos ATL), and running.

Email: alesgonz@iu.edu

Arnold Rodríguez Robles is a Postdoctoral Fellow within the Department of Applied Psychology in Education and Research Methodology (APERM) and the Learning and Developmental Evaluation Clinic (LDEC) at Indiana University. He earned his Ph.D. in School Psychology, with an emphasis in Quantitative Methods, from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Broadly, his research focuses on scale development and psychometric validation, examining executive functioning and language development in early childhood, and improving neuropsychological assessment practices for culturally and linguistically diverse youth. 

Email: arnrodri@iu.edu

Hometown: Westfield, Indiana
Major: Neuroscience, Pre-med
Minor: Spanish and Non-profit management
Year: Junior

Research & Clinical Interests:
Eli’s research interests include perceptions of autism/neurodivergency across cultural contexts, as well as understanding the different structural barriers faced by autistic individuals with additional marginalized identities.

Hobbies & Interests:
Eli enjoys listening to fantasy or history audiobooks while doing some kind of art, though they especially enjoy crochet and ceramics. 

Hometown: Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Major: Voice Performance
Minor: Chemistry
Year: Sophomore

Research & Clinical Interests:
Charles’s research interests concern the understanding of developmental disorders such as autism, and the experiences of those who have developmental disorders, especially minorities.

Hobbies & Interests:
If Charles isn’t practicing music, then he’s probably listening to some Norah Jones, reading a Cal Newport book, or playing animal crossing!

Hometown: Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam
Major: Clinical Psychological Science
Year: Junior

Research & Clinical Interests:
Vy’s research interests include culturally responsive care and understanding how current intervention and practices can be improved to better support children and family from diverse backgrounds.

Hobbies & Interests:
In Vy’s free time she enjoys playing video games and is currently learning to crochet.

Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Major: Clinical Psychology
Minor: Business

Research & Clinical Interests:
My research and clinical interests focus on working with children with autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. I hope to gain more research experience in this area while learning more about how to support children in developing important daily living skills. I currently work as a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) at an ABA clinic, where I follow individualized behavioral intervention plans and work directly with children with autism to support their daily living skills and development. In the future, I hope to open my own practice, where I can conduct psychological evaluations to help identify neurodevelopmental disorders in children and provide them and their families with appropriate support.

Hobbies & Interests:
Outside of psychology, I enjoy baking!

Hometown: Fort Wayne, Indiana
Major: Clinical Psychological Science B.S.
Year: Junior

Research & Clinical Interests:
Ashley’s research and clinical interests are supporting autistic and neurodiverse children with their behavioral and social skills. This past summer, I interned through a hospital network, shadowing a clinical psychologist within the primary care setting of a pediatric wing, observing different aspects of a mental health institute, and working on the hospital helpline. This opportunity reaffirmed and furthered my interest in the field of psychopathology in children and adolescents. I hope to become a clinical psychologist, testing children and adolescents for neurodiverse disorders and providing therapies needed to best serve each client.

Hobbies & Interests:
Ashley enjoy hiking, baking, and reading!

Hometown: Plymouth, Indiana 
Major: Psychology 
Minor: Child and Adolescent Mental Health 
Year: Junior

Research & Clinical Interests: My research and clinical interests include understanding and improving the future outlook for neurodivergent people within our communities. My goal is to recognize and better understand how current attitudes toward the neurodivergent community affect individuals’ experiences, opportunities, and overall quality of life. I am particularly interested in exploring how societal perceptions, clinical practices, and community-based supports can either create barriers or promote greater inclusion and acceptance. Through this work, I hope to contribute to a deeper understanding of neurodiversity and help support approaches that empower neurodivergent individuals to thrive within their communities.

Hobbies & Interests: In my free time I love to read and watch new movies. Some of my favorite movies that came out this year are “The Drama” and “Obsession”!