Wesley Dotson, Ph.D., BCBA

Short Biography:

Dr. Wesley H. Dotson is an Assistant Professor in the Burkhart Center for Autism Education and Research and the Special Education Program in the Department of Educational Psychology and Leadership. He is also the Director of Outpatient Services for the Burkhart Center. He is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst and a certified special education teacher with more than 10 years of experience in the field of special education and a focus on working with children, adolescents and young adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).

Professor Dotson earned his Ph.D. in Behavioral Psychology and his Master of Arts in Applied Behavioral Science from the University of Kansas. His Bachelor of Arts in Psychology was completed at the University of Oklahoma.

Professional Interests:

• Improving long-term outcomes for children, adolescents, and young adults with ASD, including: fitness levels and overall health, social skills and relationship development, participation in post-secondary education, and meaningful employment.
• Preparation of teachers and therapists to work successfully with students with ASD.
• Translational research integrating findings from basic research with clinical interventions to further knowledge about both the mechanisms underlying clinical phenomenon and the effects of interventions on those mechanisms in areas including: neuroimaging, fears and phobias, and transition problems in people with ASD.