SU Parent Project People:
P.I. | Graduate Students | Former Research Staff
Principal Investigator:
Laura Lee McIntyre, Ph.D.
llmcinty@syr.edu
Dr. McIntyre is a licensed psychologist and board certified behavior analyst (BCBA) who works with young children with developmental problems and their caregivers
(parents, teachers, pediatricians). She is a senior scientist in the Center for Health and Behavior
and an assistant professor of psychology at Syracuse University where she is a faculty member
in the PhD School Psychology program. She teaches graduate courses in behavioral assessment, preschool and family, and school consultation practicum.
In addition, Dr. McIntyre is an adjunct assistant professor of pediatrics at SUNY Upstate Medical University and works closely with developmental
pediatricians Dr. Louis Pellegrino and Dr. Gregory Liptak. She is also a member of the Center for Children's Health Policy, a Syracuse University
- Upstate Medical University collaboration.
Dr. McIntyre's research interests focus on the early identification and treatment of pediatric developmental and behavioral disorders, home-school collaboration,
transition to kindergarten, and multi-cultural family-based research. Dr. McIntyre and her graduate students have a special interest in parent intervention and she
and doctoral student Leah Phaneuf are evaluating multiple types of parent interventions tailored to meet families' specific needs. Dr. McIntyre also has a special
interest in autism spectrum disorders and is collaborating with the Onondaga County Department of Health on the Early Childhood Autism Project. Additionally, she
and doctoral student Nicole Quintero have been examining family and sibling adjustment in the Autism Sibling Study. Read more about other research projects.
Graduate Students
Niamh Doyle, MS
nmdoyle@syr.edu
Niamh is a fourth year graduate student in the School Psychology program. She received a B.Ed in Elementary Education from St. Patrick's College (Ireland) and a B.Sc in Psychology from Open University (U.K.). Prior to pursuing graduate studies, Niamh was an elementary school teacher and a research assistant at Yale's Child Study Center. Niamh's interests include school and family integration as well as the socioemotional welfare of parents and children with developmental disabilities. Niamh's master's thesis examined parental perspectives on education and involvement in school and she is extending this work to preschool students for her dissertation. Niamh is a research assistant on the NIH-funded SU Parent Project and is currently a school psychologist extern in the Syracuse City School District.
Nicole Quintero, MS
nequinte@syr.edu
Nicole is a fifth year graduate student in the School Psychology program. She received her BS from the University of Florida with a major in Psychology and a minor in Education. Her current interests include childhood developmental disorders, family functioning, and transition to kindergarten. Nicole completed a master's thesis on family functioning and sibling competence in families with and without children with autism. Her dissertation examines parental and teacher involvement and satisfaction in the preschool to kindergarten transition in a sample of children with autism and other developmental disabilities. Nicole is currently completing an APA-accredited predoctoral internship at the Kennedy Krieger Institute at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Leah Wildenger, MS
lkwilden@syr.edu
Leah is a third year graduate student in the School Psychology program. She received her BA from Middlebury College with a major in Psychology and a minor in Elementary Education. She completed an undergraduate honors psychology thesis on epistemological development and its relation to theory of mind in preschool-aged children and also student taught in a kindergarten classroom. Her current research interests include at-risk populations of preschool children, young children with developmental disabilities and the kindergarten transition. Her masters' thesis examined socio-behavioral outcomes of typically developing children during the kindergarten transition. Leah is the recipient of the Gardner Fellowship and also assists on the NIH-funded SU Parent Project and the Early Autism Project (funded by Burton Blatt Institute).Former Research Staff
Leah Phaneuf, PhD
x2lbrzu@yahoo.com
Leah Phaneuf received her PhD in School Psychology from Syracuse University in 2008. While a graduate student at Syracuse University she worked as a research assistant on the NIH-funded SU Parent Project. Leah completed an APA-approved predoctoral internship in child clinical psychology in the Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Department at SUNY Upstate Medical University. She is currently the director of the ABA preschool program at SPICE/Elmcrest Early Education Program and is pursuing certification requirements for the BCBA and licensure as a psychologist. Her clinical and research interests include parent training, video feedback training, and supporting families and children with developmental and/or behavioral problems.
Aila Dommestrup, BA
akdommestrup@gmail.com
Aila graduated from Syracuse University in 2006 with a BA in Psychology and Sociology. She worked for 1 1/2 years as research assistant and coordinator for the SU Parent Project and Early Autism Project. Currently she is pursuing a PhD in School Psychology at the University of Georgia with funding from an autism fellowship. Her research and clinical interests include: children with autism and related disorders, early intervention, family functioning, and academic and behavioral problems in school.
Nicole Neudorfer, BA
njneudor@syr.edu
Nicole graduated from Syracuse University in 2006 with a BA in Psychology. She served as a research assistant for the SU Parent Project and Early Autism Project for 1 1/2 years before pursuing graduate studies. Currently she is pursuing a MSW in social work at New York University. Nicole is proficient in American Sign Language and she is interested in working with children with disabilities, including those who are deaf or hard of hearing.
