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My research emphasis is on understanding the severe behavior
problems of children and adults with special needs, primarily
those with developmental disabilities and emotional or
behavioral disorders. For these two groups, much of my research
has focused on self-injurious behavior and classroom aggression,
respectively. The majority of my research has been
observationally based, theoretically grounded in behavioral
principles, and driven by a commitment to meaningful, functional
outcomes.
I have two current specific areas of
interest. One is the development, assessment, and treatment of
problem behavior among children and adults with a range of
neurodevelopmental and emotional/behavioral disorders. The other
is the problem of pain among children and adults with
significant cognitive impairments and associated developmental
disabilities. Related areas of interest include observational
research methods.
In terms of problem behavior, areas of
specific research interest include (a) characterizing
self-injurious behavior in more detail descriptively (form,
location, intensity) and experimentally (function); (b)
examining the intersection of behavioral and biological
mechanisms underlying chronic self-injury by incorporating
sensory (e.g., pain sensitivity, peripheral innervation) and
autonomic (e.g., sympathetic/parasympathetic, HPA axis) nervous
system variables, and (c) translating findings from basic
research into treatment applications.
In terms of pain, areas of specific research
include (a) the reliable and valid assessment of pain in
children and adults with significant cognitive, communicative,
and motor impairments associated with intellectual disability;
(b) the relation between behavioral and biological variables as
markers for altered pain; (c) modifying/adapting quantitative
sensory testing for individuals with specialized needs; and (d)
the relation between pain and problem behavior, specifically
self-injury.
To address these interests and issues, I
direct an observational methods lab and I am highly
collaborative across a number of research groups (UNC-Chapel
Hill, UBC, Dalhousie University), clinical sites (Gillette
Children’s Specialty Healthcare), labs (Kennedy Peripheral Nerve
Lab), and centers (Center for Neurobehavioral Development,
Minnesota Center for Pain Research).
Teaching interests
EPSY 5656 Introduction to Emotional and Behavioral Disorders
in Special Education
EPSY 5616 Applied Behavior Analysis and Classroom Management
EPSY 8694 Introduction to Research Design in Special
Education
EPSY 8706 Single Case Experimental Design and Analysis
EPSY 8703 Special Topics: Observational Research Methods
Representative publications
Tapp, J., Ticha, R., Kryzer, E., Gustafson,
M., Gunnar, M., & Symons, F. J. (2006). INTMAN: An observational
software system for time sampling data. Behavior Research
Methods, Instruments, & Computers, 38, 165-169.
Symons, F. J., & Danov, S. E. (2005). A
prospective clinical analysis of pain behavior and
self-injurious behavior. Pain, 117, 473-477.
Symons, F. J. (2005). Self-injury and
sequential analysis: Context matters. American Journal on
Mental Retardation, 110, 323-326.
Roberts, J. E., Symons, F. J., Wulfsberg, A.
M., Hatton, D. D., & Boccia, M. L. (2005). Blink rate in boys
with fragile X syndrome: Preliminary evidence for altered
dopamine function. Journal of Intellectual Disability
Research, 49, 647-656.
Symons, F. J., Sperry, L. A., Dropik, P., &
Bodfish, J. W. (2005). The early development of stereotypy and
self-injury in developmental disabilities: A review of research
methods. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 49,
144-158.
Symons, F. J., Thompson, A., & Rodriguez, M.
R. (2004). Self-injurious behavior and the efficacy of
naltrexone treatment: A quantitative review. Mental
Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews, 10,
193-200.
Symons, F. J., Thompson, A., & Realmuto, G.
(2004). Clonidine treatment for self-injurious behavior in an
adolescent girl with neurodevelopmental disorders. Journal of
the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 43,
1324-1325.
Symons, F. J., Sperry, L. A., Holditch-Davis,
D., & Miles, M. S. (2004). Early stereotyped and self-injurious
behavior in young children both at-risk and medically fragile: A
preliminary analysis. Developmental Medicine and Child
Neurology, 45, 844-846.
McComas, J. J., Johnson, L. A., & Symons, F.
J. (2004). Teacher and peer-responsivity to pro-social behavior
of high aggressors in preschool. Educational Psychology, 25,
223-231.
Complete C.V.
updated Dec. 2003
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