Story idea submitted by Jessica Jeong, Professor, Honours Bachelor of Behavioural Psychology
Lily Wallis and Krista Walsh, second-year students in the Honours Bachelor of Behavioural Psychology program, presented their posters at the Ontario Association of Developmental Disabilities (OADD) Virtual Conference in April.
Lily and Krista presented virtually on April 22 during the conference’s day-long Research Special Interest Group meeting, which accepts posters and presentations from professional and student researchers from diverse disciplines who are engaged in research relating to intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. Lily won first place in the Poster Award competition for students.
The OADD Virtual Conference included a keynote address, poster sessions, presentations, and symposia on topics focused on improving the lives of persons with developmental disabilities. Lily’s poster research was entitled, "Emotional regulation training combined with differential reinforcement for reducing emotional outbursts", and Krista’s research looked at, "Using social stories and differential reinforcement to increase academic functioning for an adolescent with autism spectrum disorder."
"I’m so proud of the students' hard work and achievement," said Professor Jessica Jeong. "Despite the challenges of the pandemic, our BPSYC students persisted to work hard. And these two students gained valuable knowledge and skills through this experience, which is exactly what we as faculty want to see and support."
"My best experience so far was completing the field placement," Lily said. "I think it is so unique that we get the opportunity to practice our skills as early as second year. I gained experience from the people I was working with that will be valuable to my future career, and memories that I will always be grateful for. I am happy that my first conference experience was related to the work I did on placement because I am so proud and passionate about it."