Jessica J Simacek

• Researcher 5

Email

sima0034@umn.edu

Phone

+1 612-624-1450

Address

Inst on Community Integration
Room 107 Pattee Hall [map]
150 Pillsbury Drive SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455

Jessica Simacek was a MN LEND post-doctoral Fellow. Her Ph.D is in Educational Psychology, Special Education with a minor in Applied Behavior Analysis from the University of Minnesota. She also earned her undergraduate degree in Psychology at the University of Minnesota. During her doctoral program, Ms. Simacek worked in the Minneapolis Public Schools on implementation of multi-tiered systems of support, served as key personnel in the development and oversight of the Telepresence Behavior Laboratory, taught courses on classroom management and applied behavior analytic problem solving, and conducted studies in the areas of telehealth and communication intervention in autism and Rett syndrome. She has over 10 years clinical experience in early intensive behavioral therapy for children with autism and related neurodevelopmental disabilities, spanning home, center, and school-based settings.

Ms. Simacek's primary research interests include:

1. Communication intervention for children and adults with severe disabilities.
2. Functional analysis and intervention for challenging behavior.
3. The use of telehealth as a service delivery mechanism for communication and challenging behavior interventions for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities and their families.