Veronica Fleury, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in Special Education and an affiliate faculty in Florida Center for Research. Her expertise is in evidence-based practices to improve educational and behavioral outcomes for learners with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Of central importance to her work is understanding the challenges faced by students, teachers, and families and identifying instructional strategies that are not only effective, but also feasibly implemented by teachers and caregivers. Dr. Fleury’s research seeks to optimize learning opportunities for individuals with ASD specifically by (1) exploring how core behavioral characteristics of ASD promote or inhibit students’ ability to participate in learning activities; (2) identifying and validating instructional strategies to address academic and social-communication difficulties for young children with ASD; and (3) understanding how to promote the adoption of evidence-based practices for individuals with ASD in school and community settings.
Dr. Fleury has served as PI or Co-PI on grants from the Organization for Autism Research, Autism Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs, and Institute on Education Sciences. The Council for Exceptional Children’s Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities (DADD) recognized her contributions to the field of applied autism research by awarding her the 2023 Research Award.
Dr. Fleury earned her Ph.D. in special education at the University of Washington and completed an Institution of Education Sciences (IES) postdoctoral research fellowship with the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill focused on autism intervention research. She has worked with young children with ASD, their families, and school personnel for over 20 years. Her experience includes teaching in inclusive preschool classrooms and autism extended day programs, providing behavioral consultation for home programs, and conducting research in school, home, and clinical settings. Her intervention work with young children with ASD is grounded in applied behavior analysis.