College of Education and Human Development

Department of Educational Psychology

Jennifer McComas

  • Rodney S. Wallace Professor for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning

Jennifer McComas Headshot

Areas of interest

  • Applications of basic behavioral processes to socially meaningful behavior
  • Persistence and resurgence of behavior post-treatment
  • Intervention for problem behavior of individuals with severe problem behavior via telehealth
  • Analysis of academic performance of students with behavior problems in school settings
     
  • Considerations of culture in empirical research
  • Teaching communication to individuals with complex communication needs, including Rett syndrome via telehealth
    • Open Access Government article on Professor McComas' Rett syndrome research
    • Brochure on tailoring treatment to communication needs for Rett syndrome
    • Video of Professor McComas discussing Rett syndrome telehealth research at UMN
    • Request more information on Rett syndrome telehealth research: jmccomas@umn.edu
Degrees

PhD, The University of Iowa

Biography

Collaborative Action for Radical Equity (CARE) in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Lab

Applied Behavior Analysis Lab

  • Principal Investigator, Developing an Intervention Model for Complex Communication Needs in Rett Syndrome.” Funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
  • Project director, Leadership Training to Promote Students’ Academic and Behavioral Success in Grades 3-8.” Funded by the U.S. Dept of Education and the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS)
  • Bridging basic and applied behavior science: Arranging reinforcement schedules during treatment to promote persistence of appropriate behavior and reduce resurgence of problem behavior post-treatment

Leadership

  • Rodney S. Wallace Professor for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning
  • Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Behavioral Education
  • Head, Emotional Behavior Disorders Licensure/MEd Program
  • Co-Founder and Co-Director, Urban Indian Education Partnership (between U of MN and Minneapolis Public Schools)
Publications

Quade, M. M., Unholz-Bowden, E., Xiong, E., McComas, J. J. (in press). An investigation of the utility of contingency space analyses as a tool for developing hypotheses regarding student interfering behavior. Behavior Analysis in Practice.

O’Brien, M. J., Schieltz, K. M., Berg, W. K., McComas, J. J., & Wacker, D. P. (2021). Delivering Interventions Via Telehealth: Functional Communication Training with a Child with Autism as a Case Example. Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 46(1), 53–60. https://doi.org/10.1177/1540796920980452

Burns, M. K., Maki, K.E., Brann, K., Helman, L., & McComas, J. J. (2020). Comparison of Reading Growth among Students with Severe Reading Deficits Who Received Intervention to Typically Achieving Students and Student Receiving Special Education. Journal of Learning Disabilities.

Unholz-Bowden, E., McComas, J.J., McMaster, K.L., Girtler, S. N., Kolb., R. L., & Shipchandler, A. (2020). Caregiver Training Via Telehealth on Behavioral Procedures: A Systematic Review. Journal of Behavioral Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10864-020-09381-7

Van Norman, E. R., Maki, K. E., Burns, M. K., McComas, J. J., & Helman, L. (2018). Comparison of progress monitoring data from general outcome measures of specific subskill mastery measures for reading. Journal of School Psychology, 67, 179-18

Benson, S., Dimian, A., Elmquist, M., Simacek, J., McComas, J. J., & Symons, F. J. (2017). Coaching parents to assess and treat self-injurious behaviour via telehealth. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 1-10, DOI: 10.1111/jir.12456.

Burns, M. K., Frederick, A., Helman, L., Pulles, S., McComas, J. J., & Aguilar, L. (2017). Relationship between language proficiency and growth during reading interventions. The Journal of Educational Research, 110, 581-588

McComas, J. J., Downwind, I., Klingbeil, D. A., Petersen-Brown, S., Davidson, K. M., & Parker, D. C. (2016). Relations between instructional practices and on-task behavior in classrooms serving American Indian students. Journal of Applied School Psychology doi.org/10.1080/15377903.2016.1236308

Pennington, B., & McComas, J. J. (2016). Effects of the good behavior game across classroom contexts. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis doi/10.1002/jaba.357/epdf

Simacek, J., Dimian, A. F., & McComas, J. J. (2017). Communication intervention for young children with severe neurodevelopmental disabilities via telehealth. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disabilities. DOI: 10.1007/s10803-016-3006-z

Chen, M., McComas, J., & Reichle, J. (2015). Brief Component Analysis to Identify the Active Variable in the Maintenance of Tolerance for Delay of Reinforcement Intervention for an Adolescent with Autism. Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities. 10.1007/s10882-015-9422-8

Simacek, J., Reichle, J., & McComas, J. (2016). Communication Intervention to Teach Requesting Through Aided AAC for Two Learners With Rett Syndrome. Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities. 10.1007/s10882-015-9423-7

Byiers, B., Dimian, A., McComas, J. J., & Symons, F. J. (2014). Effects of positive and negative reinforcement in a concurrent operants arrangement on compliance and problem behavior. Acta de Investigacion Psicologica, 4, 1758-1772.

Peterson, M., Brandes, D., Kunkel, A., Wilson, J., Rahn, N.L., Egan, A., & McComas, Jennifer. (2013). Teaching letter sounds to kindergarten English language learners using incremental rehearsal. Journal of School Psychology , 52, 97-107

McComas, J. J., & O’ Raghallaigh, M. (2011). Introduction to the special issue: The influence of cultural and linguistic variables on student behavior and academic performance. Journal of Behavioral Education, 20, 221-223.

Haegele, K. M., McComas, J. J., Dixon, M., & Burns, M. K. (2011). Using a stimulus equivalence paradigm to teach numerals, English words, and Native American words to preschool-age children. Journal of Behavioral Education, 20, 283-296.