About

Jennifer Asmus is a Professor and Department Chair in the School Psychology Area within the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She holds a PhD in Educational Psychology with a specialization in School Psychology from the University of Iowa. Her role involves leadership within the department, contributing to the advancement of educational psychology and school psychology through her academic and administrative work. Further details about her specific research focus or key contributions are not provided in the available page content.

Research topics

• Psychology
• Clinical psychology
• Psychiatry
• Developmental psychology
• Medicine
• Computer Science
• Engineering
• Medical education
• Physical medicine and rehabilitation
• Social psychology
• Process management
• Mathematics

Selected publications

• Problem solving team interventions: Web-based and consultant-based experimental evaluations

  Journal of School Psychology · 2024-01-10 · 1 citations

  articleCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• A randomized parent‐mediated physical activity intervention for autistic children

  Autism Research · 2023 · 14 citations

  • Psychology
  • Developmental psychology
  • Clinical psychology

  ) of the control group for pre-post locomotor and ball skill scores were 0.12 and 0.06, respectively, indicating small effect size. The effect size of the online group for pre-post locomotor and ball skill scores were 49 and 0.26, respectively, indicating medium and small effect sizes. The effect size of the in-person group for pre-post locomotor and ball skill scores were 1.18 and 0.82, respectively, indicating large effect sizes. The outcomes of this physical activity intervention suggest that parents may facilitate the acquisition of fundamental motor skills of their autistic children. Although these results are positive, there is a need to further identify effective interventions for fundamental motor skill development in autistic children. Clinical Trials ID: NCT05159102.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Observations of Students With and Without Severe Disabilities in General Education Classes: A Portrait of Inclusion?

  Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities · 2023-05-26 · 12 citations

  article

  Inclusive education is now advocated as best practice in schools. However, the extent to which adolescents with severe disabilities access the abundant social and academic experiences available in general education classes remains uncertain. We conducted multiple observations of 146 U.S. high school students with severe disabilities (including intellectual disability, autism, or multiple disabilities), who were enrolled in at least one general education class. Peer interactions with classmates tended to be very infrequent for most students with severe disabilities. Moreover, rates of peer interaction were the lowest during large-group instruction and when students were sitting next to paraprofessionals or special educators rather than with their peers. Academic engagement also varied across students and was highest during small-group instruction, during 1-on-1 work with adults, and when students sat near their peers. Observations of a comparison sample of peers attending these same classes revealed striking overall differences in social and academic participation. We offer recommendations for research and practice aimed at bolstering inclusive education in high schools.

  PublisherDOI

• Individualized Education Programs of High School Students with Significant Disabilities

  Education and training in autism and developmental disabilities · 2023-03-01 · 2 citations

  article

  Individual education programs (IEPs) are the cornerstone of special education programs. The persistence of poor in-and post-school outcomes for students with significant disabilities highlights the importance of developing well-designed IEPs to address their multifaceted needs. We conducted a content analysis of IEPs for 150 high school students receiving special education services under the categories of autism (ASD) and/or intellectual disability (ID) and had significant cognitive impairments. The focus of these educational plans was quite diverse and spanned multiple domains. Moreover, we found that students with intellectual disability with or without autism tended to have similar areas of emphasis, with the exception of the domains of communication and challenging behavior. We offer recommendations for research and practice aimed at strengthening the quality of educational programming for transition-age students with significant disabilities.

  PublisherDOI

• Evaluating the effectiveness of a reverse inclusion Social Skills intervention for children on the Autism Spectrum

  Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · 2022 · 8 citations

  • Psychology
  • Developmental psychology
  • Clinical psychology
  PublisherDOI

• Effects of a Problem-Solving Team Consultation on the Problem-Solving Process: An Evaluation of Concept Knowledge, Implementation Integrity, and Student Outcomes

  Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation · 2022 · 7 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  • Computer Science
  • Psychology
  • Computer Science

  We examined the outcomes of elementary school-based problem-solving teams (PSTs) who participated in a multi-component consultation focused on enhancing systematic problem solving. Consultation provided to each PST included training in the use of a problem-solving protocol (i.e., Outcomes: Planning Monitoring, and Evaluating [Outcomes: PME]) and subsequent performance feedback and training regarding team use of the protocol. A train-the-trainer model was used whereby researchers trained school psychologists to deliver the intervention and serve as coaches on the PSTs. At baseline, all three PSTs demonstrated low (i.e., <50%) problem-solving procedural integrity (i.e., the degree to which critical components of the problem-solving process were implemented), often scoring lowest for problem-solving components related to data collection and analysis (e.g., treatment integrity, progress monitoring, and pre-post intervention data). Each PST demonstrated increased problem-solving integrity following implementation of the first intervention component, problem-solving information and Outcomes: PME training. Procedural integrity also increased for the two PSTs that received the second intervention component, performance feedback. An increase in procedural integrity was not found for one PST that received the third intervention component, targeted consulting; however, data collection was incomplete. Results are discussed in terms of future research priorities to examine consultation that promotes the use of quality team problem-solving components.

  PublisherDOI

• Efficacy and Social Validity of Peer Network Interventions for High School Students With Severe Disabilities

  American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities · 2017-03-01 · 65 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding

  This randomized controlled trial examined the efficacy of peer network interventions to improve the social connections of 47 high school students with severe disabilities. School staff invited, trained, and supported 192 peers without disabilities to participate in individualized social groups that met throughout one semester. Compared to adolescents in the "business-as-usual" control group (n = 48), students receiving peer networks gained significantly more new social contacts and friendships. Although many peer relationships maintained one and two semesters later, their spill over beyond the school day was limited. Students and staff affirmed the social validity of the interventions. We offer recommendations for research and practice aimed at improving the implementation and impact of peer network interventions in secondary schools.

  PublisherDOI

• Assessing the Social Skills and Problem Behaviors of Adolescents With Severe Disabilities Enrolled in General Education Classes

  American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities · 2016-07-01 · 26 citations

  articleSenior author

  Although enhancing the social competence of students with severe disabilities has long remained a prominent focus of school-based intervention efforts, relatively little attention has focused on identifying the most critical social and behavioral needs of students during high school. We examined the social skills and problem behaviors of 137 adolescents with severe disabilities from the vantage point of both special educators and parents. We sought to identify areas of potential intervention need, explore factors associated with social skill and problem behavior ratings, and examine the extent to which teachers and parents converged in their assessments of these needs. Our findings indicate teachers and parents of high school students with severe disabilities rated social skills as considerably below average and problem behaviors as above average. In addition, lower social skills ratings were evident for students with greater support needs, lower levels of overall adaptive behavior, and a special education label of autism. We found moderate consistency in the degree to which teachers and parents aligned in their assessments of both social skills and problem behavior. We offer recommendations for assessment and intervention focused on strengthening the social competence of adolescents with severe disabilities within secondary school classrooms, as well as promising avenues for future research.

  PublisherDOI

• Attitudes of High School Students toward their Classmates with Severe Disabilities: a Pilot Study

  Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities · 2016-05-27 · 21 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Social Outcomes and Acceptability of Two Peer-Mediated Interventions for High School Students With Severe Disabilities: A Pilot Study

  Inclusion · 2016-12-01 · 13 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Adolescents with severe disabilities often have few opportunities to learn alongside and connect socially with peers without disabilities at their high school. In this pilot study, nine high school students with severe disabilities were randomly assigned to three conditions: peer support arrangements, peer network intervention, or a comparison condition involving “business-as-usual” paraprofessional support. School staff served as intervention facilitators and researchers coached and monitored fidelity. Increased classroom interactions were observed for students in the peer support condition and enhanced social contacts and friendships were found for students in both peer support and peer network conditions. Students, peers, and educators perceived both peer-mediated interventions as highly acceptable and feasible. Drawing upon these exploratory findings, we offer recommendations for research and practice focused on fostering strong social connections within high schools.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Maureen A. Conroy

  University of Florida

  45 shared

• Brian A. Boyd

  University of Auckland

  39 shared

• Danielle Madera

  Cohen Children's Medical Center

  36 shared

• David P. Wacker

  University of Iowa

  24 shared

• Erik W. Carter

  Baylor University

  20 shared

• Gregory Lyons

  University of Wisconsin–Madison

  13 shared

• Heartley B. Huber

  Williams (United States)

  12 shared

• David M. Richman

  Texas Tech University

  10 shared

Labs

• Educational PsychologyPI

Education

• Ph.D., Educational Psychology

  University of Wisconsin–Madison

  2005

• M.S., Educational Psychology

  University of Wisconsin–Madison

  2002

• B.A., Psychology

  University of Wisconsin–Madison

  1999