Christina Toolan

Education

Ph.D., Education – Human Development & Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles
M.A., Education – Human Development & Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles
B.S., Psychobiology, University of California, Los Angeles

CSUDH Courses

CDV 320 – Methods & Analysis in Child Studies
CDV 495 – Atypical Development

Teaching Philosophy

As an educator, I strive to achieve the following student learning goals: 1) to cultivate a solid base of content knowledge in child development, 2) to have students consider the real-world implications and applications of what they learn, and 3) to foster greater awareness and acceptance of individual differences. I believe that active learning, participation, and frequent evaluations are critical to supporting students’ learning processes.

Research Overview

My research has evolved from a decade of experience working with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and developmental disabilities. My scholarship broadly examines interventions, assessments, and treatment outcomes for children with ASD and their families. Additionally, I prioritize research that promotes equitable access to ASD interventions and services. Through my research, I aim to establish best practices for assessing and working with children with ASD and other developmental disabilities in real-world, everyday contexts – working to bridge the research-to-practice gap by collaborating with parents, teachers, and community providers.

Publications

Toolan, C., Holbrook, A., Schlink, A., Shire, S., Brady, N., & Kasari, C. (2022). Using the Clinical Global Impression scale to assess social communication change in minimally verbal children with autism spectrum disorder. Autism Research, 15(2), 284-295. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.2638

Lord, C., Charman, T., Havdahl, A., Carbone, P., Anagnostou, E., Boyd, B., ... Toolan, C., & McCauley, J. B. (2022). The Lancet Commission on the future of care and clinical research in autism. The Lancet, 399(10321), 271-334. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(21)01541-5

Toolan, C. K., & Kasari, C. (2022). School-based interventions. In E. Hollander, R. Hagerman, & C. Ferretti (Eds.), Textbook of Autism Spectrum Disorders (2nd ed., pp. 575-586). American Psychiatric Association Publishing.

Dow, D., Holbrook, A., Toolan, C., McDonald, N., Sterrett, K., Rosen, N., ... & Lord, C. (2021). The brief observation of symptoms of autism (BOSA): Development of a new adapted assessment measure for remote telehealth administration through COVID-19 and beyond. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-05395-w

de Nocker, Y. L., & Toolan, C. K. (2021). Using telehealth to provide interventions for children with ASD: A systematic review. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 1-31. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40489-021-00278-3

Toolan, C. K., & Kasari, C. (2018). Autism interventions in schools. In E. Hollander, R. Hagerman, & D. Feins (Eds.), Autism Spectrum Disorders (pp. 253-275). American Psychiatric Association Publishing.

christina toolan