Research
Practical questions, mostly answered in clinics, schools, homes, and community settings, and usually led by graduate students.
Faster teaching
Learners with autism often get many hours of instruction a week, so small gains in efficiency add up fast. We compare prompting and prompt-fading procedures, instructive feedback, matrix training, and reinforcement arrangements, and look for ways to match procedures to each learner.
Recent example: Kemmerer et al. (2026), determining learner-specific prompt type and prompt-fading procedures for adults with autism, Behavioral Interventions.
Training that sticks
Good procedures only help when they're carried out well. We build and test training for staff, caregivers, and students, including video modeling, computer-based instruction, and behavioral skills training, with an eye on how much trainer time each one really needs.
Recent example: Campanaro et al. (2023), using computer-based instruction to teach implementation of behavioral skills training, Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis.
Safety and public health
The same training methods work well for skills where mistakes are costly. Our studies cover safe infant sleep, infant CPR, car seat installation, teaching children to stay away from dangerous items, avoiding food allergens, and most recently responding to a suspected opioid overdose.
Recent example: Vladescu et al. (2026), teaching adults to respond to suspected opioid overdose, Behavioral Interventions.
Generalization and emergence
Good teaching produces more than it directly teaches. We study what makes skills carry over to new people, places, and materials, and we use equivalence-based instruction so a few taught relations lead to many more. We also study the component skills behind intraverbal behavior.
Recent example: Pantano et al. (2026), component skills that support the emergence of intraverbal tacts, Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.
Selected papers
19 of 101 peer-reviewed papers shown
2026
Vladescu, J. C., Segal, S. G., Schnell-Peskin, L. K., & Day, J.
Behavioral Interventions, 41, e70150
Safety
2026
A survey of open science practices in behavior analysis
Jennings, A. M., Breeman, S. L., Vladescu, J. C., & Cox, D. J.
Behavior Analysis in Practice
The field
2026
Kemmerer, A. R., Vladescu, J. C., Sidener, T. M., DeBar, R. M., & Bell, M. C.
Behavioral Interventions, 41, e70153
Teaching
2026
A systematic review of empirical intraverbal research: 2021–2025
Vladescu, J. C., Conry, H., & Schnell-Peskin, L. K.
Behavioral Interventions, 41(4), e70137
Generalization and emergence
2026
Toward increasing the efficiency of computer-based instruction for staff training
Hickey, C. R., Reeve, S. A., Reeve, K. F., Deshais, M. A., & Vladescu, J. C.
Behavioral Interventions, 41(3), e70113
Training
2026
Further evaluation of component skills that facilitate the emergence of intraverbal tacts
Pantano, N. A., Sidener, T. M., Rodriguez, N. M., Vladescu, J. C., & Kisamore, A. N.
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 125(2), e70093
Generalization and emergence
2025
A potential life-saving skill: Teaching caregivers to perform infant cardiopulmonary resuscitation
Aciu, J.-L., Vladescu, J. C., Day-Watkins, J., & Schnell-Peskin, L. K.
Behavioral Interventions, 40(4), e70038
Safety
2025
Zonneveld, K. L. M., Rasuratnam, N., & Vladescu, J. C.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis
Safety
2025
Breeman, S. L., Vladescu, J. C., Sidener, T. M., DeBar, R. M., & Gureghian, D. L.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 58(3), 573–594
Teaching
2025
Colasurdo, C., Reeve, K. F., Jennings, A. M., Vladescu, J. C., Reeve, S. A., & Albright, L.
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 124(1), e70032
Generalization and emergence
2024
A survey of procedural-fidelity data collection in behavior-analytic practice
Bergmann, S., Harmon, M. J., Brand, D., & Vladescu, J. C.
Behavior Analysis in Practice, 18(4), 1076–1094
The field
2023
Teaching children to identify and avoid food allergens using behavioral skills training
Quiroz, M., Schnell, L. K., Kisamore, A. N., Day-Watkins, J., & Vladescu, J. C.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 56(2), 565–574
Safety
2023
Using computer-based instruction to teach implementation of behavioral skills training
Campanaro, A. M., Vladescu, J. C., DeBar, R. M., Deshais, M. A., & Manente, C. J.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 56(1), 241–257
Training
2023
A scoping review of the caregiver training literature for individuals with autism spectrum disorder
Kemmerer, A., Vladescu, J. C., DeBar, R. M., Sidener, T. M., & Bell, M. C.
Behavioral Interventions, 38(3), 767–792
Training
2023
Matrix training with and without instructive feedback
Rickoski, B. R., Vladescu, J. C., Breeman, S. L., Reeve, S. A., & Gureghian, D. L.
Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 39(2), 84–95
Teaching
2022
Mery, J. N., Vladescu, J. C., Day-Watkins, J., Sidener, T. M., Reeve, K. F., & Schnell, L. K.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 55(4), 1239–1257
Safety
2020
Safe to sleep: Community-based caregiver training
Vladescu, J. C., Day-Watkins, J., Schnell, L. K., & Carrow, J. N.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 53(4), 1922–1934
Safety
2013
Vladescu, J. C., & Kodak, T. M.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 46(4), 805–816
Teaching
2012
Vladescu, J. C., Carroll, R., Paden, A., & Kodak, T. M.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 45(2), 419–423
Training
Invited talks
256 presentations so far, 36 of them invited. A few recent ones:
2026
It takes a community: Partnering with community-based organizations to promote safe infant sleep
ABAI Annual Convention, San Francisco
2025
Training, maintenance, and other adventures in supporting caregivers and medical personnel to follow safe infant sleep recommendations
Massachusetts Association for Applied Behavior Analysis, Marlborough
2023
Behavioral skills training: Recent research and guidelines
Autism: Challenges and Solutions Conference, Abu Dhabi
2023
Supporting caregivers and medical personnel to follow safe infant sleep recommendations
Pennsylvania Association for Behavior Analysis, Lancaster
2021
Increasing child safety and injury prevention
Association for Behavior Analysis International, webinar
2019
Instructive feedback in acquisition programs: Recent advances and practice recommendations
Encontro Brasil & EUA de Autismo, Recife, Brazil
2018
Teaching safety skills to children
Hawai'i Association for Behavior Analysis, Honolulu
Doctoral students
Where the people I've advised are now.
Ashley Kemmerer, 2025
Chief Center Development Officer, Graham Behavior Services
Samantha Breeman, 2023
Postdoctoral fellow, Children's Specialized Hospital and Rutgers University Center for Autism Research, Education, and Services
Adrienne Jennings, 2022
Assistant Professor, Daemen University
Jacqueline Mery, 2021
Postdoctoral fellow, Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Alexandra Campanaro, 2021
Postdoctoral fellow, May Institute
Kathleen Marano-Frezza, 2021
Behavior Analyst, Butler Public School District
Casey Nottingham, 2019
Senior Clinical Director, GentleCare Therapy
Lauren Schnell, 2018
Assistant Professor, Hunter College
Antonia Giannakakos, 2018
Assistant Professor, Western Connecticut State University