Kelly McConnell completed her undergraduate degree at The University of Florida before obtaining a master’s in Applied Behavior Analysis from Northeastern University in 2009, and a PhD in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) from Western New England University in 2014. She is currently completing coursework to obtain a second master’s degree in environmental sustainability through the Extension School at Harvard University.
In 2005, she joined the New England center for Children, holding many positions in their residential program before moving to the ACE department. She currently serves as the Director of ACE Client Success, providing training and on-going support to clinicians and educators around the country.
She is also an adjunct professor of several education and ABA-based courses and enjoys presenting research at national and regional conferences. Her primary research interests include ABA-based assessments, environmental sustainability, staff training, assessment and treatment of severe problem behavior, and increasing compliance with medical and dental procedures.
Publications
McConnell, K. L., Sassi, J. L., Carr, L., Szalwinski, J., Courtemanche, A., Njie-Jallow, F., & Cheney, W. R. (2020). Functional analysis and generalized treatment of disruptive behavior during dental exams. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 53(4), 2233–2249. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaba.747
Szalwinski, J., Thomason-Sassi, J. L., Moore, E., & McConnell, K. (2019). Effects of decreasing intersession interval duration on graduated exposure treatment during simulated routine dental care. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 52(4), 944–955. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaba.642
Cohen, S., Fulcher, B.d., Rajaratnam, S.M.W., Conduit, R., Sullivan, J.P., St. Hilaire, M.A., Phillips, A.J., Loddenkemper, T., Kothare, S.J., McConnell, K.L., Ahearn, B.A., Braga-Kenyon, P., Shlesinger, A., Potter, J., Bird, F., Cornish, K.M., & Lockley, S.W. (2017). Behaviorally-determined sleep phenotypes are robustly associated with adaptive functioning in individuals with low functioning autism. Scientific Reports, 7: 14228. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-14611-6
Karsten, A.M., Andrade, M.E., Cividini‐Motta, C., Conde, K.A., Donnelly, M.G., McConnell, K.L., Moore, K., Peters, L.C., Roberts, K., Stocco, C.S., Sveinbjornsdottir, B., & Vanselow, N.R. (2012). A Review of Behavioral Foundations of Effective Autism Treatment. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 5, 47-52. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03391817
Audio Presentations
McConnell, K.M. (Guest speaker). (2020, November 25). Dental Exam Tolerance (No. 148) [Audio podcast episode]. In ABA Inside Track. https://www.abainsidetrack.com/home/2020/11/25/dental-exam-tolerance
Awards, Honors & Distinctions
- Behavior Change for a Sustainable World-Original Research Proposal: Berkshire Association for Behavior Analysis and Therapy (October 2023)
- Excellence in Graduate Studies: Northeastern University MABA Program (January 2009)
- Excellence in Research: Dr. Carolyn Tucker’s Behavioral Medicine Research Team (2003)