Jo Webber, PhD
Professor, Special Education

Jo Webber, PhD, professor of Special Education, has taught at Texas State University-San Marcos since 1986. She began her professional career in 1976 teaching students with autism and emotional and behavioral disorders. She continues to consult with school districts across the country about educational programs for students with autism and teaches special education courses pertaining to applied behavior analysis (ABA) and autism. Dr. Webber was the first director of the Austin-Travis County MHMR Autism Center and currently serves as chair of the Austin Regional Task Force for Autism reporting to the  Texas Council on Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders.

Dr. Webber has co-authored three books, Autism: Teaching DOES Make a Difference (Wadsworth, 2002), Emotional and Behavioral Disorders: Theory to Practice (Allyn & Bacon, 2008), and Educating Students with Autism: A Quickstart Manual (Pro-Ed, 2008), and served as president of the International Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders, a division of the International Council for Exceptional Children.

Office: Education Building, Room 3010
Phone: 512.245.8389
Email: jw10@txstate.edu

Laurie Klose, PhD
Clinical Assistant Professor

Dr. Klose is a Licensed Specialist in School Psychology. After earning her doctorate in School Psychology from the University of California at Berkeley in 1995, she worked in public school settings in California, Massachusetts and Texas.  In 12 years of practice, Dr. Klose worked with children with a wide variety of needs and abilities.  She has participated in developing models of arena assessment in both the public school and clinical setting. Dr. Klose has participated in advanced training in autism assessment with the University of Michigan Autism Center. She teaches courses on ethics, psycho-educational assessment, consultation, individual and group counseling techniques, data-based decision making, and alternative evaluation and educational intervention.

Dr. Klose's research interests include the areas of achievement motivation, assessment, and school psychology development and professional development.

Office: Education Building, Room 4035
Phone: 512.245.2007
Email: lk14@txstate.edu

Website: http://www.txstate.edu/eaps/school-psychology-program/Program-Faculty/Laurie-Klose.html

Cynthia Plotts, PhD
Associate Professor, School Psychology Program

Dr. Plotts is a licensed psychologist and neuropsychologist.  She earned her doctorate in school psychology from the University of Texas in 1987. Dr Plotts is the School Psychology program coordinator and teaches courses including interviewing, assessment, biological bases of behavior, and individual and group counseling. Dr. Plotts' research areas of interest  identification, assessment and intervention for individuals with traumatic brain injury, pervasive developmental disorders, learning disabilities, emotional disturbance, and variables predicting admission and success in school psychology programs. She has published in the areas of rare disorders, learning disabilities, pervasive developmental disorders, and counseling with brain-injured populations. Dr. Plotts recently co-authored a text with Dr. Jo Webber, Emotional and Behavioral Disorders: Theory to Practice (Allyn & Bacon, 2008). In addition to her academic position at Texas State, Dr. Plotts has many years of experience providing psychological and neuropsychological evaluations and psychotherapy for individuals in school and clinical settings.

Office: Educational Building, ED 4034
Phone: 512.245.3086
Email: cp11@txstate.edu

Website: http://www.txstate.edu/clas/school-psychology-program/Program-Faculty/Cynthia-A-Plotts--Ph-D.html

Russ Lang, PhD
Assistant Professor, Special Education

Russell Lang, Ph.D.,BCBA-D, is an assistant professor of Special Education and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. He earned a doctoral degree in Special Education with an emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and early childhood developmental disabilities from the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Lang completed a post doctoral researcher position at the University of California in Santa Barbara. He has published over 70 peer-reviewed research papers and multiple book chapters concerning the education and treatment of children with autism and other developmental disabilities. His primary research interest is in the treatment of problematic and challenging behaviors in individuals with autism spectrum disorders. Dr. Lang’s research is most often conducted in applied settings including children’s homes and schools. He serves on the editorial review board for Journal of Development and Physical Disabilities and Developmental Neurorehabilitation, and his is the former board member for Journal Applied Behavior Analysis.

Ting Liu, PhD
Assistant Professor, Exercise and Sport Science

Office: Jowers, Room A127
Phone: 512.245.8259
Email: tingliu@txstate.edu 

Amanda Boutot, PhD
Associate Professor, Special Education

Dr. Amanda Boutot, BCBA-D, is an Associate Professor of Special Education at TSU and a doctoral level Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She holds a B.A. from Southwestern University in Psychology, a M.Ed. from Southwest Texas State University in Special Education, and a PhD from The University of Texas at Austin in Special Education. She has been a faculty member at Texas State since 2006 and coordinates the graduate concentration in Autism and Applied Behavior Analysis. She worked as a Special Education teacher in the fields of autism, emotional disturbance, and resource in Texas public schools and continues to consult with school districts nationally in the area of autism and behavior. Dr. Boutot has two edited books and one edited textbook in print: Autism Encyclopedia: The Complete Guide to Autism Spectrum Disorders (with Matt Tincani, Prufrock), Autism Spectrum Disorders: What Parents Need To Know (with Matt Tincani, Pro-Ed), and Autism Spectrum Disorders: Foundations, Characteristics, and Effective Strategies (with Brenda Smith Myles, Pearson). She has also authored and co-authored numerous chapters in books, and peer reviewed articles. Dr. Boutot has presented nationally and internationally in the field of autism and is currently the Vice President of the Division of Autism and Developmental Disabilities (DADD; a division of the International Council for Exceptional Children) and the President of the Texas Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities (a subdivision of DADD). She also serves as the faculty sponsor for the Student Council for Exceptional Children at TSU. Dr. Boutot’s research interests lie primarily in the areas of early identification and early intervention for infants/toddlers with autism. She also conducts work in play, family support and involvement, and has an interest in neurological characteristics and epidemiology.

Office: Education Building, Rm 3009
Phone: 512.245.2027
E-mail: eb15@txstate.edu