Burkhart Center for Autism Education and Research

02/04/2026

👟 Registration is now open for the 2026 Burkhart Walk for Autism! More details below ⬇️

01/30/2026

Thank you for your continued support, Bryant Blakemore! We truly appreciate you and all that you do for our center. We look forward to seeing you on March 29th at our annual Burkhart Walk for Autism as we come together to support individuals and families in our community.

To learn more about the event:
👉 https://www.depts.ttu.edu/burkhartcenter/families/autism_walk.php

01/20/2026

🎉 Celebrating Dr. Katy Wheeler ’24! 🎓❤️🖤

We are proud to highlight Dr. Katy Wheeler ’24, who completed her PhD while working at the Burkhart Center for Autism Education & Research. Her scholarship reflects a deep commitment to family-centered, evidence-based autism intervention.

📖 New Publication Highlight

Dr. Wheeler is the lead author on a newly published article in Child & Family Behavior Therapy, co-authored with several, including Drs. Hamrick and Banda and former Burkhart postdoctoral fellow, Dr. Sam Hilbert.

The study examined the effects of Child-Directed Interaction (CDI) on autistic children’s preverbal communication skills (e.g., gestures and joint attention), and parents’ linguistic behaviors that support language development.

🔗 Read the full article:

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07317107.2025.2598327

👏 Congratulations, Dr. Wheeler! We are proud to celebrate your scholarship and the impact it continues to have on families and the autism community.

There is a need for innovative language interventions for autistic children that target critical language-building blocks. Parent-Child Interaction Therapy and its Child-Directed Interaction (CDI) ...

01/12/2026

Save the date! The 2026 Burkhart Walk for Autism will be March 29th from 2-4pm at the Fuller Track & Field Complex!

This year's theme is BREAKING BARRIERS

01/09/2026

📢 New Publication Alert!

We are excited to share our latest research exploring how under-resourced and rural schools can leverage the ethical use of artificial intelligence (AI) to help mitigate limited access to educational resources. This work highlights practical pathways for integrating AI to support special education teachers in enhancing their instructional impact and effectiveness for students who need it most.

We are incredibly proud of our dedicated team whose collaboration and commitment made this contribution possible — advancing research that directly supports educators and learners in rural communities.

In recent years, public education, along with many other professional disciplines, has seen an explosion in the use of artificial intelligence (AI). Many new AI...

01/05/2026

There are still plenty of spots open for ACEing Autism spring tennis clinics! Sign up today!

🎾 Register now for the ACEing Autism spring tennis clinics!

https://aceingautism.org/programs/lubbock-tx/

12/24/2025

The Burkhart Center will be closed for the Texas Tech University holiday break from December 24th through January 2nd. We will reopen on January 5th.

Wishing you and your family a wonderful holiday season!

12/15/2025

🎾 Register now for the ACEing Autism spring tennis clinics!

https://aceingautism.org/programs/lubbock-tx/

12/13/2025

Congrats to Madeline! ❤️🖤
She graduated this week with her M.Ed in Special Education with a focus on applied behavior analysis. Madeleine worked at Burkhart as an undergraduate student worker during undergrad and continued as a research assistant at Burkhart for majority of her graduate degree.
She was instrumental in many research projects & work that provided a multitude of learning opportunities to set her on her path as a strong practitioner in our field.
During her time at Burkhart, Madeline made contributions to the following:

PUBLICATIONS

Wheeler, K., Johnson, S., Hamrick, J., Faz, E., Smith, S., Fricke, M., (2024) The Role of Child-Directed Interaction in Reducing Emotional Distress in One Young Autistic Child [Clinical Case Studies]

Wheeler, K., Hamrick, J., Fricke, M., Faz, E., (2025) Can I Play Too? Facilitating Social Engagement in Two Young Autistic Children through Child-Directed Strategies in Early Childhood Special Education [Early Childhood Education]

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

Armes, C., Fricke, M., Prueitt, N., Hyman, L., Hamrick, J., Banda, D., Niland, H. (March 2025). Incorporating the Whole Family: Increasing Coping Skills through Parent-Implemented Behavior Contracts with a Neurodivergent Teenager [Poster]. Association of Professional Behavior Analysts 15th Annual Conference, Dallas, TX, United States.

Fricke, M., Prueitt, N., Hart, S., Hyman, L., Hamrick, J., Banda, D. (March 2024). Evaluating Communication through Parent Implemented Intervention using Functional Communication Training via Telehealth for a Child with Autism [Poster]. Texas Association for Behavior Analysis 39th Annual Conference, Houston, TX, United States.

Fricke, M., Prueitt, N., Hart, S., Hyman, L., Hamrick, J., Banda, D. (March 2024). Evaluating Communication through Parent Implemented Intervention using Functional Communication Training via Telehealth for a Child with Autism [Poster]. Texas Tech Undergraduate Research Conference, Lubbock, TX, United States.

Hyman. L., Fricke. M., Hamrick. J., Favela. A., Jeantet. A., Banda. D. (March 2023). Mobile and Telehealth Outreach Clinic for Autism: Providing Supports and Services to Families Throughout Rural Texas​ [Poster]. Texas Tech Undergraduate Research Conference, Lubbock, TX, United States.

Hyman. L., Fricke. M., Hamrick. J., Favela. A., Jeantet. A., Banda. D. (April 2023). Mobile and Telehealth Outreach Clinic for Autism: Providing Supports and Services to Families Throughout Rural Texas​ [Poster]. Texas Association for Behavior Analysis 38th Annual Conference, San Antonio, TX, United States.

12/09/2025

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11/27/2025

Wishing you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving!

11/22/2025

Kudos to our undergraduate student worker, Kara Daniels. She came in third overall, and the first woman to cross the finish line at the Greatest of Autumn Trot 5k Fun Run this morning at A Place to Call Home at Red Barn Ranch!

When she’s not demonstrating her amazing running skills, she’s part of our telehealth parent training program that provides services to families across the entire state of Texas. Go Kara! We’re so proud of you.