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Kelly Whalon 

Associate Professor

Email

kwhalon@ufl.edu

Address

Norman Hall,
PO Box 117040,
Gainesville, FL 32611

About

Dr. Kelly Whalon is an Associate Professor of Special Education at the School of Special Education School Psychology and Early Childhood Studies. Her research focuses on developing and evaluating evidence-based interventions to enhance reading comprehension, emergent literacy, language, and social communication skills for learners with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and developmental disabilities. She has extensive experience designing shared storybook reading and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) interventions, as well as leading federally funded projects through the Institute of Education Sciences and the U.S. Department of Education.

Affiliations

  • School of Special Education School Psychology and Early Childhood Studies

Research Interests

Autism Spectrum Disorders, Behavior Management, Early Childhood, Early Childhood Studies, Emerging Technologies, Evidence-based Practices, Literacy, Reading, Single Case Experimental, Socialization Issues / Social Competence, Special Education

Education

  • Ph.D. in Special Education, Florida State University (2005)
  • M.S. in Special Education, Florida Gulf Coast University (2000)
  • B.A. in Psychology, Rhode Island College (1995)

Professional Appointments

  • Professor, Special Education, Oklahoma State University (2023–Present)
  • AJ and Susan Jacques Professor in Special Education, Oklahoma State University (2023–Present)
  • Program Leader, Special Education, Florida State University (2022–2023)
  • Program Leader, Online Graduate Programs in Autism Spectrum Disorder, Florida State University (2019–2023)
  • Associate Professor, Special Education, Florida State University (2019–2023)
  • Affiliated Faculty, Florida Center for Reading Research (2017–2023)
  • Assistant Professor, School of Teacher Education, Florida State University (2013–2017)
  • Associate Scholar, College of Education, University of Florida (2011–2013)
  • Associate Professor, School of Education, The College of William and Mary (2011)
  • Assistant Professor, School of Education, The College of William and Mary (2005–2011)

Activities and Honors

  • AJ and Susan Jacques Professor in Special Education, Oklahoma State University (2023–Present)
  • Florida State University College of Education Undergraduate Teaching Award (2016)
  • Robert F. Sharpe and Jane A. Sharpe Professorship, Civic Renewal and Social Entrepreneurship (2010)

Selected Grants

Developing an Emergent Literacy Adaptive Intervention for Preschoolers with Autism

Role
  • Co-PI
Funding Agency
  • Institute of Education Sciences
Project Period
  • July 2024–June 2028
Award Amount
  • $1,999,993

Project RAISE: Research-based Academic Interventions for Students with Extensive Support Needs

Role
  • Co-PI
Funding Agency
  • U.S. Department of Education, OSEP
Project Period
  • Nov 2019–Oct 2024
Award Amount
  • $1,090,208

KiDDS: K-12 Individuals with Developmental Disabilities

Role
  • Co-PI
Funding Agency
  • U.S. Department of Education, OSEP
Project Period
  • Nov 2019–Oct 2024
Award Amount
  • $1,244,046

Communication for Young Children to Enhance Learning (Project CYCEL)

Role
  • Co-PI
Funding Agency
  • U.S. Department of Education
Project Period
  • Aug 2018–May 2023
Award Amount
  • $864,580

Adaptive Training of Representational Flexibility for Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Role
  • Co-PI
Funding Agency
  • National Science Foundation
Project Period
  • Aug 2018–Jul 2020
Award Amount
  • $299,310

ASD-STEM

Role
  • PI
Funding Agency
  • U.S. Department of Education
Project Period
  • Jan 2015–Dec 2019
Award Amount
  • $934,537

Selected Publications

  • Whalon, K., Therrien, M. C. S., Dennis, D. L., & Williams, A. (in press). Parent implemented shared reading with children using AAC: A mixed methods investigation. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology.
  • Therrien, M., Whalon, K., Nunes, D., Sellers, A., & Marti, P. (2025). A systematic review of AAC interventions using speech generating devices for autistic preschoolers. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 41, 1114–128.
  • Intepe, S., Kang, V., Whalon, K., & Chow, J. (2025). Systematic literature review of vocabulary interventions for children with autism. Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities, 60, 133–157.
  • Whalon, K. J., & Fleury, V. P. (2023). Autism and early literacy: The state of the science. In S. Q. Cabell, N. Patton Terry, & S. B. Neuman (Eds.), Handbook on the Science of Early Literacy (pp. 336–346). New York: Guilford Press.
  • Williams, A., Stover, E. U., Whalon, K., & Fleury, V. P. (2023). Developing reading skills. In R. Pennington & D. Perner (Eds.), A Guide to Teaching Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (pp. 101–112). Alexandria, VA: Council for Exceptional Children.
  • Intepe, S., & Whalon, K. (2023). Teaching emotion vocabulary to children with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Special Education, 56, 193–207.
  • Jackson, E., Hanline, M. F., & Whalon, K. (2022). Adapting Shared Reading Interventions for Young Learners with Autism Spectrum Disorder: RECALL. Young Exceptional Children, 5, 30–41.
  • Nunes, D., Whalon, K., Jackson, E., Intepe, S., & Garris, G. (2022). Effects of Dialogic Reading on the Vocabulary Knowledge of Preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorder. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 69, 282–301.
  • Fleury, V. P., Root, J. R., Whalon, K., Stover, E., & Williams, A. (2022). Evidence Based Practices to Teach Academic Skills. In L.C. Chezan, K. Wolfe, & E. Drasgow (Eds.), Evidence-Based Practices for Practitioners Working with Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (pp. 215–242). Rowman & Littlefield.
  • Fleury, V. P., Whalon, K., Gilmore, C., Wang, X., & Marks, R. (2021). Building comprehension skills of young children with autism one storybook at a time. Language, Speech, & Hearing Services in Schools, 52, 153–164.