Grace Baron
Professor of Psychology
Office: Knapton 317b
Office Hours: Mon, Thurs & Fri appointments available; sign up at Knapton317b
Phone: 508 286-3689
Fax: 508 286 3640
Email: gbaron@wheatoncollege.edu
Degrees
Ph.D., M.A., Boston College
Vita
Main Interests
TEACHING: At the center of my Wheaton life are courses in the general psychology curriculum (see Teaching Interests below), supervision of student research projects (listed below), and student advising.
CLINICAL WORK: For over 34 years, Providence, RI‚s Groden Network has been the primary setting for my clinical and research activities in behavioral psychology. The leadership of its founders, June and Gerald Groden, has made the Groden Center the area‚s most comprehensive and best provider of life-long, individualized services to children and adults on the autism spectrum. Wheaton students serve there in volunteer, internships, practicum, research and employment positions. Wheaton alums currently employed at the Groden Center include
Matthew Goodwin, Psychology '98 Associate Director of Research
Amy Diller, Psychology '93 Director, Training and Instruction
Dana Hajj, '88 Coordinator, Respite Services
SCHOLARSHIP: A co-edited volume, Stress, Coping & Autism (Oxford University Press, 2006) summarizes my long interest in reducing stress and enhancing capabilities such as self-control in persons with autism and other disabilities.
It was my amazing good fortune in the late 60s and early 70s to be a graduate student with Joseph R. Cautela, one of the founders of modern behavior analysis and therapy. He taught me the excitement of a bio-psycho-social approach to human behavior, the utility of systematic behavioral analysis and intervention, and gave me the courage to use these tools to understand the diversity of human behavior including private events (usually anathema to behaviorists) clinical problems such as self-injury, and social issues such as HIV prevention.
Research Interests
Multimodal assessment of stress and coping in persons with autism
Applied behavior analysis in educational, human service and other organizational settings
The role of mercury and other toxins in child development and human behavior
Teaching Interests
Practicum in Human Services, Childhood Behavior Disorders, Visualizing Autism, Psychology Senior Seminar
Other Interests
AUTISM: For over 30 years, my clinical work (primarily at the Providence, RI Groden Center) has emphasized the teaching of self-control or self-management to persons with autism.
I particularly enjoy supervising teams of clinicians as they plan and carry out a six-week intake evaluation which includes a functional behavior analysis and often generates comprehensive treatment programs which incorporate clinical strategies such as the use of the relaxation response and imagery-based rehearsal.
It's a special pleasure for me to have students enrolled in my field course, Applied Behavior Analysis, work as interns in the Groden Center programs.
SERVICE LEARNING: Since July 96, I've been the Filene Center's Faculty Fellow in Service Learning. I spend half of my time at Wheaton assisting faculty who are interested in adding service components to their courses. I also work with a dedicated and reinforcing group of staff & students dedicated to integrating service into life at Wheaton.
Together we are planning and implementing a student-run service program at Wheaton offering service opportunities to students in our local, regional and world communities.
EXPERIENTIAL TEACHING & LEARNING: I have enjoyed being a part of Wheaton College's long tradition of integrating experiential teaching and learning to create rich and exciting liberal arts curriculum.
MERCURY HYPOTHESIS in AUTISM: In partnership with Prof. Jani Benoit, a researcher specializing in mercury, I am studying the possible role that mercury (and other toxins) may have in the expression of autism.
GENETICS of AUTISM: Prof. Betsey Dyer and I regularly teach together about this topic. See Wheaton's Connections Curriculum to see how we connect our courses on this topic.
MAPPING AUTISM with GIS: What can maps help us see about the incidence of autism and the factors that are associated with autism?
WHEATON COLLEGE INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARD (IRB): Serving on this committee for over 15 years has given me a wonderful way to know the human subjects research done on our college campus.
Student Projects
Julia Kerins Carmody '09, Stress in Adolescents with Acquired Brain Injury: An Exploratory Study
Dana Peterson '07, Autism, Social Stimuli and Change-Blindness
Kelly Neale '04,
Catherine Oettinger '04,
Lisa Litner '03,
Lauren Trudeau '03, History of Community Service on College Campuses
Laura Steele '99, Comunidad Los Horcones: Applied Behavior Analysis in an
Experimental Community
Matthew Goodwin '98,
Publications
Goodwin, MS, Groden, J, Velicer, WF, Lipsitt, LP, Baron, MG, Hofmann, SG, & Groden, G. (2006). Cardiovascular arousal in individuals with autism. Focus on Autism
and Other Developmental Disabilities, 21(2), pp. 100-123.
G. Baron, J. Groden, G. Groden & L. Lipsitt (Eds.) Stress and Coping in Autism. Expected
publication: Summer 2005, Oxford University Press.
Groden, J., M.Goodwin, G. Baron, L.Lipsitt, W. Velicer. Heart rate response to stress in autism. Manuscript under review, 2005.
J. Hubelbank & G. Baron (2003/2004) What faculty say about implementing service learning in higher education. National Society for Experiential Education Quarterly, 28(4).
J. Sanborn & G. Baron (2003) Value or vehicle: Service learning?s role in a college curriculum. Massachusetts Campus Compact Newsletter (December)
G Baron & E. Pfeiffer (1999). Flying a plane while building it: Coping strategies for service practitioners. In Making Service Integral. A publication of the Massachusetts Campus Compact, Tufts University Lincoln Filene Center,Medford, MA., pp. 23-25.
G. Baron (1996). Behaviorial analysis and HIV prevention: A call to action. In J.R. Cautela & W. Ishag (Eds.), Improving the Human Condition. Plenum, N.Y.
Selected Publications, Creative Work or Performances
PROFESSIONAL PRESENTATIONS
March 29, 2007 (with June Groden)
Stress and Anxiety: Assessment and Coping Strategies. Presentation to the Annual Autism Symposium, Providence, RI
January 22, 2007
Stress & Coping in Autism. Presented in Grand Rounds at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York.
January 18, 2007
Stress & Coping in Autism: Theory, Research, & Practice. Workshop for the Irish Institute, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA.