Kelly Brown Kearney, Ed.D.
Assistant Professor
College of Education
Special Education | Academy for Community Inclusion
Boca Raton Campus | ED 47 - 426
Kelly Kearney
Kelly Kearney is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Special Education and a doctoral-level board-certified behavior analyst. She earned her doctorate in Special Education from Â鶹¾«Æ·ÊÓƵ in 2018. She has worked extensively with transition-aged youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities in their homes and communities as both a teacher and behavior analyst. Dr. Kearney has a variety of teaching experiences, including teaching students with special needs in Taiwan, India, and South Florida. She has been a member of two professional organizations, the Council for Exceptional Children and the Association for Behavior Analysis International, since 2019. She is active with CEC, serving as the Managing Editor of the Journal for International Special Needs Education. Her research focuses on developing employability skills and self-determination skills for adults with autism and intellectual disability.
Key Words: Special Education, Applied Behavior Analysis, Behavioral Disorders, Autism, Intellectual Disability, Employment
Courses and Syllabi
Selected Honors & Awards
- 2022
- Eastern Educational Research Association Emerging Scholar Award
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Information for Potential Ph.D. Students
Dr. Kearney is committed to offering doctoral students a well-rounded experience that integrates teaching, scholarship, and service. With extensive experience supporting adults with autism and developmental disabilities in both home and community settings, her work centers on enhancing employability and fostering self-determination among individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She is a doctoral-level Board Certified Behavior Analyst and brings expertise in single-subject design methodology, which she regularly employs in her research to identify and refine the most effective strategies for skill development. Those interested are invited to view Dr. Kearney’s publication record at ORCiD:Â
Selected Publications
Hall, K. &Â Kearney, K. B. (2025). The effects of providing real-time visual performance feedback to teacher candidates (student teachers) to increase the use of open-ended questions with students with disabilities. Journal of Education for Teaching. Advanced online publication.
Kearney, K. B. , Miller, B., & Adams, K. (2025). Partnering with comprehensive transition programs to increase pre-service internship opportunities. Journal of Case Learning and Exceptional Learners, 1(6), 1-10.
Adams, K., Ramasamy, R., Bennett, K., Finnegan, L., Kearney, K., & Downey, A. (2025). I CAN-B money savvy! Teaching adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to make purchasing decisions online. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disabilities. Advanced online publication.Â
Kearney, K. B. , Wood, J., Berlingo, L., & Dukes, C. (2025). Using the Cool versus Not Cool discrimination procedure to teach social skills remotely to adults with autism. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 40(1), 38-47.Â
Wood, J., Dukes, C., & Kearney, K. B. (2024). Using an instructional package to support adults with autism in communicating with a medical provider. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disabilities. Advanced online publication.Â
Carey, G., Kearney, K. B. , Downey, A., Joseph, B. (2024). Getting around the community: Qualitatively exploring the transportation experiences of adults with intellectual or developmental disability. Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals, 47(4), 256-264.Â
Downey, A., Dukes, C., Kearney, K. B. , Ramasamy, R., Torres, A., Carey, G., Adams, K., & Kenney, S. (2024). Teaching Workplace Communication Skills to College Students with Intellectual Disability. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation. Advanced online publication.Â
Selected Service
Dr. Kearney is the Managing Editor of the Journal of International Special Needs Education. She is also an active reviewer for numerous scholarly journals, including Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals, Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, Journal of Special Education, and Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities.
Research Interests
I work primarily with adults with autism and/or intellectual disability. My work focuses on increasing employment skills and independent living skills in this population.
Research Interest Keywords
Autism, Intellectual Disability, Applied Behavior Analysis, Employment
Research Methods Keywords
Single Subject Design, Single Case Research
Software Used in Your Research
Excel, Otter
Hardware Used in Your Research
Virtual Reality Headset, Augmented Reality Headset