Rocío Rosales

Rocío Rosales is an Associate Professor and Program Coordinator for Applied Behavior Analysis and Autism Studies at the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UML). She is affiliated with the Department of Psychology within the College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. Her work focuses on applying behavioral principles to educational and therapeutic settings, with a particular emphasis on staff training, verbal behavior analysis, and instructional design in higher education.

Dr. Rosales holds a Ph.D. in Rehabilitation (Specialization in Applied Behavior Analysis) from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, an M.S. in Behavior Analysis and Therapy, and a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Human Development and Family Studies and French from the University of Nevada, Reno.

Her research interests include staff training and treatment integrity, verbal behavior development in individuals with and without developmental disabilities, and culturally responsive practices in behavior analysis. She has published extensively on interteaching methodologies, cross-cultural family advocacy, and autism service delivery for Latino families.

Notable awards include the 2023 Outstanding Mentor Award from the Association for Behavior Analysis International and the 2023 Teaching Excellence Award from UML’s Department of Psychology. She has secured grants such as the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs grant ($2M+), focusing on interdisciplinary personnel preparation in autism services.

Dr. Rosales actively promotes equity and inclusion through initiatives like the ADVANCE Office for Faculty Equity and Resilience at UML. Her work bridges academic research with practical applications, emphasizing the importance of culturally and linguistically diverse family engagement in special education services.