Ashley Johnson Harrison, a professor in the Department of Educational Psychology, recently received a Fulbright Specialist Award from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs to complete a project at the Universiti Sains Malaysia in Malaysia.
The project aims to exchange knowledge and establish partnerships benefiting participants, institutions, and communities both in the U.S. and overseas through a variety of educational and training activities.
“Being a Fulbright scholar has been a career aspiration for a long while, as the mission of this program matches my commitment to improving equitable access to autism services globally,” said Harrison. “With my colleague Hui Min Lu at the Universiti Sains Malaysi, we aim to develop a culturally adapted screening tool that will have applicability in the Malaysian context but relevance for other areas as well.”
Recipients of Fulbright Specialist Awards are selected based on academic and professional achievement, demonstrated leadership in their field, and their potential to foster long-term cooperation between institutions in the U.S. and abroad.
This year, Harrison is one of over 400 scholars sharing expertise with foreign institutions through the program. The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to build lasting connections between U.S. citizens and people of other countries.
“My research focuses on cross-cultural disparities in autism knowledge and identification and in developing culturally grounded assessment tools to increase equity,” said Harrison. “Culture impacts the way we socialize and thus, the way we assess the social differences in autism. Our goal with this project is to honor different cultural norms and develop an assessment that works for this context.”
Harrison’s research focuses on disseminating best practice autism spectrum disorder (ASD) assessment and treatment approaches to low-income countries and underrepresented groups in the U.S. She is also interested in identifying factors that contribute to ASD service disparities, as well as global discrepancies in ASD knowledge and stigma.
As a Fulbright scholar, Harrison will address these critical global issues, while building relationships, knowledge, and leadership in support of the long-term interests of the country.