Caroline Ilona Magyar, Ph.D.

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Dr. Magyar has several lines of research that link directly to community-practice. The first is in educational program development and evaluation. Youth with autism require extensive special education services that often challenge a school's capacity to develop and implement effective programming. Given the diversity of student needs, and of school cultures with respect to program development and evaluation it is unlikely that any one approach to educational programming for youth with autism will be sufficient. Instead, it is expected that replicable program evaluation methods will be necessary to assist schools in designing and evaluating evidence-based programs tailored to their educational context and the varied needs of the students. Dr. Magyar's research seeks to validate a reliable program model for schools and autism treatment centers to use in their own program development activities. Over the past several years, she has developed and studied a model of program development and evaluation. This model includes a formal needs assessment protocol, standard program elements, an implementation plan, and program evaluation protocol. She has field-tested this model through a series of case studies, supported by grants or large technical assistance contracts, and is currently summarizing this work in a book.

The second area is in psychological assessment and instrumentation. Valid and reliable assessment tools are essential for accurate diagnosis, treatment and educational planning, progress monitoring, and measurement of outcomes in research protocols. Currently, Dr. Magyar and colleagues are evaluating the validity of several diagnostic and psychological assessment tools used to assess emotional and behavioral disorders in youth with autism spectrum disorders.

The final area of research uses community-based needs assessment methods and examination of existing data sets to determine community-education training needs to fill gaps in autism resources within our region. Findings from this line of inquiry direct activities of the Rochester Regional Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders, which enables the center to fulfill its mission of collaborating with community stakeholders to close resource gaps and build capacity to provide research-based services to children and families affected by autism.

Specialty

Developmental Disabilities

Current Appointments

• Associate Professor - Department of Pediatrics (SMD)

Education
PhD Clinical/School Psychology	Hofstra University	1997
MA Applied Behavioral Technology	Adelphi University	1989
BA Psychology	SUNY at Stony Brook	1986
AAS Arts and Sciences	SUNY at Farmingdale	1983

Post-Doctoral Training & Residency
Clinical Psychology Fellowship, Institute for Behavior Therapy, New York, NY	1996 - 1998

Recent Journal Articles
Showing the 2 most recent journal articles.
Magyar CI; Pandolfi V. "Factor structure evaluation of the childhood autism rating scale." Journal of autism and developmental disorders. 2007; 37(9):1787-94. Epub 2007 Apr 17.
Pandolfi, V., Magyar, C.I. & Dill, C. "Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Child Behavior Checklist 1.5 to 5 in a Sample of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders". Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.