Birdie Ganz Professor of Special Education

PH.D., University of Kansas, Special Education, Emphasis in Autism Spectrum Disorder and Challenging Behavior, 2002
M.A.T., Trinity University, 1995
B.A., Humanities, Trinity University, 1994

Birdie Ganz (they/them) joined the Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders in 2023. They earned their doctoral in Special Education from the University of Kansas in 2002 and undergraduate and Master’s degrees in 1994 and 1995 at Trinity University. Birdie previously had faculty positions and was an elementary teacher in Texas. They were the founding director of Coach to Communicate (C2C) at Texas A&M University, which has served over 1000 families as of Fall 2023. 

Their research focuses on implementation and evaluation of communication interventions for individuals with autism and developmental disabilities, particularly augmentative and alternative communication interventions, and working with caregivers to coach them to enhance their children’s communication skills, especially for families from traditionally underserved communities. Birdie has received over $5.8 million in external grants to fund research and training projects.

Areas of Expertise:

    Autism and intellectual and developmental disabilities
    Augmentative and alternative communication
    Caregiver coaching
    Single case experimental design and meta-analysis