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Ciara Ousley joined the Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders as an assistant professor in August 2022 and directs the Social Communication for Autism and Developmental Disabilities Lab (SCADD) Lab. Ousley is a former special educator and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA-D). In 2026, Ciara received the Early Career Research Award from the Division on Autism and Developmental Disorders, a subdivision of special educations leading organization, Council for Exceptional Children. 

Dr. Ousley’s work focuses on improving social communication outcomes for young children with autism and other developmental disabilities by supporting parents, caregivers, and practitioners in embedding evidence-based strategies within daily routines and play time. Her research focuses on naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions for children with limited to no vocal speech, including those who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Ousley’s long-term research agenda is guided by implementation science with the goal of increasing the uptake of feasible evidence-based practices across the child’s day and addressing persistent research-to-practice and practice-to-research gaps.

Ciara returned to Nebraska after completing her doctorate in special education at Pennsylvania State University. She graduated from UNL with her bachelor’s degree in 2015 in Elementary Education and Special Education (K-6). Ousley was also a student-athlete for the Husker Swimming and Diving team as an undergraduate, earning Distinguished Scholar, Academic All-Conference and Sportsmanship Awards from the Big Ten Conference during her career.