Supporting Parents of Children with Behavioral Challenges

Chen Shi grew up in China and came to the United States to study after high school. “The reason I came to a new country at such a young age is I wanted to see more of the world,” she said. One of the things she observed in the U.S. is the support system available for students with special needs. “Not all countries have this system and I wanted to learn more about how it works,” Shi explained.

After her high school graduation, Shi remained in the U.S. and took some special education classes during college. “I love to work with people and tried nursing first, but needles are not my thing,” she explains. It was then that she decided to pursue special education as a career and enrolled in the COE's Special Education doctoral program. “I'm glad I chose this because the deeper I get into my studies, the more I love it.”

Working with Dr. Lee Kern as her advisor has inspired Shi and helped to further shape her research interests. In addition to her role as a professor in the Special Education program, Kern serves as the director for the Center for Promoting Research to Practice and Lehigh University Autism Services. Shi’s research is focused on helping children with emotional behavioral disorder and ADHD, and their families. “Dr. Kern is definitely a ‘go to’ for me,” she says.

“A lot of parents are struggling and seeking help—I want to be involved in parent training that helps provide strategies that they can use in their homes.”

Shi has spent three years working with Project PEAK, a Lehigh research study that provides training for families of children with ADHD. The opportunity has provided valuable insight for the young researcher. This year, Shi is focused on preparation to become a board certified behavior analyst (BCBA). “Working in the clinic helps me to practice my behavior analysis skills,” she says.

After graduation and certification, Shi wants to teach college students evidence-based interventions that can be used for children with behavioral challenges or ADHD. Long term, she hopes to find a role that allows her to continue providing training for parents. “A lot of parents are struggling and seeking help,” she says. “I want to be involved in parent training that helps provide strategies that parents can use in their homes.”

Shi is happy she chose Lehigh’s College of Education for her doctoral work. “Lehigh is such a supportive environment—especially my program,” she says. “Special Education is a small program, but so supportive.” Shi says her friends who attend larger schools don’t necessarily feel the same camaraderie with their professors and peers. “All the students are my allies—if I have a question, I either knock on a faculty door or I text my cohort,” she says. “It's a tight group that supports each other.”

Shi helps to organize new student interviews and tells potential students that Lehigh is a perfect place for conducting research, because faculty work closely with each other and with their students. She has also seen firsthand the benefits of the close collaborations across programs within the COE. “The Special Education program maintains a close collaboration with other faculty and programs within the College,” she says. Because of this, Shi is comfortable knocking on the door of faculty from other disciplines, such as Dr. George DuPaul, a professor in the School Psychology program. “Some students might think the size of our college is a disadvantage, but our faculty are at the top of their fields and happy to meet with us.”