Ana Dueñas
Dr. Dueñas is transfronteriza from the Tijuana/San Diego borderlands and serves as an assistant professor in special education with a focus on applied behavior analysis at the University of Washington's Department of Special Education. As a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst with a previous appointment at San Diego State University, her scholarship centers on improving service access and quality for marginalized individuals with developmental disabilities, particularly autism, through equity-focused and strength-based cultural adaptation of ABA-based interventions. Her work employs community-based participatory research (CBPR) approaches to address systemic disparities in service provision for underserved families of autistic children.
Her primary research interests focus on identifying and validating culturally adapted social communication interventions that honor family strengths and cultural assets while being delivered by natural change agents. Her scholarship emphasizes developing and testing culturally informed educational and clinical practices that move beyond deficit-based models to recognize and build upon the inherent strengths within diverse communities, transforming traditional ABA approaches to be more culturally responsive, family-centered, and equity-driven to ensure that interventions are not only effective but also culturally sustaining and empowering for the families and communities she serves.
Her current projects include the federally-funded IMPACTO and community-led work on mobile autism diagnostics in a rural California U.S./Mexican border.
Are you looking to get involved? Check out our current research opportunities:
Strength-Based Approaches to Parent-Child Interactions in Autism: A Mixed Methods Video Analysis:
This research examines the existing strengths and cultural resources that caregivers bring to interactions with their children with autism, moving beyond traditional approaches that focus solely on what families lack. Using a mixed methods design, we're analyzing video recordings of caregiver-child interactions to identify the valuable skills, knowledge, and cultural practices families already possess.
What would your involvement include?
- Video coding training: Learn to use the Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NDBI) observational rating scheme
- Qualitative video analysis: Participate in detailed interaction analysis guided by the funds of knowledge framework
- Collaborative research experience: Work alongside faculty and other students in meaningful autism research
Hybrid Mobile Diagnostic Evaluation for Autism in Remote Areas:
This community-led initiative addresses critical gaps in autism diagnostic services by combining telehealth and mobile in-person evaluations. We're working with families who have been on lengthy waitlists, providing culturally adapted, evidence-based assessments in their preferred language while maintaining the highest diagnostic standards.
What would your involvement include?
- Conduct phone-based screening interviews with families
- Administer validated autism screening measures (SCQ)
- Coordinate with families to schedule evaluations
- Spanish language skills highly valued for direct family communication
- Support intake processes and consent procedures