Ciara Ousley, assistant professor of special education and communication disorders, has been named the 2026 recipient of the Early Career Research Award from the Council for Exceptional Children’s Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities (DADD).
The award recognizes early career researchers who demonstrate exceptional promise in research related to students with autism, intellectual disability and other developmental disabilities at the early stages of their careers, and who have completed their doctoral work within the past six years.
“To receive the award feels a little surreal, especially when I look back on the previous recipients,” said Ousley, a CYFS research affiliate. “I recognize the name of every single previous recipient as a researcher who is doing amazing work and making big contributions. It’s great to know that others are recognizing me as someone who is making a difference, too.”
Ousley will be officially recognized at the DADD Annual Conference in Long Beach, California, Jan. 14-17.
DADD is committed to enhancing the quality of life of children, youth and adults with autism, intellectual disability and/or other developmental disabilities. It seeks to promote and disseminate research-based practice in education to ensure the continued advancement of positive educational and life outcomes.
Since joining the Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders in August 2022, Ousley’s research focus has included supporting the social communication skills of young children with autism and other developmental disabilities who have limited to no vocal speech, including those who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) to communicate.
Originally from Mesa, Arizona, Ousley graduated from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in 2015 with a dual bachelor’s degree in elementary education and special education (K-6). She competed as 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.
She completed her Ph.D. in special education at Pennsylvania State University in 2022.
Ousley said the award will help enhance her future research.
“Seeing other people recognizing how I’ve gotten to where I’m at, and where I’m headed — I think it’s going to encourage me to continue challenging systems and pathways based on the questions that pop up in every research study,” she said.