Rate My Professor Laura Chezan

Laura C. Chezan is an Associate Professor of Special Education in the Department of Communication Disorders and Special Education in Old Dominion University’s Darden College of Education and Professional Studies. She serves as the Program Director for the Applied Behavior Analysis Certificate Program, which she developed in 2013, and the Special Education Ph.D. program. Chezan earned her Ph.D. in Special Education from the University of South Carolina in 2012, M.Ed. in Special Education from the same institution in 2007, M.Ed. in Special Education from Babes-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca in 2003, and B.S. degrees in Psychology and Special Education from Babes-Bolyai University in 2002. She holds certifications as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst-Doctoral (BCBA-D) since 2010, Licensed Behavior Analyst in Virginia since 2014, and What Works Clearinghouse Certified Reviewer since 2014.

Her research interests center on communication interventions, positive behavior support for individuals with autism spectrum disorder and significant intellectual disabilities, quality of life, and single-case experimental research designs. Chezan has published over 30 works, including the edited book Evidence-Based Practices for Supporting Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (Rowman & Littlefield, 2022) with Katie Wolfe and Erik Drasgow, and highly cited articles such as A meta-analysis of functional communication training effects on problem behavior and alternative communicative responses (Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 2018, 63 citations), and Mand training: An examination of response-class structure in three children with autism and severe language delays (Behavior Modification, 2016, 37 citations). She has secured grants exceeding $100,000 from Old Dominion University, the State of Virginia, and other sources. Awards include the Fulbright U.S. Scholar for 2022-2023 at Babes-Bolyai University, Sarah and Rufus Tonelson Award (2020), and Author Service Award for the Journal of Behavioral Education (2025). Chezan serves as Associate Editor for Preventing School Failure and the Journal of Behavioral Education, and delivers presentations at conferences including the Association for Behavior Analysis International.