Rispoli earned her doctorate in special education with a concentration in autism and developmental disabilities from The University of Texas at Austin. She has published more than 47 peer-reviewed research articles and two book chapters concerning the education of children with autism and developmental disabilities. Her primary research focus pertains to function-based antecedent interventions for challenging behavior in children with autism spectrum disorders. Her work in this area explores the role of variables that may alter a child’s motivation to engage in challenging behaviors during behavioral assessments and interventions. She serves on the editorial review board for Assessment for Effective Intervention. To contact Rispoli, visit the Texas A&M website.