Ishita Khemka

Dr. Khemka received her Ph.D. with distinction from Columbia University in the area of Intellectual Disability and Autism in 1997. She has been involved in teacher preparation programs for many years and has taught previously at Teachers College, Columbia University and Long Island University, C.W. Post, NY. She has directed several intervention-based research and evaluation projects and has extensive experience in bilingual evaluation and arts based programming for students with special needs. Dr. Khemka’s research addresses interpersonal decision-making theory and prevention of peer-victimization, bullying and abuse in adults and youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including autism. She is the lead author of 2 evidence based instructional programs (ESCAPE and PEER-DM) designed to provide effective, strategy-based decision making training for the reduction of risk and abuse. Her ongoing research focuses on studying the impact of cyber bullying in school-aged children with special needs and in designing targeted, disability-specific interventions. Dr. Khemka is active in supporting St. John’s Vincentian Mission of service and learning and oversees several student engagement projects throughout the academic year. These projects are accessible to students in the undergraduate and graduate programs in Special Education and the School of Education. She also directs and supports an arts based literacy program for children and youth living in poverty in New Delhi, India.

Intellectual Disabilities, Autism. Program Evaluation, Curriculum Development for Prevention of Abuse and Peer Victimization

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