Research Interests and Expertise

Developing, culturally adapting, and implementing caregiver-mediated interventions for young autistic children and their families; strengthening early intervention systems through implementation science, family navigation, and community partnerships; and improving access to evidence-based support in underserved communities and low-resource settings globally

Research Projects and Grants

  • Integrating Family Navigation in Part-C Early Intervention Systems, National Institute of Mental Health, R21, 2026–2028 (principal investigator [PI])
  • MENU: A Novel Family-Driven Approach to Support Families Awaiting Autism Diagnostic Evaluation, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Minority Health Research and Education Grant, 2025–2027 (PI)
  • Physiological Assessment Technology for Caregiver Health and Emotional Support (PATCHES) for Caregivers of Young Autistic Children, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, R21, 2026–2028 (co-PI)
  • Project LEAD: Preparing School Leaders to Implement Effective Special Education Systems That Improve Student Outcomes, Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education, 2026–2031 (co-director)
  • Implementation Toolkit to Enhance EBP Among Marginalized Families (I-TEAM), National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, KL2 Multidisciplinary Clinical Research Career Development Program, 2023–2026 (PI)

Editorial Review Boards

  • Journal of Child and Family Studies (associate editor)
  • Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities (associate editor)
  • Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders (Editorial Board)
  • Journal of Early Intervention (Editorial Board)
  • Frontiers in Psychiatry, Autism section (Editorial Board)
  • Research in Autism (Editorial Board)

Recent Awards

  • 2027–2029 Ewha Global Fellow
  • 2026 Distinguished Contributions to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award, Association for Behavior Analysis International
  • 2023 Cultural Diversity Research Award, International Society for Autism Research
  • 2023 Ventura Endowed Fellowship for Autism Research, University of Washington School of Medicine

Representative Publications

  • Toste, J. R., & Lee, J. D. (2026). Implementation science in special education: Foundations, methods, and directions for research and practice. Focus on Exceptional Children, 50(1). https://doi.org/10.17161/foec.v50i1.25334
  • Lee, J. D., Kang, V., Joo, S., Terol, K. A., Jung, S., Kuo, Y., & Meadan, H. (2026). Adaptation and multi-method validation of the Cultural Self-Efficacy Scale in Early Intervention (CSES-EI). Exceptional Children. https://doi.org/10.1177/00144029261433795
  • Lee, J. D., Joo, S., Terol, K. A., Jung, S., Pickard, K., Stone, W., & Locke, J. (2026). Validation of Implementation Climate Scale in Early Intervention (ICS-EI). Journal of Early Intervention, 48(3), 264–277. https://doi.org/10.1177/10538151261432562
  • Wang, T., Lee, J. D., & Zhang, W. (2026). Annual trends in unmet health care needs among children with autism spectrum disorder. JAMA Pediatrics, 180(5), 585–586. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2026.0046
  • Lee, J. D., Meadan, H., Sands, M., Terol, A., Martin, M., & Yoon, C. (2025). Appraising quality of cultural adaptation in caregiver-implemented interventions for young children: A systematic review. Transcultural Psychiatry, 62(6), 737–749. https://doi.org/10.1177/13634615251372855
  • Lee, J. D., Terol, K., Tschida, J., Pomales Ramos, A., Wallisch, A., & Boyd, B. A. (2025). Exploring the use of implementation science in autism intervention research: A scoping review. Autism, 29(12), 2911–2926. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613251351344
  • Lee, J. D., Kang, V. Y., Kim, G., Jung, S., Joo, S., Kim, H., Son, J., & Bearss, K. (2024). Cultural adaptation of RUBI parenting interventions with Korean families (K-RUBI): A mixed method study. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 56, 1227–1242. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-024-06599-6
  • Lee, J. D., Meadan, H., & Oyunbaatar, E. (2022). Parent Peer Coaching program: A cascading intervention with parents of children with ASD in Mongolia, a low-resource setting. Autism, 26(8), 1990–2014. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613211070636