AUTISM, FAMILY, & COMMUNITY LAB
RESEARCH TEAM
Principal Investigator
Janice N. Phung, Ph.D.
jphung@csusm.edu
https://faculty.csusm.edu/jphung/
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Hello! My name is Janice Phung and I am the lead researcher of the AFC Lab. I obtained my B.A. from UCLA, where I majored in Psychology and minored in Applied Developmental Psychology. After I graduated, I worked for two years as a developmental interventionist working with families affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). It was through this experience that I developed my passion for serving the ASD community. I pursued graduate school and earned my M.A. and Ph.D. from the Psychology department at UC Irvine. Since joining the Psychology department at CSUSM in 2019, I have been thrilled to pursue my program of research while mentoring student researchers. Together, I hope that we can continue to produce important work that helps children, adolescents, and adults with ASD lead happy and healthy lives.
Graduate Student Researchers
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Sahia Diaz, B.A.
diaz344@csusm.edu
Hello, my name is Sahia Diaz and I joined Dr. Phung’s research team at CSU San Marcos in Fall 2023. I graduated from CSUSM with a B.A. in Psychological Science in 2022. My interests in developmental research for neurodivergence grew when I gained experience working with children with ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and PTSD at San Diego Therapy Center. Seeing neurodivergent children’s interactions with the people around them has further grown my passion to research conceptualized self-perception and self-esteem in children with ASD. I hope this work will allow us to better understand the developmental processes of self-esteem and how it impacts individuals and those they interact with. My aim is to enhance efforts focused on ASD, enabling individuals to lead joyful and thriving lives.
Sarah Guadarrama, B.S.
sguadarrama@csusm.edu
Hello, my name is Sarah Guadarrama. I joined Dr. Phung’s research team and began my journey at CSUSM in the Psychological Science Masters program in Fall 2021. I graduated in 2019 with my B.S. in Clinical Psychology from Southern Adventist University, and obtained a special interest in developmental psychology. After graduating, I gained experience as an instructional assistant working with students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and then as a behavior specialist in early intervention working with families who have children with ASD and/or developmental delays. As a first-generation graduate student and proud daughter of immigrant parents, I am also very passionate about advocating for others with immigrant backgrounds. I am looking forward to doing research that will shed light on the experiences, perceptions, and barriers faced by immigrant families of children with ASD.
