Sarah Howorth
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Sarah K. Howorth is an associate professor of special education in the University of Maine College of Education and Human Development. She also serves as the college’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Innovation and Management Area Coordinator. Howorth’s research interests include social skills and social coaching of neurodivergent individuals and the use of emerging technology, such as virtual reality and augmented reality, to support behavioral, academic and transition skills instruction for individuals with disabilities. She also has expertise in the following areas: assistive technology, reading comprehension, positive behavior interventions and supports, and improving employment and transition outcomes for individuals with autism and intellectual disabilities. Sarah is a board-certified behavior analyst with more than 20 years of experience in special education. She has taught as a classroom teacher in Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, and Shanghai (China). Her leadership positions in professional organizations include serving as Past-President of Council for Exceptional Children’s Innovations in Special Education Technology Division (CEC-ISET); Past-President and Treasurer for the Maine State Division of the Council for Exceptional Children. She is also the faculty advisor for UMaine Best Buddies and a former Scout Master for the first BSA Girls Troop (478-G) in Orono.
Dr. Howorth is also the director of Maine Access to Inclusive Education Resources and the PEERS® Lab at UMaine.
She is currently principal investigator on several research projects, including:
- Seeking to identify best practices for using AI to support students with disabilities, as well as both the practicing and preservice teachers who instruct them in inclusive settings
- Implementation of the UCLA PEERS® intervention as part of pre-employment transition services
- The effects of social skills groups with virtual video modeling on the social skills of children and adults with developmental disabilities and autism
- Explorations of the ways communities of practice supported by multiple agencies and organizations afford and/or constrain teacher learning opportunities regarding building classroom inclusion
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