Associate Professor
Director, Centre for Interdisciplinary Research and Collaboration in Autism (CIRCA)
On leave
Accepting PhD, MEd, and MA Students for the 2024 school year
Victoria (Vicki) Knight is an Assistant Professor in Special Education at the University of British Columbia. Knight has more than 20 years of experience working with students who have autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Her research interests include: (a) promoting learning of academic content, especially in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM); (b) evaluation of the collateral benefits of inclusion in STEM for students with ASD, and (b) evaluation and dissemination of evidence-based practices for students with ASD. She has published, presented, and trained educators in these areas internationally. Dr. Knight was recently presented with a Research Award by the Council for Exceptional Children, Division of Autism and Developmental Disabilities for her impact and innovation in the field of ASD. She has published over 40 peer reviewed articles and presents internationally on these topics. Dr. Knight serves on the editorial boards of three journals, including the Journal of Special Education, Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, and Focus on Autism and Other Development Disabilities. She works closely with undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students across several research projects.
Scholarly Interests:
Applied Behaviour Analysis, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Developmental Disabilities, Single-Case Research, Academic Interventions, Instructional Strategies
Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) Credential, 2019
Annual Council for Exceptional Children, Division of Autism and Developmental Disabilities Research Award, 2019
Editorial Board Member, The Journal of Special Education, 2017-present
Editorial Board Member, Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 2013- present
Editorial Board Member, Rural Special Education Quarterly, 2013- present
Editorial Board Member, Research and Practices for Persons with Severe Disabilities (formerly JASH), 2012-present
EPSE 574 Principles of Behavior Analysis
EPSE 549 Seminar in Autism
University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 2010, Ph.D., Special Education
University of Northern Colorado, 2005, M.A., Special Education
University of California at Santa Cruz, 1997, B.A., Biology
Enhancing Communication and Coding Skills of Children with ASD and Their Peers Through Shared Interests in Robotics
For a complete list of peer-reviewed publications, see Google Scholar or
or Research Gate Profiles.
Student co-authors are underlined.
Wright, J., Knight, V., & Barton, E. (in press). A review of video-based modeling to teach STEM to students with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability. Manuscript accepted to Research in Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Wright, J., Knight, V., & Barton, E. (in press). Video prompting to teach robotics and coding to students with autism spectrum disorder. Manuscript accepted to Journal of Special Education Technology.
Knight, V., Wood, A. L., McKissick, B., & Kuntz, E. (2019). Teaching science content and practices to students with intellectual disability and autism. Remedial and Special Education, 1-14. Advanced online publication doi.org/10.1177/0741932519843998
Knight, V., Wright, J., & Defreese, A. (2019). Teaching robotics coding to a student with ASD and severe problem behavior. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 49(6), 2632-2636. doi:10.1007/s10803-019-03888-3
Knight, V., Wright, J., Wilson, K., & Hooper, A. (2019). Teaching digital block-based coding to high school students with ASD and challenging behavior. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 49(8), 3113-3126. doi: 10.1007/s10803-019-04033-w
Ruppar, A. L., Jeglum, S. R., McQueston, J. A., & Knight, V. (2018). Involvement and progress in the general curriculum: A grounded theory of the process. Remedial and Special Education. Advanced online publication doi: 10.1177/0741932518806045
Knight, V., Collins, B., Spriggs, A., Sartini, E., & MacDonald, M. J. (2018). Teaching scripted and unscripted science lessons to children with intellectual disabilities and autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 48(7), 2542-2557. doi: 10.1007/s10803-018-3514-0
Knight, V., Huber, H., Kuntz, E., Juarez, A. P., & Carter, E. (2018). Instructional practices, priorities, and preparedness for educating students with autism and intellectual disability. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 34(1), 3-14. doi: 10.1007/s10803-018-3476-2
Knight, V., Kuntz, E., & Brown, M. (2018). Paraprofessional-delivered video prompting to teach academics to students with severe disabilities in inclusive settings. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 48(6), 2203-2216. doi: 10.1007/s10803-018-3476-2
Knight, V., Creech-Galloway, C., Karl, J., & Collins, B. (2017). Evaluating supported eText to teach science comprehension to high school students with moderate intellectual disability. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 33(4), 227-236. doi: 10.1177/1088357617696273
Root, J., Knight, V., & Mims, P. (2017). A guide to addressing multiple priorities in core content instruction for students with severe disabilities. Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals, 40(1), 56-61. doi: 10.1177/2165143416680997
Sartini, E., Knight, V., Spriggs, A., & Allday, A. (2017). Generalization strategies to promote comprehension skills by students with ASD in core content areas. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 33(3), 150-159. doi: 1088357617735815.
Snyder, S., Knight, V. F., Ayres, K., Mims, P. J., & Sartini, E. (2017). Single case design elements in text comprehension research for students with developmental disabilities. Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities, 52(4), 405-421.
Spooner, F., McKissick, B. R., & Knight, V. F. (2017). Establishing the state of affairs for evidence-based practices in students with severe disabilities [Invited manuscript]. Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 42(1), 8-18. doi: 10.1177/1540796916684896
Heinrich, S., Collins, B., Knight, V., & Spriggs, A. (2016). Embedded simultaneous prompting procedure to teach STEM content to high school students with moderate disability in an inclusive setting. Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities, 51(1), 41-54.
Sherrow, L., Spriggs, A., & Knight, V. (2016). Using video models to teach students with autism to play the Wii. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 31(4), 312-320. doi 10.1177/1088357615583469
Spriggs, A. D., Gast, D. L., & Knight, V. (2016). Video modeling and observational learning to teach gaming access to students with ASD. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 46(9), 2845-2858. doi: 10.1007/s10803-016-2824-3
Spriggs, A., Mims, P., van Dijk, W., & Knight, V. (2016). Examination of the evidence base for using visual activity schedules with students with intellectual disability. The Journal of Special Education, 51(1), 14-26. doi: 10.1177/0022466916658483
Knight, V., Sartini, E., & Spriggs, A. (2015). Evaluating visual activity schedules as evidence-based practice for individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 45(1), 157-178. doi 10.1007/s10803-014-2201-z
Spriggs, A., Knight, V., & Sherrow, L. (2015). Talking picture schedules: Embedding video models into visual activity schedules to increase independence for students with ASD. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders [Special Issue on Autism and Technology], 45(12), 3846–3861. doi 10.1007/s10803-014-2315-3
Knight, V., & Sartini, E. (2014). A comprehensive literature review of comprehension strategies in core content areas for students with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 45(5), 1213-1229. doi 10.1007/s10803-014-2280-x
Knight, V., Wood, C., Spooner, F., Browder, D., & O’Brien, C. (2014). An exploratory study using science eTexts with students with autism spectrum disorder. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 30(2), 86-99. doi 10.1177/1088357614559214
Creech-Galloway, C., Collins, B., Knight, V., & Bausch, B. (2013). Using simultaneous prompting with an iPad ™ to teach Pythagorean theorem to adolescents with moderate and severe disabilities. Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 38(4), 222-232. doi: 10.1177/2165143416680347
Knight, V., McKissick, B., & Saunders, A. (2013). A review of technology-based interventions to teach academic skills to students with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 43(11), 2628-2648. doi: 10.1007/s10803-013-1814-y
Knight, V., Spooner, F., Browder, D., Smith, B., & Wood, C. (2013). Using systematic instruction and graphic organizers to teach science concepts to students with autism spectrum disorders and intellectual disability. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 28(2), 115-126. doi: 10.1177/1088357612475301