Dr. Sandra B. Vanegas, Ph.D., is a bilingual (English/Spanish) developmental psychologist and a Research Assistant Professor at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work. She also serves as the Clinical Training Director for the Autism Consortium of Texas LEND, and Director of Research for the Texas Center for Disability Studies. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Illinois LEND program at the University of Illinois at Chicago and her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from Loyola University Chicago.

Her work focuses on identifying and addressing disparities that impact children and youth with neurodevelopmental disabilities from low-resource communities. She leads the Improving Developing Experiences for Autism and developmental disabilities (IDEA) research lab, where she conducts culturally informed research with low-resource communities. She currently leads the following projects: 

• Evaluation and Measurement of Healthcare Transition Preparedness, Opportunities, and Wellness in Racially/ethnically Diverse Youth with IDD - Funded by NIDILRR (PI: Vanegas)
  • Link: https://sites.utexas.edu/empowerstudy/
• Mapping the Interactions of Language and Early motor Skills (MILES) in Down Syndrome Study - Funded by NIH (PIs: Vanegas, Flores)
  • Link: https://sites.utexas.edu/milesstudy/
• Identifying and Distinguishing Early indicators of Autism in Latino children (IDEAL) - Funded by NIH (PIs: Vanegas, Padilla)
  • Link: https://disabilitystudies.utexas.edu/ideal
• Texas-Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network (TX-ADDM) - Funded by CDC (PIs: Vanegas, Magaña)

Keywords: Autism, ADHD, Down Syndrome, Language Development, Health and Educational Disparities, Families, Bilingualism, Child Development, Healthcare Transition