Sarah Hurwitz

I am a faculty member in the Special Education program at the Indiana University School of Education. My research focuses on autism, international access to education for students with disabilities, and the effectiveness of interventions for improving outcomes for students with behavioral issues. I have a particular interest in supporting students with autism and helping children with emotional and behavioral disorders thrive in the classroom.

At IU, I direct the Action for Access: Global Special Education Lab with Dr. Tina O'Neal. Our lab is dedicated to advancing inclusive education in schools and communities worldwide. We collaborate with colleagues from Ghana, India, Poland, and beyond, combining expertise and resources to support students with disabilities.

I also direct IU’s autism certificate program for graduate students, Preparing Educators of Students with Autism (PESA). This program consists of four online courses that can be completed from anywhere in the world, covering topics such as autism assessment, social communication, and understanding behavior.

I received my PhD in Special Education from the University of North Carolina (UNC) and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in psychology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Before graduate school, I worked as a special education teacher, an inclusion specialist for children with autism at the FPG Child Development Institute at UNC, and led social skills groups for autistic teens at Riley Children's Hospital in Indianapolis.

I teach courses on autism, early childhood inclusive education, and individualized behavioral interventions. One of my favorite courses focuses on identifying the underlying causes of interfering behavior through evidence-based practices like functional behavior assessments (FBAs) to reduce incidents of school discipline.