I joined the faculty at CSU San Marcos in 2019 after one year as a Visiting Assistant Professor at Pitzer College (of the Claremont Colleges). A developmental psychologist by training, my program of research investigates the challenges experienced by children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as they relate to individual and family outcomes. My doctoral dissertation examined the effects of a community-based martial arts intervention on executive and social functioning in children with ASD. The goals of my program of research are 1) to better understand and promote optimal development in children and adolescents with ASD, and 2) to improve how stakeholders, namely caregivers and professionals who work with the autism community, interface with individuals with ASD to help them lead healthier and happier lives. 

2017, Ph.D. Psychology & Social Behavior, University of California, Irvine (Advisor: Dr. Wendy A. Goldberg)

2013, M.A. Social Ecology, University of California, Irvine

2009, B.A. Psychology (Minor: Applied Developmental Psychology), University of California, Los Angeles 

Prospective Students and Research Participants:

Visit our lab website to learn more about our research!

Autism, Family, & Community Lab

Relevant Media:

The Emotional Curriculum podcast - Martial Arts and Executive Functioning in Children with Autism (S04 E04)

• Spotify
• Google Play 
• Apple Podcasts 
• Buzzsprout 

This Grad Life - Meet Dr. Janice Phung, Guest of EP 3

Psychology Today - Martial Arts and Executive Function on the Autism Spectrum

PsyPost.org - Mixed martial arts training could help promote executive functioning in children with autism

Conference Presentations:

Click below to obtain a copy of our student-led presentations at the Western Psychological Association (WPA) Convention in Riverside, CA (April, 2023). 

Guadarrama, S., & Phung, J. N. (2023). Examining culture orientation and sibling relationship quality among adults with a sibling with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A mixed methods study. [Oral presentation]. Western Psychological Association 2023 Convention, Riverside, CA.

Kirillova E., Guadarrama, S., & Phung, J. N. (2023). How college students perceive their autistic peers in terms of race and gender. [Poster session]. Western Psychological Association 2023 Convention, Riverside, CA.

In addition to my research interests, I am also passionate about instilling in students the skills to take different perspectives, think critically, and problem solve across different contexts. I primarily teach courses in the Child and Adolescent Development (CHAD) major, which focuses on the developmental processes that occur from conception through adolescence. My teaching philosophy is student-centered and emphasizes knowledge linked to real world application, which helps prepare graduates for careers that emphasize developmental science, including family-serving agencies, mental and physical health facilities, educational settings, and developmentally-related public organizations.

CHAD 339: Exceptional Children & Adolescents

CHAD 370: Risk & Resiliency in Children and Adolescents

CHAD 496: Observation & Assessment Laboratory 

PSYC 552: Proseminar in Developmental Psychology

Watch our CHAD Career Panel for Spring 2023 here!

ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0658-1884

PUBLICATIONS 

Wang, P., Tipton-Fisler, L. A., & Phung, J. N. (2022). College students' perceptions of peers with autism. Contemporary School Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40688-022-00416-6

Phung, J. N., & Goldberg, W. A. (2021). Mixed martial arts training improves social skills and lessens problem behaviors in boys with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 83, 101758. https://authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S1750-9467(21)00033-7

Phung, J. N., & Goldberg, W. A. (2020). Executive Functioning and Martial Arts Training in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. In Volkmar, F.R. (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_102437-1

Phung, J. N., & Goldberg, W. A. (2019). Promoting executive functioning in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder through community-based mixed martial arts training. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disabilities, 49(9), 3669-3684. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-019-04072-3

Phung, J. N., Abdullah, M. M., & Goldberg, W. A. (2019). Poor sleep quality among adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder is associated with depressive symptoms, problem behaviors, and conflicted family relationships. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 34(3), 173-182. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088357618794916 

Phung, J. N., & Goldberg, W. A. (2017). Poor sleep quality is associated with discordant peer relationships among adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 34, 10-18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2016.11.008 

Lukowski, A.F., Phung, J. N., & Milojevich, H. M. (2015). Language facilitates event memory in early childhood: child comprehension, adult-provided linguistic support and delayed recall at 16 months. Memory, 23(6), 848-863. doi: 10.1080/09658211.2014.931436

Phung, J. N., Milojevich, H. M., & Lukowski, A.F. (2014). Adult language use and infant comprehension of English: associations with encoding and generalization across cues at 20 months. Infant Behavior and Development, 37(4), 465-479. doi: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2014.05.005