Our Team

Dr. Bradshaw is Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of South Carolina. Her research focuses on early identification and intervention of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the first years of life. Specifically, she is interested in: 1) evaluating social behavior, visual attention, and motor skills in newborns, infants, and toddlers, 2) identifying atypical pathways in brain development that lead to the emergence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and 3) translating these basic findings to early detection and intervention strategies for ASD.

Contact: jbradshaw@sc.edu

Dr. Yurkovic-Harding is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Early Social Development Lab at the University of South Carolina. Her research focuses on understanding the mechanisms that allow infants to engage in reciprocal social interactions. She uses a combination of wearable eye trackers and heart rate monitors to quantify how moment-by-moment visual attention, action, and physiology underly social behaviors in real time. She is also interested in how these skills may predict later social behavior. Before joining the Early Social Development Lab, she obtained a dual Ph.D. in Psychology and Cognitive Science from Indiana.

Cecilia graduated from the University of South Carolina in May of 2023 with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a minor in Counselor’s Education. As an undergraduate student, Cecilia worked in a neurodevelopmental lab as a research assistant where she performed EEG’s and looked at sleep issues in groups of children with monogenetic mutations that are linked to autism. Following her interest in development and autism, she joined our lab in June of 2023 as a research coordinator. In our lab, Cecilia does our scheduling of participants and data collection for our different studies. Her favorite part of this job is getting to engage with young children and getting to see how they interact with their surroundings.

Contact: cet10@email.sc.edu

Alexis graduated from Florida State University with her bachelors degree in Psychology in May of 2019. After graduating, she moved to South Carolina where she worked as a research assistant in The Early Social Development Lab. This year, she will be continuing her work in Dr. Bradshaw's lab as a graduate assistant while pursuing her Ph.D. in clinical-community psychology. Alexis' research interests include infant developmental trajectories and outcomes, social/language development and motor development.

Axie graduated from the University of California, Davis in 2019 with a B.S. in Human Development and a minor in Global Disease Biology. After graduation, she worked at the UC Davis MIND Institute as on projects focused on brain development and gender differences in autistic and non-autistic pre-schoolers. As a School Psychology PhD student, she is interested in using a neurodiverse-lense to improve early detection and school supports for autistic children and their families

Emma graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelors degree in Psychology and certificate in Clinical and Psychological Science. As an undergraduate, Emma worked as a Behavior Technician and discovered her passion to help children with autism and developmental disabilities. Emma originally joined the lab as a research coordinator, and will is continuing her involvement as a PhD student in the Clinical-Community Psychology program at USC.

Contact: ep25@mailbox.sc.edu

​Miranda graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a bachelors degree in Psychology in May 2018. Before starting at USC, Miranda worked at the Duke University Center for Autism and Brain Development where she investigated novel screening ASD tools in pediatric primary care. She is currently pursuing her PhD in the Clinical-Community Psychology program at USC and is interested in investigating biomarkers in children at risk for ASD and developing new intervention strategies. Her favorite part about being in The ESD Lab is the chance to learn something new everyday (and playing peek-a-boo with participants).

Tessa graduated from Macalester College in 2018 with a B.A. in Neuroscience Studies. After graduation, she worked in the Institute of Child Development at the University of Minnesota on projects focusing on early autism detection using MRI brain imaging. As a Clinical-Community PhD student, she is interested in improving early autism detection and intervention strategies to be more equitable and accessible for families. Tessa’s favorite aspect of her work is interacting with our participants. So many cute baby smiles!

Megan is a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) with a degree from Winthrop University, earned in 2017. Following her graduation, she dedicated four years to working with a hospice agency, where she offered crucial social and emotional support to families while assisting them in accessing essential resources. After taking some time off to focus on her children, Megan transitioned into a recruitment role for grants at the University of South Carolina, working within both the Social Work and Psychology departments. Megan is deeply passionate about research and committed to supporting families in the community. Outside of work, she enjoys spending quality time with her husband, three children, and their three dogs.

Contact: meganstreetman@sc.edu