Dr. Miriam Heyman, PhD, is a Research Scientist at the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy, where she serves as Project Manager for the National Research Center for Parents with Disabilities. Miriam began her career as a special education teacher in the New York City Public Schools, and while teaching she earned a master's degree in Special Education from the City University of New York. Miriam received a PhD in Applied Developmental and Educational Psychology from Boston College, where she focused her studies on individuals with disabilities and their families.
Her research interests reflect a lifespan approach to disability and mental health; her research has explored characteristics of the early childhood home and family environment that promote positive development for children with disabilities, the development of executive functioning and adaptive functioning, the early childhood education context, the influence of toxic stress on developmental outcomes, factors that predict positive employment outcomes for adults with intellectual disabilities, and the experiences of parents with diverse disabilities.
Miriam is also an adjunct faculty member at Boston College, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in psychology.