For CGI Doctor of Behavioral Health student Sheow Yun “Kathryn” Sie, her research began with a problem she saw affecting families navigating both behavioral and medical care.
Kathryn began her career as an elementary school teacher in Malaysia. After her son was diagnosed with autism, she came to the United States to pursue a career as a behavior analyst so she could better understand and support his needs.
Her research focus expanded after hearing from a behavior therapist she supervised whose son had both autism and epilepsy. The family struggled with fragmented care between behavioral and medical providers.
“Hearing her talk about how fragmented his care was, and still is, stuck with me.”
Kathryn’s study explores what behavioral providers encounter when working with children whose needs may cross between behavioral and medical care. She is particularly interested in silent seizures and staring spells, which can potentially be mistaken for behavior, and whether behavioral providers feel prepared to recognize when something medical may be happening.
“I want to understand where the disconnect really lives, whether it’s training, communication with doctors, or just the system not being built for kids who fall into both categories.”
Kathryn hopes her findings can identify practical ways to strengthen coordination between medical and behavioral care through better training, protocols, and roles like the DBH that can work across both systems.
For her, the goal ultimately comes back to the families navigating these systems every day.
“I just want families like the one who inspired this study to stop having to piece together care on their own. That shouldn’t be their job.”
Through her research, Kathryn hopes to help make coordinated care easier for families and strengthen the connection between the behavioral and medical professionals who support them.
