Kayla M. Malone is a Ph.D. candidate in Applied Developmental Science and Special Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she's also earning a graduate certificate in Participatory Research. She also received her Master's in Education in Special Education from North Carolina State University and earned a graduate certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis from the Pennsylvania State University. 

A first-generation college student from rural Southeastern North Carolina, Kayla brings over a decade of experience supporting autistic individuals across schools, clinics, and community spaces.

As Principal Investigator of the SHIFT to Belonging study, Kayla explores the development and testing of a peer-based support group guide co-created with gender-diverse autistic young adults. The SHIFT Guide emerged from a larger community-based participatory research (CBPR) project, the Gender and Autism Project, where autistic youth, caregivers, and professionals shaped the priorities, content, and approach from the ground up.

Kayla is also a long-time research partner on the FACES Project, a community-driven collaboration with North Carolina State University that centers the lived experiences of Black families raising autistic children. Through this work, they have contributed to research exploring how race, faith, disability, and caregiving intersect to influence access to services, supports, and systems of care.

Kayla also collaborates with the Propel Project, a large-scale randomized controlled trial with UNC-Chapel Hill and the University of Kansas, focused on improving academic and social outcomes for autistic high school students through Peer Supports and the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction (SDLMI).

Their interdisciplinary scholarship appears in leading journals including Autism in Adulthood, Exceptional Children, Journal of Special Education, and Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, and has been supported by grants from the Organization for Autism Research, the Southern Equality Research and Policy Center, and the U.S. Office of Special Education Programs.

Their invited talks and international conference presentations span topics including participatory intervention design with gender-diverse autistic youth and their communities, faith and disability among Black families, racial disparities in autism research, and the implementation of peer supports and self-determination models in schools.

Kayla also contributes to service to the field through roles like Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Student Liaison for the Council for Exceptional Children’s Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities. In 2025, they were selected as a Doctoral Scholar by the Council’s Division of Research, an internationally competitive application process. 

In addition to research, Kayla is a dedicated educator and mentor. As an instructor in the Human Development and Family Sciences program at UNC Chapel Hill, they teach courses on autism, service learning, and lead large scale student projects as an internship supervisor.

Outside of work, Kayla is a writer and mixed media artist exploring themes of identity, embodiment, and memory. Their creative writing has been featured in UNC’s Lambda Magazine, where they were the most-published contributor in the Spring 2025 issue. They find daily joy in long walks, shared snacks, and the company of their two rescue dogs and loving partner.