Education
Ph.D. (2016) Florida State University
Predoctoral Internship (2015-2016) Medical University of South Carolina
M.S. (2011) Florida State University
B.A. (2007) Rollins College
Research
Dr. Allan is not currently accepting new Ph.D. students.
Dr. Allan’s research interests focus on the development and measurement of attentional processes in early childhood and how these processes relate to important aspects of child development. Dr. Allan’s research thus far has examined the underlying structure and effective measurement of attention, impulsivity, and inhibitory control in preschool children. She has also conducted a number of multi-method studies demonstrating the early linkage between specific components of self-regulatory processes and the attainment of early academic skills in preschoolers.
Dr. Allan’s current research projects focus on 1) examining the underlying structure of attention and how it relates to other self-regulatory constructs (e.g., working memory, impulse control) in early childhood, 2) improving the early identification of ADHD, and 3) developing an understanding of how deficits in attention and other self-regulatory processes are associated with early academic performance. She also has an interest in developing and evaluating school-based interventions that target early childhood behavior problems in ways that facilitate both behavior change and early school success.
Publications
Lonigan, C. J., Allan, D. M.,Goodrich, J. M., Farrington, A., & Phillips, B. M. (in press). Self-Regulation in Spanish-speaking language-minority preschool children: Measurement and association with language, literacy, and math skills. Journal of Learning Disabilities.
Sims, D. M., Purpura, D. J., & Lonigan, C. J. (in press). The relation between inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive behaviors and early mathematic skills. Journal of Attention Disorders.
Hume, L. E., Allan, D. M., & Lonigan, C. J. (2016) Links between preschoolers’ motivation for literacy, ADHD-characteristic behaviors and early literacy skills. Learning and Individual Differences, 47, 88-95.
Allan, D. M., Allan, N. P., Lerner, M., Farrington, A. L., & Lonigan, C. J. (2015). Identifying unique components of preschool children’s self-regulatory skills using executive function tasks and continuous performance tests. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 32, 40-50.
Allan, D. M.& Lonigan, C. J. (2015). Change in accuracy across performance on the continuous performance test: A latent growth analysis. Psychological Assessment, 27, 678-688.
Sims, D. M., & Lonigan, C. J. (2013). Inattention, hyperactivity, and early literacy: Different facets of inattention relate uniquely to preschoolers’ reading-related skills. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 42, 208-219.
Sims, D. M., & Lonigan, C. J. (2012). Multi-method assessment of ADHD characteristics in preschool children: Relations between measures. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 27, 329-337.