She received her Ph.D. in Human Development in 2000 from Vanderbilt University specializing in special education and early literacy. Prior to that, she was a special education teacher for 14 years. Dr. Al Otaiba has significant expertise in the areas of early literacy, tutoring interventions, response to intervention, teacher training, and effective instruction for diverse learners, including students with significant learning and other disabilities. Dr. Al Otaiba is co-PI on an NICHD-funded project using a randomized design to examine school-based classification and prevention of reading disabilities. She is the Doctoral Coordinator for Special Education and teaches graduate and undergraduate courses related to reading research, reading disabilities, and response to intervention.