Dr. Clinton Smith, Ed.D., BCBA-D

Clinton Smith is a 2010 graduate of the University of Memphis. Clinton earned his master’s degree in Special Education in 2006 and he also earned his Doctorate in Special Education and Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) from the University of Memphis.  After completing his degree and being the first doctoral graduate from the ABA program at UM, he earned his Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA-D) certification.

Clinton is a co-teacher for Reading/Language Arts at Shadowlawn Middle School in the Shelby County School district.  He has been at Shadowlawn for ten years serving as a Co-Teacher, Expanded Resource teacher, and an Intervention Specialist.  At Shadowlawn, Clinton participates in many extra-curricular activities with students that include advising Builder’s Club, coaching basketball, and coordinating the Special Olympics program.   He won the Special Education Teacher of the year from the Pilot Club of Shelby County in 2005.  He has also been nominated for the Jo Bellanti Special Educators Award and the Heart Award from the Shelby County Education Association (SCEA). 

Clinton also serves as a graduate adjunct instructor at the University of Memphis.  He has presented at many international, state, and local conferences.  He is primarily interested in research that involves social skills, Asperger’s Syndrome, teacher praise, in-school suspension, and positive behavior supports for at-risk students.  He has two articles published in peer-reviewed journals.

He currently serves as a board member for Greater Memphis Special Olympics.  He has been a certified Special Olympics coach since 1993 for track and field as well as basketball.  He attended the USA Special Olympics National Games as an athletics coach in 2006 and head basketball coach in 2010.  Team Tennessee basketball, coached by Clinton, won the gold medal in the highest division at the National Games.