Dr. Begay, PhD, NCSP
Licensed Psychologist
Kristin Kawena Begay, PhD, is a licensed psychologist who works with children, adolescents, parents, and families. Dr. Begay specializes in psychological assessment of developmental, behavioral, and emotional challenges including autism spectrum disorders, learning disabilities, anxiety, and attentional disorders. Additionally, she conducts cognitive (“IQ”) assessments for the purposes of school placement. Dr. Begay has extensive experience with school-aged children, adolescents, and adults in and out of school settings. Dr. Begay is neurodiversity and LGBTQIA2S affirming and is committed to antiracist practices in evaluation.
Prior to receiving her doctorate, Dr. Begay taught grades Pre-K through 12 in several different states, including New Mexico on the Navajo reservation and in rural Hawai’i at a Hawaiian language immersion school. A nationally certified school psychologist, Dr. Begay served grades Pre-K through 12 as a school counselor and school psychologist in both Washington and Hawai’i. She worked to improve identification services in the school setting through the use of culturally appropriate assessment procedures and through providing additional training and consultation for district staff members. This teaching experience has been a tremendous asset when making recommendations for classroom accommodations and interventions.
Dr. Begay earned her Ph.D. in school psychology (APA-accredited) at the University of Washington. She completed her pre-doctoral internship and postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Washington Autism Center, where she specialized in assessment and treatment of children with autism spectrum disorder and comorbid disorders. She went on to work at the UW Autism Center as a clinical psychologist for several years, where she provided diagnostic assessment and therapy for children and adolescents, parent coaching services, and school consultations. She also developed and conducted training for parents and educators working with children with ASD. Dr. Begay also completed a practicum placement at Seattle Children’s Autism Center and held a research appointment at the Center for Oral and Written Language at the University of Washington where she worked with individual children and conducted trainings for school staff in the assessment and treatment of specific learning disabilities. Dr. Begay previously held a part-time adjunct faculty position in the University of Washington Seattle College of Education where she taught assessment and social psychology courses in the School Psychology graduate program.
In addition to part-time private practice, Dr. Begay holds a full-time faculty (Associate Professor) position at the University of Washington Tacoma where she teaches graduate students how to conduct comprehensive culturally responsive and neuroaffirming evaluations. One strand of Dr. Begay’s research focuses on identifying autism in females and culturally and linguistically diverse populations. She further conducts research focused on non-standardized assessment practices, and she and a colleague created a framework of practice for this purpose. Dr. Begay’s research also aims to highlight BIPOC student voice. Dr. Begay travels across the country to provide national, state, and district level trainings related to autism.
Select publications and trainings/presentations are listed below.
Dr. Begay can be reached at DrBegay@KawenaPLLC.com
Peer-Reviewed Articles
Tyre, A., Begay, K. K., Beaudoin, K. & Feuerborn, L. (2024). Understanding middle and high school student preferences for acknowledgements in the context of schoolwide PBIS. Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth 68(2), 139-148.https://doi.org/10.1080/1045988X.2023.2186339
St. John, T., Estes, A., Begay, K. K., Munson, J., Reiter, M. R., Dager, S. R., & Kleinhans, N. (2022) Characterizing social functioning in school-age children with sensory processing abnormalities. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 52, 1361-1373. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-05050-4
Yamauchi, L. A., Luning, R. I., & Begay, K. K. (2021). Ho’oulu ka lālā no ke kumu: Engagement and learning of indigenous students begins with effective teachers. Pacific Asian Education, 32, 1-14.
Sweigert, J., St. John, T., Begay, K. K., Davis, G. E., Munson, J., Shankland, E., Estes, A., & Kleinhans, N. (2020). Characterizing olfactory function in children with autism spectrum disorder and children with sensory processing dysfunction. Brain Sciences, 10(6), 362-380. http://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci10060362
Thompson, R., Tanimoto, S., Lyman, R. D., Geselowitz, K., Begay, K. K., Nielsen, K., Nagy, W., Abbott, R., Raskind, M., & Berninger, V. (2017). Effective instruction for persisting dyslexia in upper grades: Adding hope stories and computer coding to explicit literacy instruction. Education and Information Technology, 23(3), 1043-1068. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-017-9647-5
Jones, J.M., Begay, K. K., Nakagawa, Y., Cevasco, M. & Sit, J.V. (2015). Multicultural counseling competence training: Adding value with multicultural consultation. Journal of Educational & Psychological Consultation, 26(3), 241-265. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10474412.2015.1012671
Berninger, V.W., Vaughan, K., Abbott, R.D., Begay, K., Coleman, K.B., Curtin, G., Hawkins, J.M., and Graham, S. (2002). Teaching spelling and composition alone and together: Implications for the simple view of writing. Journal of Educational Psychology, 94 (2), 291-304. http://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.94.2.291
Berninger, V., Vaughan, K., Abbott, R. D., Brooks, A., Begay, K., Curtin, G., Byrd, K., and Graham, S. (2000). Language-based spelling instruction: Teaching children to make multiple connections between spoken and written word. Learning Disability Quarterly, 23(2), 117-135. https://doi.org/10.2307/1511141
Book
Gabrielsen, T. P., Begay, K. K., Campbell, K., Hahn, K., & Harrington, L. T. (2023). Assessment of autism in females and atypical presentations. Springer.
Other Publications
Kucera, M. & Begay, K. K. (2025). Nonstandardized assessment as social justice in school psychological practice [part 1]. Communiqué, 53(5), 20-23.
Kucera, M. & Begay, K. K. (2025). Nonstandardized assessment as social justice in school psychological practice [part 2]. Communiqué, 53(6), 27-30.
Refereed Professional Presentations
Fields, B., Coccia, S., Begay, K., & Kmail, Z. (2025, May). Enhancing learning environments: The impact of biophilic designs in classrooms. Research presentation at the A4LE Regional & LearningSCAPES annual conference, Tacoma, WA.
Begay, K. K., Beaudoin, K., Tyre, A. D., Feuerborn, L. L., Wallace, C., Madrigal-Hill, A. G., & Troisi, M. J. (2025, February). Centering student voices to improve cultural relevance of PBIS systems. Research presentation at the National Association of School Psychologists Convention 2025, Seattle, Washington.
Feuerborn, L. L., Begay, K. K., Tyre, A. D., & Wallace, C. (2024, February). Centering student voice in behavior & discipline systems. Mini-skills presentation at the National Association of School Psychologists Convention 2024, New Orleans, Louisiana.
Begay, K. K., Gabrielsen, T., & Cutrer, B. (2023, February). A whole new world: Autism in girls. Mini-skills presentation at the National Association of School Psychologists Convention 2023, Denver, Colorado.
Begay, K. K., Gabrielsen, T., Cutrer, B., & Finster, G. (2022, February). A whole new world: Autism in girls. Mini-skills presentation at the National Association of School Psychologists Convention 2022, Boston, Massachusetts.
Beaudoin, K. M., Begay, K. K., & Feuerborn, L. (2022, February). Gathering voice to guide culturally and contextually relevant behavior systems. Mini-skills presentation at the National Association of School Psychologists Convention 2022, Boston, Massachusetts.
Begay, K. K. & Feuerborn, L. L. (2021, February). Assessing diverse student populations: Practices and needs. Paper session presentation at the National Association of School Psychologists Convention 2021 (virtual).
Begay, K. K., Otero, T., McClain-Verdoes, M., Gabrielsen, T., & Harris, B. (2020, February). Identifying autism in schools: Meeting underserved, diverse population needs. Mini-skills presentation at the National Association of School Psychologists Convention 2020, Baltimore, Maryland.
Begay, K. K. (2013, February). The impact of instructional conversation on Hawaiian language production. Original action research presented at the Hawai’i Educational Research Association (HERA) annual conference, University of Hawai’i, Mānoa, HI.
Invited Keynotes and Trainings
Begay, K. (2025, January). Culturally responsive evaluations for learning disabilities. Presented at the Developmental Behavioral Pediatric Didactic, Joint Base Lewis-McCord, WA.
Begay, K. (2024, April). Identifying autism in schools: Thoughtful approaches. Full day presentation to the Macomb/St. Clair Psychological Association, Detroit, MI.
Begay, K. (2023, December). Recognizing autism and utilizing strategies for intervention. Presented to faculty and staff at Bertschi School, Seattle, WA.
Gabrielsen, T. P., Begay, K. K., & Cutrer-Parraga, E. (2023, November). Evidence base for identification of autism in females and nuanced presentations in school settings. Presented to the school-based professionals of Milwaukee Public Schools WI, virtual.
Begay, K. (2023, October). School-based Identification of Autism in females and Nuanced Presentations. Presentation at the Washington State Association of School Psychologists conference 2023, virtual.
Begay, K. (2023, October). School-based identification of autism in females and nuanced presentations. Presented to the school psychology staff of Downey Unified Public Schools, CA, virtual.
Gabrielsen, T. P., Begay, K. K., & Cutrer-Parragá, E. (2023, October). Evidence base for identification of autism in females and nuanced presentations in school settings. Full-day presentation for the South Dakota State Association 2023 Annual Conference, Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Begay, K. K. (2023, April). Identifying autistic females: Nuanced presentations. Presented to school psychology staff of Northshore Public Schools, WA, virtual.
Begay, K. K. (2023, January). Identifying autistic females: Nuanced presentations. Presented for TRIAD Autism, Vanderbilt University, TN, virtual.
Begay, K. K. (2022 November). Shedding light on assessing autism in females. Presented at the Tennessee Association of School Psychologists Annual Conference, virtual.
Begay, K. K. (2022, May). Identifying autism in girls. Presented to the school psychologist team in Puyallup School Districts.
Begay, K. K. (2021, November). Identifying autism in school settings: Culturally responsive assessment practices. Presented at the Arizona Association of School Psychologists Annual Conference, Phoenix, AZ.
Feuerborn, L., Beaudoin, K., Begay, K. K., & Tyre, A. (2020, October). Culturally relevant and integrated PBIS and SEL practices in secondary schools. Presented at the NW Regional + Hawai’i School Psychologist Virtual Conference (Washington State Association of School Psychologists –WSASP- Annual Conference).
Begay, K. & Finlayson, R. & Holley, K (2018, September & October). Understanding autism spectrum disorders and strategies to support positive behavior. Wraparound Intensive Services (WISe) Program, Kennewick, Spokane, & Bremerton, WA.
Begay, K. & Finlayson, R. (2018, September). Advanced training: Severe challenging behaviors. North Sound Behavioral Health Organization, Mount Vernon, WA.
Begay, K. (2018, August). Understanding autism spectrum disorders. Washington Department of Services for the Blind, Seattle, WA.
Begay, K. (2018, August). Embracing differences: Autism spectrum disorder in the general education classroom. Northwest Autism Conference, Kadlec Regional Medical Center, Kennewick, WA.
Begay, K. & Matestic, P. (2018, March) Supporting individuals with autism spectrum disorder in healthcare settings. Peace Health Medical, Bellingham, WA.
Begay, K. (2018, March, April, May) Understanding autism spectrum disorders; Emotion regulation and executive functions; Anxiety and autism (3-part monthly series). Cascade Parent Partnership School, Seattle, WA.