Nicholas Fears
Assistant Professor
Bachelor's Degree(s): Psychology, Indiana University 2013
Master's Degree: Psychological Science, Tulane University 2016
PhD: Psychological Science, Tulane University 2019
Phone: 225-578-7175
Email: nfears@lsu.edu
Office: 2214 Huey P. Long Field House
Biography
Dr. Nicholas Fears is an Assistant Professor in the School of Kinesiology at the Louisiana
State University in Baton Rouge, LA, USA. Dr. Fears completed his undergraduate training
in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Indiana University in 2013
and his graduate training in Developmental Psychology at Tulane University in 2019.
He completed his postdoctoral training in the Department of Physical Therapy at University
of North Texas Health Science Center and in the School of Kinesiology at University
of Michigan in 2022. Dr. Fears joined the School of Kinesiology in August 2022.
Dr. Fears’s research focuses on the development of the dynamic relationships between
motor, visual, and cognitive processes. He is interested in how these relations affect
the performance of activities of daily living in neurodivergent populations (i.e.,
autism, developmental coordination disorder). The goal of his research is to improve
the lives of neurodivergent people by adapting their environments and providing support
for them to achieve their goals. Dr. Fears is the director of the Human Development & Daily Life (HuDDL) Lab.
Select Publications
Miller, H. L., Licari, M. K., Bhat, A., Aziz‐Zadeh, L. S., Van Damme, T., Fears, N. E., ... & Tamplain, P. M. (2024). Motor problems in autism: Co‐occurrence or feature?.
Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 66(1), 16-22. https://doi.org/10.1111/dmcn.15674
Fears, N. E., Palmer, S. A., & Miller, H. L. (2022). Motor skills predict adaptive behavior in
autistic children and adolescents. Autism Research. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.2708
Fears, N. E., Templin, T., Sherrod, G. M., Bugnariu, N., Patterson, R., & Miller, H. L. (2022).
Autistic children use less efficient goal-directed whole body movements compared to
neurotypical development. Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05523-0
Fears, N. E., Bailey, B., Youmans, B, & Lockman, J. J. (2019). An eye-tracking method for directly
assessing children's visual-motor integration. Physical Therapy, 99(6), 797-806. https://doi.org/10.1093/ptj/pzz027
Select Presentations
Invited Presentations
Motor Skills & Autism: Impacts on Functional Behavior. (2023, March). Department of
Psychology, Tulane University.
Researching Neurodiversity: Bridging the Gap between Scientist & Community. (2022,
February). Center for Neural Science, New York University.
Autism, Motor Development, & Activities of Daily Living. (2021, July). Department
of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. University of Michigan.
Conference Presentations
Fears, N. E., Tamplain, P. M., & Miller, H. L. (2024, June). Data Sharing Through the International
Consortium On Motor Behavior In Neurodivergence (COMBINE). Joint Conference of the
International Motor Development Research Consortium and International Society of Research
and Advocacy for Developmental Coordination Disorder. Ghent, Belgium.
Fears, N. E., Palmer, S. A., Miller, H. L. (2022, May). Motor skills predict daily living and
communication skills in autistic children and adolescents. North American Society
for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity. Waikoloa Beach, Hawaii.
Fears, N. E., Templin, T. N., & Miller, H. L., (2021, September) Drinking from a cup: Upper extremity
movements during activities of daily living in children with autism spectrum disorder.
Fifth Assembly of International Motor Development Research Consortium. Komotini, Greece.
Select Grants
Healthy Weight Research Network Pilot and Feasibility Grant - $50,000
PI, 2024-2026
Adapting a Play-based, Parent-mediated Motor Skills Intervention App to Reduce Motor
Difficulties and Increase Physical Activity in Autistic Preschoolers