BY ROD JONES
OCU MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS
When an email arrived from the president of the National Academy of Neuropsychology (NAN), the recent Oklahoma City University Psy.D. graduate braced herself for a polite rejection. She had submitted her work about how and why children externalize their behavior for consideration of the academy’s Outstanding Dissertation Award.
Having been notified of her nomination in March and asked to submit a condensed summary of her multi-year study, Le Zheng knew the field of fellow competitors was vast and gifted based on her observations of last year’s conference. The list was perhaps more than 300 doctoral students who presented their research.
"When I opened it, I saw 'thank you for...' and thought, 'Okay, here comes the standard email thanking me for applying,'" the now Dr. Zheng recalled. "So I was preparing myself. But then I kept reading."
Instead of a decline, the letter informed her that the NAN Honors and Awards Committee had selected her dissertation to receive the 2026 Outstanding Dissertation Award. Citing the scientific rigor and clinical importance of her work, the committee chose her study above doctoral projects across the country.
"I had to read the email a couple of times just to make sure I didn't get it wrong," she said. "I was not expecting this honor at all."
Clinical work joins research project
Her award-winning research drew from her hands-on patient care. Before entering OCU’s Doctorate of Psychology in Clinical Psychology program in 2021, she had already built a strong foundation in mental health after earning a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Maryland, spending five years in private practice with children and adolescents and serving as a counselor at OCU’s Counseling Services.
Her doctoral research was inspired while conducting psychological evaluations as a practicum student at the Oklahoma Pediatric Therapy Center (OPTC), working with children and adolescents diagnosed with neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and ADHD.
"I noticed a theme. Many of these children were exhibiting externalizing behaviors, like temper tantrums or acting out," Zheng explained. "At the same time, they struggled to express their needs verbally. When children lack the expressive language to communicate what they need, they act it out through behavior. I wanted to understand the underlying mechanisms behind that brain-behavior relationship."
Her dissertation looked into the connection between working memory (a core component of executive functioning) and externalizing behaviors in a pediatric clinical population, specifically evaluating the roles of expressive language and anxiety.
Her findings revealed that expressive language plays a crucial role in explaining how working memory relates to behavioral self-regulation, while anxiety further influences that relationship. (More about Zheng’s research is in the Q&A below.)
A collective success
Although Zheng herself was surprised to receive the award, Psy.D. program Director Dr. Melissa Hakman wasn’t at all.
“One of the things that has stood out to me most is her genuine curiosity and desire to understand things more deeply. In class, she consistently asked insightful questions that went beyond simply learning the material; she wanted to understand the ‘why’ behind it,” Hakman said. “A combination of curiosity, humility, willingness to learn and commitment to making a positive difference is a big part of what makes her such a strong emerging psychologist. Her national dissertation award is a wonderful recognition of those qualities, and I am excited to see the impact she will have on the children, adolescents and families she works with.”
With 30 years’ experience as a pediatric neuropsychologist, psychology professor Dr. Lori Holmquist-Day turned out to be a natural pick to be Zheng’s primary mentor for the project. The two were matched up the very first year Zheng entered the program, and they will continue their collaboration in her post-doc work. Like Hakman, Holmquist-Day wasn’t surprised about the award either.
“I've been in this field for such a long time, and after going through the results of her data collection, I said ‘This is very meaningful. I think we need to write this up for submission to a peer-reviewed journal to let everyone in the field learn of our findings,’” she said. “The reason that we've been asked to speak at NAN is because the outcomes of the study will begin to shape the way people in our field conceptualize and conduct neurodevelopmental evaluations.”
Despite the national acclaim, Zheng is quick to share credit with the mentor network that supported her throughout her years in the program.
"I see this award as a result of the mentorship, education, clinical opportunities and support I received," she said. " I am deeply grateful to my dissertation advisor and committee members for their constant encouragement and guidance."
She also points to foundational coursework at OCU, including advanced training in health psychology, psychopathology and statistical analysis under arts and sciences Dean Dr. Amy Cataldi and health psychology professor Dr. Noel Jacobs, as essential support to the study.
In addition, the OPTC granted data access for the study. That contribution has come full circle. After completing her doctoral internship at OPTC last year, she has continued her work there as a postdoctoral fellow.
On to Chicago
Zheng and Holmquist-Day travelled to Chicago to present their research at the National Academy of Neuropsychology Annual Conference and to accept Zheng’s Outstanding Dissertation Award during a formal ceremony.
As she prepared to share her findings with neuropsychologists from across the nation, she reflected on the journey from OCU student to award-winning researcher with deep appreciation.
"To have my work recognized by a national organization whose members I respect so deeply is such an honor," she said. "I’m just very humbled and grateful."
Q: How does a holistic approach change the way clinicians, parents and teachers evaluate and support a child showing externalizing behaviors?
A: When a child is impulsive, aggressive, or having difficulty following directions, the behavior is often the first thing adults notice. A more complete assessment asks what else may be happening for that child. Are they having trouble holding instructions in mind? Can they explain what they need or how they feel? Could anxiety be affecting how they respond in a difficult moment?
My study found that children with stronger working memory tended to have stronger expressive language skills, and children with stronger expressive language skills tended to show fewer externalizing behaviors. Expressive language explained part of the relationship between working memory and behavior, but it was not the whole explanation. That is why I think it is valuable to look at cognitive, language, emotional, and behavioral functioning together.
For parents and teachers, this can shift the question from “How do we stop this behavior?” to “What support might help this child succeed in this situation?” A child who cannot easily express frustration, for example, may benefit from help naming feelings and asking for assistance, as well as clear expectations and behavioral support. Understanding what is behind a behavior allows adults to respond with both compassion and practical strategies.
Q: What drew you to expressive language and anxiety?
A: My clinical work made me curious about why children with similar difficulties in working memory can have very different behavioral experiences. I was especially interested in expressive language because children often use words to explain a problem, ask for help, and work through frustration. When expressing themselves is difficult, those moments may become harder to manage.
I also wanted to consider anxiety because a child’s emotional state can affect how they use their skills. In the study, the relationship between working memory and expressive language was evident at low and moderate levels of anxiety, but it was not statistically significant at higher levels of anxiety. That finding reinforced for me how important it is to consider a child’s emotional experience when interpreting assessment results.
Q: How do you hope your findings will shape assessment protocols or targeted interventions in clinical settings?
A: I hope the findings encourage clinicians to assess communication skills and anxiety when a child is referred for behavioral concerns, alongside cognitive functioning and the behavior itself. A more complete picture can lead to recommendations that fit the individual child. For one child, that might include support for expressing needs and feelings; for another, addressing anxiety may be an important part of the plan.
Because this study examined associations in a clinical sample, it cannot tell us that improving expressive language will, by itself, reduce externalizing behaviors. I see it as a starting point for asking more precise questions and developing recommendations that address the skills and challenges beneath the behavior. Ultimately, I hope this work helps families feel better understood and gives clinicians more ways to support each child’s growth.
