Description
Dr. Paddy C. Favazza has a background and research focus in the areas of: the social inclusion, attitude development, and social and motor development with particular interest in curriculum development related to inclusion and motor development and, the use of motor skill programmes for young children with disabilities as a vehicle for inclusion within the family, school and community in developing nations in a global context. Professor Favazza is a former teacher of young children with disabilities, an advocate for the rights and dignity of all children; committed to ensuring that curriculum and strategies used in early childhood have sound theoretical underpinnings, represent evidenced based practise, engage families and are culturally responsive. Dr. Michaelene M. Ostrosky is the Head of the Department of Special Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her educational background and research focuses on early childhood special education with a particular interest in social emotional competence; social interaction and peer relationships; challenging behaviour; and communication delays and disabilities. As a former teacher of young children with disabilities, Professor Ostrosky is committed to making research accessible to practitioners and family members through her writing and presentations. Dr. Chryso Mouzourou is Senior Research Associate in the Department of Human Sciences at the Ohio State University. Her background and research include exploring perspectives on disabilities within communities, including families and schools, peer relationships, children’s perspectives about disabilities, and cross-cultural constructions of disability as they manifest in and impact policy and practise. As a former teacher of children with diverse abilities, Professor Mouzourou is dedicated to ensuring that practitioners have access to best practises for children and their families, and that her writing and teaching reflect understanding of theoretical underpinnings and current research and practise. Samuel L. Odom is Director of the Frank Porter Graham (FPG) Child Development Institute and Professor of Education at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Prior to his work at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Dr. Odom previously served in faculty positions at Indiana University and Peabody College/Vanderbilt University. Dr. Odom received a master’s degree in special education in 1976 and an educational specialist degree in educational psychology from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville in 1979. He earned his doctorate in 5030cm education and human development from the University of Washington. Throughout his career, Dr. Odom has held positions as a preschool teacher, student teaching supervisor, programme coordinator, teacher educator, and researcher. He has written many articles and chapters about programmes for young children and their families and has served as the co-editor of five books on early childhood special education. Dr. Odom is an associate editor for Exceptional Children and is on the editorial board of Journal of Early Intervention, Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disabilities, and Early Childhood Research Quarterly. He received the Special Education Outstanding Research Award from the American Educational Research Association Special Education Special Interest Group in 1999, the Merle Karnes Contribution to the Field Award from the Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) in 2001, and the Outstanding Special Education Research Award from CEC in 2007. Dr. Odom’s research interests include interventions and teaching approaches that promote social competence of young children, effective intervention approaches for children with autism, and early childhood curricula that promote children’s school success.
