Special Education
Faculty
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Kevin Ayres, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, received his Ph.D. from the University of Georgia in 2005. He has taught students with autism in metro Atlanta schools. Currently his research interest focus is assistive technology across disability categories, universal design; applied behavior analysis; and functional curriculum for students with autism and severe disabilities. He is also interested in measurement and research in single subject research. Ayres works with software developers to engineer effective software for teaching social and functional skills to children with autism and moderate to severe intellectual disabilities. (706)583-8090 |
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Richard T. Boon, Assistant Professor, received his Ph.D. from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia in Special Education. In 1996, he earned his B.S. degree, while in 1998 he completed his M.S. degree both from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. Before coming to UGA, he worked at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Prior to working in higher education, Richard was a high school special education teacher in Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia and worked as an adjunct faculty member at George Mason University. More recently, he was the Assistive Technology Coordinator for the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) also known as the Training and Technical Assistance Center (T/TAC). The mission of the center is to improve educational opportunities and contribute to the success of children and youth with disabilities (birth - 22 years). The center provides quality training and technical assistance in response to local, regional, and state needs so as to increase the capacity of schools, school personnel, service providers, and families to meet the needs of children and youth. Currently, Richard is an Assistant Professor of Special Education in the College of Education at The University of Georgia. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in special education (ie., instructional methods and special education technology) and supervises both practicum and student teaching experiences. His areas of professional interest include: evidence-based strategy instruction, differentiation of instruction and instructional accommodations, special education technology, and inclusion. He has also published in such journals as The Journal of Special Education Technology, Learning Disabilities: A Contemporary Journal, Learning Disabilities: A Multidisciplinary Journal, Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, Remedial and Special Education, and Education and Treatment of Children. In addition, he has presented at a variety of local, state, national, and international conferences on evidence-based instructional strategies to facilitate inclusive classroom instruction using technology-based applications. (678) 407-5185 |
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Tom Clees, Ph.D., Associate Professor, received his doctorate in Behavioral Disabilities/Special Education from The University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1987. He was then awarded a Post Doctorate as a research associate at the Research and Training Center (Waisman Center on Mental Retardation and Human Development) at The University of Wisconsin-Madison where he conducted research in transition until coming to the Department of Special Education at The University of Georgia in Fall of 1989. Dr. Clees' areas of expertise and research include: Transition, supported living/employment; self-management; operant learning theory; applied behavioral analysis; single-subject and small research designs; and social skills. He is currently a consulting editor for Career Development for Exceptional Individuals and on the editorial review board of Education and Treatment of Children, the latter for which he is also a guest associate editor. Dr. Clees has also served on the editorial boards of Exceptionality and the Journal of Behavioral Education. Dr. Clees advises undergraduate, master and doctoral students. He is the program coordinator of the Special Education program. He is also chair of the recruitment and retention subcommittee of the College of Education Task Force on Multicultural Education, as well as a member of the University Council. Dr. Clees advises students in the areas of behavioral disorders and interrelated. (706) 542-4577 |
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Alicia B. Davis, Ph.D., Academic Professional Associate, received her Ph.D. from the University of Georgia. Her areas of interest and specialization are early childhood special education, moderate/severe disabilities, and distance education. She teaches graduate and undergraduate coursework in the SETWEB program. (706) 542-4237 |
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David L. Gast, Ph.D., Professor, received his Ph.D. in child development and child psychology from the University of Kansas in 1975 with a concentration in mental retardation and severe behavior disorders. In addition to teaching courses in applied behavior analysis, instructional methods for children functioning in the moderate-severe range of mental retardation, single subject research methodology, and autism spectrum disorders, he directs a federally funded project (Collaborative Personnel Preparation in Autism Project, COPPA Project) to prepare teachers at the graduate level to work with children with autism spectrum disorders. Information on this cooperative teacher education program with Gwinnett Co., Cobb Co., Forsyth Co. and Clarke Co. Public Schools can be found on the departmental website. Dr. Gast also directs a service-learning Study Abroad in Ireland program in cooperation with the COPE Foundation that serves individuals with developmental disabilities and their families in Cork, Ireland. Between 1995 and 2005 he directed UGA’s Study Abroad in Peru program in cooperation with Centro Ann Sullivan del Peru. Dr. Gast's areas of interest include international special education, behavioral methods of instruction, single-subject research methodology, and instructional strategies that facilitate observational and incidental learning. Recent publications (2000-2006, N= 20) with his current and former students on such topics as observational and incidental learning by children with autism, computer-based multimedia instruction, visual activity schedules to facilitate independence, leisure skill instruction, and reinforcer preference assessment procedures have appeared in such journals as Journal of Special Education, Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, Journal of Early Intervention, Journal of Autism and Development Disorders, Exceptionality, Mental Retardation, Therapeutic Recreation Journal, Journal of Physical and Developmental Disabilities, and Education and Treatment in Developmental Disabilities. Dr. Gast is particularly interested in recruiting graduate students from special education and related fields (psychology, child and family development, communication science disorders) who have experience with children with autism spectrum disorders and an interest in applied research. (706) 542-5069 |
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Erik B. Greene, Academic Professional Associate, received his Ph.D. from the University of Georgia in 1999, with specialty in Emotional/Behavioral Disorders. He is currently co-coordinating the online Special Education Training on the Web (SETWEB) Program in the Dept. of Communication Sciences & Special Education since the summer of 2005. Dr. Greene recently moved from Oregon, where he taught in a rural school district on the Oregon Coast, teaching students in resource, self contained, and young adult program settings. He also completed the Educational Leadership Program at the University of Oregon in 2003. Areas of interest include improving social skills among students with emotional/behavioral disorders, and online education for teachers interested in special education training. Download Vita in PDF format Phone: 706-542-1315 |
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Noel Gregg, Ph.D., is a Distinguished Research Professor at The University of Georgia, Director of the University of Georgia Regents’ Center for Learning Disorders (Department of Psychology, Franklin College of Arts and Science) and Research Chair, Georgia Alternative Media Access Center. She received her Ph.D. in Communication Disorders from Northwestern University, Illinois. Her areas of specialization include adolescents and adults with learning disabilities and AD/HD, accommodations, alternative media, assessment, written language disorders, and measurement validity. She has been a national expert witness for several key legal cases pertaining to accommodating adults with learning disabilities and AD/HD on high-stakes tests. In addition, she has been involved with several international research projects (Australia, Spain, Germany, and Israel) related to the underlying language and cognitive processes influencing the performance of adolescents and adults with LD and AD/HD. She has published widely, and her new book - Research-Based Best Practice: Assessing and Accommodating the Adolescent and Adult Populations with Learning Disabilities and AD/HD is currently in press. (706)-542-4589 |
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Cheri Hoy, Ph.D., Professor, is currently Associate Dean for Faculty, Administration, and Finance in the College of Education. Her research interests and expertise in the area of learning disabilities include assessment, adult issues, social/emotional/behavioral adjustment, and mathematics. She is a consistent coordinator to the professional literature. In addition to her books, her work appears in the publications Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, Learning Disabilities Quarterly, Rehabilitation Education, and other refereed journals. She has been actively involved at both the state and national levels in professional organizations, especially the Division for Learning Disabilities (CEC), National Joint Committee for Learning Disabilities and Learning Disabilities Association. Dr. Hoy completed her Ph.D. work at Northwestern University after teaching several years in public schools. Her classroom teaching experience has been with both regular and special education elementary and middle school students. (706) 542-3818 |
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John Langone, Dr. John Langone is currently Professor of Communication Sciences and Special Education at the University of Georgia. He is Past President of the Technology and Media Division (TAM) of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). Dr. Langone's research includes the development of technology solutions for use in higher education, including digital video examples of effective teaching practices special educators. He also investigates the effects of technology-based instruction with digital video anchors on the learning of students who have disabilities. In addition, Dr. Langone has studied effective and efficient methods for teaching individuals with disabilities and for helping special educators to become more effective teachers. He has been awarded the Outstanding Faculty member of the Year Award and the Excellence in Teaching Award by the Kappa Delta Epsilon Educational Honor Society of the College of Education. Dr. Langone has been awarded a number of federally funded grants in the areas of secondary education/transition to adulthood, special education technology, computer-based video supported instruction, and web-based instruction for teachers. He is a consistent contributor to the professional literature, authoring three books and numerous chapters and articles. (706) 542-4588 |
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Jennifer H. Lindstrom, Ph.D., Assistant Research Scientist, received her degree from the University of Georgia in 2006. Her academic emphasis is special education, with specific focus upon adolescents and young adults with high incidence disabilities. Lindstrom’s research focuses primarily on transition issues, accommodations, assessment, and students with high incidence disabilities in secondary and postsecondary settings. She has published articles and book chapters on the diagnosis of learning disabilities in the adult population, accommodations, and interpreting test scores. Lindstrom has participated in various research projects related to testing accommodations on large scale assessments. She has presented her work at numerous state, national, and international conferences and has published in peer–reviewed journals. (706) 542-3407 |
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Allison Nealy, is currently a Lecturer in the Department of Communication Sciences and Special Education. She also serves as the Undergraduate Program Coordinator and Faculty Advisor for the Student Council for Exceptional Children. She holds a Doctorate in Reading Education and a Master’s in Special Education both from the University of Georgia. Her undergraduate degree was in Psychology from the University of Vermont. She has taught special education for a total of nine years in Clarke County that included time at the Rutland Comprehensive Academy, Clarke Middle School and Clark Central High School in addition to previously teaching kindergarten in a private school. She teaches undergraduate, graduate, WEBCT and SETWEB courses, coordinates the placement and supervision of special education teacher candidates, and facilitates student service to local organizations that serve children and adults with disabilities. 548 Aderhold Hall |
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Cynthia O. Vail, Ph.D., Associate Professor, specializes in early childhood special education (birth-8 years). She received her Ph.D. from Florida State University and has co-directed two masters level teacher preparation grants and three leadership doctoral grants all with an early childhood special education focus or component. She currently directs a federally funded project (Responsive Early Education for Diversity Project REED) to prepare teachers to work with all young children birth-age 5 and their families. www.uga.edu/0-5/ . Along with early intervention, her other areas of expertise include collaboration among professionals and families, behavior disorders, autism, and play as it relates to young children with disabilities. Her current research relates to collaboration at various levels: co-teaching in higher education; Local Interagency Coordinating Councils and their interface with State Councils; and promoting inclusive collaborative preschool environments for young children with disabilities. Dr. Vail collaborates with other leaders in early intervention through a multi-faceted personnel training project (Project SCEI's ) funded through Georgia's Babies Can't Wait. This year she will coordinate an early intervention Research Institute. In 1998, Dr. Vail received a Governors appointment to Georgia's State Interagency Coordinating Council for Early Intervention Programs (SICC). She was reappointed and voted to Chair the SICC in 2002. She currently serves in this leadership role. (706) 542-4578 |
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