Author Biography
Dr. Ruth Cook is professor emerita from Santa Clara University. After completing a Ph.D. in developmental psychology at UCLA, Dr. Cook had the then unique opportunity of being the director of two campus child care centers that were pioneers in the inclusion of children with special needs. As Dr. Cook was also developing graduate level programs designed to prepare early educators who could work effectively with young children with disabilities, this text book originated from a desire to meet the needs of both students whose prior learning was in typical child development and students whose background was in atypical child development. As an author, she was able to combine her knowledge of typical child development with co-authors whose expertise was and is in various areas of special education. Over the years, they have continually expanded the focus on inclusion by facilitating the adaptation of early childhood curricula to meet the needs of all young children. Besides this text, Dr. Cook has had the privilege of co-authoring two other books in the field: Strategies for Including Children with Disabilities in Early Childhood Settings: Activities and Strategies and the Art and Practice of Home Visiting. Dr. M. Diane Klein is professor emerita of early childhood special education at California State University, Los Angeles. After receiving a MA in speech pathology and audiology, Dr. Klein earned her Ph.D. in developmental psychology from Michigan State University. She has worked with young children who have severe disabilities, as well as high-risk infants and their families. Her work has focused on projects related to caregiver-child interaction in high-risk infants, working with infants with low incidence and multiple disabilities, and training inclusion support personnel. Dr. Klein has co-authored several journal articles and books including recently published Making Preschool Inclusion Work, Project PLAI, a curriculum and training video for working with families of infants with multiple disabilities, and two additional texts: Strategies for Including Children with Special Needs in Early Childhood Settings Activities and Strategies and Working with Children from Culturally Diverse Backgrounds. Dr. Klein has also produced training videos related to early intervention home visiting, and support strategies for young children with disabilities in inclusive settings. Dr. Chen is a professor, Department of Special Education, at California State University, Northridge, where she coordinates the early childhood special education program, teaches courses, and supervises student teachers in this specialization. She obtained a Ph.D. in special education from the joint doctoral program of the University of California, Berkeley and San Francisco State University, and has been an early interventionist, special education teacher, program administrator, teacher trainer, and researcher in the area of multiple disabilities and sensory impairments. Besides her vast experience, Dr. Chen's expertise in working with young children with visual and multiple impairments and her thorough understanding of cultural diversity bring unique and highly valued perspectives to this text. Among her most relevant publications are Essential Elements in Early Intervention: Visual Impairment and Multiple Disabilities now in its 2nd edition and Working with Children from Culturally Diverse Backgrounds.
