This book offers students and professionals practical information for developing and improving the quality of early childhood special education. It contains a wealth of knowledge and experiences from people involved in leadership and program administration. Several chapters also provide specific suggestions for setting up a family and child friendly system for evaluating young children. The revised edition focuses on implementation rather than establishment of early childhood education systems. This edition also notes changes in the field since the original book was published.
Dr. Taylor started working with children who were disabled when she was 16 years old and an employee of the Maryland Parks and Recreation Department. After earning a degree in physical education from the University of Maryland in 1968, she taught young men with disabilities in Raleigh, North Carolina. A move to Albuquerque, New Mexico, brought time to study for an M.S. degree in Special Education, which led to her first job as a preschool special education teacher. For 10 years, Dr. Taylor taught children from birth to 5 years of age and started the first family education program at her school. She earned her Ph.D. degree from the University of New Mexico while a research assistant at the Parent Involvement Center there. After graduation, Dr. Taylor moved to Maryland and became the Maryland State Department of Education's specialist for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with special needs. She then spent 3 years at George Washington University directing a post-masters program. The next 5-6 years were spent at the Maryland Infants and Toddlers Program coordinating higher education efforts on behalf of young children with disabilities. In 1993, Dr. Taylor accepted a faculty position at The Johns Hopkins University in what is now the College of Education and coordinated early childhood special education teacher preparation until her retirement in 2006. She is currently consulting, writing, and traveling.
Dr. McGowan has served as an educator in the public schools for 30 years. For 28 of those years, he served as an assistant principal, principal, and director of high schools in a highly successful suburban school district. For 12 of the 28 years, Dr. McGowan was employed as the associate superintendent in the same district, where he was responsible for providing leadership to instructional programs, including special education. During Dr McGowan's entire public education experience, he taught courses for the University of Maryland, Loyola College of Baltimore, and The Johns Hopkins University. Upon retirement from the public school system, Dr McGowan assumed responsibility of coordinating a program at The Johns Hopkins University for the training and development of educational leaders, which he has done for 10 years.
Dr. Toni Linder is Professor Emeritus in the Child, Family, and School Psychology Program at the Morgridge College of Education at the University of Denver in Denver, Colorado. Dr. Linder has been a leader in the development of authentic assessment for young children and is known for her work on Transdisciplinary Play-Based Assessment and Transdisciplinary Play-Based Intervention (1990, 1993, 2008). In addition, she developed Read, Play, and Learn (1999), an inclusive, literature and play-based curriculum for preschool and kindergarten learning and development. She consults nationally and internationally on assessment, intervention, early childhood education, program development, and family involvement issues. Dr. Linder has conducted research on a variety of issues, including transdisciplinary influences on development, parent-child interaction, curriculum outcomes, and using technology for professional development in rural areas.
In 2012 Dr. Linder formed Early Learning Dynamics LLC to serve as a platform for her continuing consulting, curriculum development, and play-based assessments. Dr. Linder will use Early Learning Dynamics to serve children worldwide.
