The Developmental Systems Approach To Early Intervention

Dr. Gilliam is an Associate Professor of Child Psychiatry and Psychology at Yale University. He is also the Director of Yale's Edward Zigler Center in Child Development and Social Policy. His research involves policies regarding early childhood education and child care, ways to improve the quality of early childhood services, the impact of early childhood education programs on children's school readiness, and effective methods for reducing classroom behavior problems and the incidence of preschool expulsion.

Michael J. Guralnick, Ph.D., is Director of the Center on Human Development and Disability (CHDD) and Professor of Psychology and Pediatrics at the University of Washington, Seattle. Comprising both a University Affiliated Program and a Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, the CHDD is one of the largest interdisciplinary research and training centers in the United States, addressing issues directly related to developmental disabilities. More than 600 faculty and staff members and doctoral and postdoctoral students operate within the four CHDD buildings on the campus of the University of Washington and in community sites to conduct basic and applied research, to provide clinical services to individuals and their families, to provide interdisciplinary clinical and research training, and to provide technical assistance and outreach training to practitioners and community agencies.

Dr. Guralnick has directed research and development projects in the fields of early childhood intervention, inclusion, peer relationships, and pediatric education. He has published more than 100 articles and book chapters and 7 edited volumes. Dr. Guralnick's publications have appeared in a diverse group of well-respected journals, including Child Development, Pediatrics, American Journal on Mental Retardation, Journal of Early Intervention, Developmental Psychology, Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, and Development and Psychopathology.

He currently directs a major research project supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development designed to determine the effectiveness of a comprehensive early intervention program in promoting the peer-related social competence of young children with developmental delays.

Dr. Guralnick received the 1994 Research Award from the American Association on Mental Retardation and the 1997 Distinguished Research Award from The Arc of the United States. He is past President of both the American Association of University Affiliated Programs and the Council for Exceptional Children's Division for Early Childhood and is former Chair of the Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Center Directors. He is currently Chair of the International Society on Early Intervention and is President-Elect of the Academy on Mental Retardation.

Dr. McWilliam is the Siskin Endowed Chair of Research in Early Childhood Education,Development, and Intervention at Siskin Childrena€?s Institute. He is also a professor ofeducation at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and an adjoint professor of specialeducation at Vanderbilt University. He has formerly been a professor of pediatrics atVanderbilt University Medical Center, a senior scientist at the Frank Porter Graham ChildDevelopment Institute, and a professor of education at the University of North Carolina atChapel Hill. Dr. McWilliama€?s research centers on infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with andwithout disabilities, with a specific focus on child engagement, service delivery models, andcollaboration with families. He has provided consultation, training, and technical assistanceacross the United States and in some countries overseas on providing early intervention innatural environments and on the Engagement Classroom Model. His Routines-BasedInt