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Edward G. Carr, 1947-2009

By John Lloyd on Jun. 22, 2009.

Ted Carr

Edward Gary Carr, professor of psychology at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, died 20 June 2009 in an automobile accident. Professor Carr, who was know as “Ted” to friends and colleagues, conducted foundational studies about the functions that self-injurious behaviors served and contributed substantially to the development and refinement of methods known as “positive behavioral supports.” In addition, he assessed the benefits of teaching sign language to children with serious language problems such as Autism.

Professor Carr completed a doctoral degree at the University of California San Diego in 1973, worked briefly at the University of California Los Angeles, and then joined the faculty at Stony Brook where, in 2000, he was accorded the honor of an appointment as Leading Professor. During his tenure at Stony Brook he authored or co-authored scores of articles, chapters, monographs, and books; mentored many students; worked with organizations in the US and abroad; and founded and directed the Research & Training Center on Positive Behavior Support for Autism & Developmental Disabilities. His many publications include the books Communication-Based Intervention for Problem Behavior and How to Teach Sign Language to Developmentally Disabled Children.

Early in his career, Professor Carr began examining alternative explanations for self-injurious behavior among individuals with Autism, publishing “The Motivation of Self-injurious Behavior: A Review of Some Hypotheses” in the prestigious journal, Psychological Bulletin in 1977. Over the ensuing years he and colleagues increased the understanding of how self-injurious and other problem behavior might operate on the children’s environments, in effect serving a communicative function. He and others used this knowledge to develop and refine the procedures of functional behavior assessment. The work on humane means of reducing problem behaviors led Professor Carr and others to promote the methods of positive behavioral supports.

Link to biographical information about Professor Carr, a university-maintained page about him, and the Research & Training Center on Positive Behavior Support for Autism & Developmental Disabilities.

Kenneth A. Kavale 1946-2008

By John Lloyd on Dec. 15, 2008.

Ken Kavale

Kenneth A. Kavale, a noted scholar who studied learning disabilities, emotional and behavioral disorders, intellectual disabilities, and special education policies, died Saturday 13 December 2008 in Virginia Beach (VA, US). Professor Kavale, who was born in 1946 in Brooklyn (NY, US) and was most recently a distinguished professor at Regent University in Virginia Beach (VA, US), was widely known for his work on the nature, assessment, and treatment of students with disabilities. He was author or co-author of hundreds of articles, book chapters, and books and had presented scores of papers at professional meetings, conferences, and other public venues.

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H. Myklebust, 1910-2008

By John Lloyd on Mar. 28, 2008.

Over on LD Blog I posted an entry about the passing of Helmer Myklebust, one of the giant figures in the early study of Learning Disabilities. Here’s a link to it.

Lee Wiederholt 1942-2007

By John Lloyd on Feb. 14, 2008.

Over on LD Blog I posted a note about the passing of J. Lee Wiederholt. Link to the entry.

Bill Morse

By John Lloyd on Jan. 29, 2008.

Over on EBD Blog there’s post reporting the death of William C. Morse, long-time special education professional.

Joanne Marie Kliebhan, 1925-2005

By John Lloyd on Nov. 21, 2005.

Sister Joanne Marie Kliebhan, a long-time and resourceful advocate for children with disabilities, died 13 November 2005 in Milwaukee (WI, US) at 80 years of age. My colleague Janet Lerner has written these notes of remembrance, and I posted them as an obituary on LD Blog: Sister Joanne Marie Kliebhan.

Reginald L. Jones, 1931-2005

By John Lloyd on Sep. 27, 2005.

Reginald L. Jones

Reginald Lanier Jones died 24 September 2005 in Hampton, Virginia. Born in 1931, he took his Ph.D. from The Ohio State University. At Hampton, Professor Jones served as Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Special Education and Director of the National Center for Minority Special Education. Prior to joining the faculty at Hampton, he was Professor of Psychology and of African American Studies at the University of California Berkeley.

Professor Jones’ contributions to education were exceptional, both for their extent and their breadth. He edited many books, including some of the most influential examinations of race as it relates to development and education. His academic career began in the 1950s and continued until recently. During that time he reported orginal research on topics as diverse as the trustworthiness of standardized tests, social perceptions about disabilities, and mainstreaming. The scope of his work spanned the range of disabilities, including studies of children who were blind as well as those who had mental retardation, orthopedic disabilities, learning disabilities, or other problems; in addition, he reported studies about gifted children and youth.

The recipient of many awards, including a Centennial Citation from the University of California, Professor Jones was honored twice by the Association of Black Psychologists for his scholarship. He also served as president of that association from 1971-72. In addition, he served in elected and advisory positions for many other organizations, including the American Psychological Association and the Council for Exceptional Children.