Introduction to Intellectual Disabilities, An

Mary Beirne-Smith is an associate professor of special education at The University of Alabama. Her previous experience includes general and special education classroom teaching and public school administration. Her reserach interests concern academic interventions for students with disabilities served in inclusive settings and collaboration between general and special education teachers. She earned her M.Ed. and Ed.D. from the University of Virginia.  Shannon Hill is Director of Education and Research at The Baddour Center, a residential and vocational service provider for adults with intellectual disabilities located in Senatobia, Mississippi.  In this role, she oversees psychological and behavioral services, staff development, research, and student placements.  Her research interests include the development of useful educational and psychological interventions, innovative methods of staff training, and family service needs.  She earned her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Mississippi, and has served as adjunct professor of psychology, counselor education, and special education at the University of Memphis and the University of Mississippi.

• Historical PerspectivesAssessment of Intellectual DisabilitiesDefinition and TerminologyIndividual Rights and Legal IssuesPsychosocial Aspects of Intellectual DisabilitiesBiological Aspects and Promises of  PreventionFamily ConsiderationsCharacteristics of Individuals with Mild Intellectual DisabilitiesCharacteristics of Individuals with Severe Intellectual DisabilitiesInfancy and Early ChildhoodSchool Years: Educational ProgrammingAdult Years: Life in the CommunityProfessionalism and Ethics