Dr. Bricker served as Director of the Early Intervention Program at the Center on Human Development, University of Oregon, from 1978 to 2004. She was a professor of special education, focusing on the fields of early intervention and social-communication.
Her professional interests have addressed three major areas: early intervention service delivery approaches, curricula-based assessment and evaluation, and developmental-behavioral screening. Dr. Bricker's work in early intervention approaches has been summarized in two volumes: An Activity-Based Approach to Early Intervention, Fourth Edition (with J. Johnson & N. Rahn; Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., 2015) and An Activity-Based Approach to Developing Young Children’s Social Emotional Competence (with J. Squires; Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., 2007). Her work in curricula-based assessment/evaluation has focused on the development of the Assessment, Evaluation, and Programming System for Infants and Children, Second Edition (AEPS®; with B. Capt, K. Pretti- Frontczak, J. Johnson, K. Slentz, E. Straka, & M Waddell; Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., 2004). This measure and curricula provides intervention personnel with a system for the comprehensive assessment of young children with results that link directly to curricular content and subsequent evaluation of child progress.
Dr. Bricker has been a primary author of the Ages & Stages Questionnaires® (ASQ®; with J. Squires; Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., 1995, 1999, 2009) and directed research activities on the ASQ system starting in 1980. Developmental Screening in Your Community: An Integrated Approach for Connecting Children with Services (Bricker, Macy, Squires, & Marks; Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., 2013) offers a comprehensive system for creating and operating community-wide developmental-behavioral screening programs for young children.
Dr. Bricker's distinctions include the Division of Early Childhood, Council for Exceptional Children Service to the Field Award, December 1992, and the Peabody College Distinguished Alumna Award, May 1995.
Betty Capt, Ph.D., OTR, helped develop the second edition of the AEPS as a Research Associate in the Early Intervention Program at the University of Oregon. She taught graduate-level coursework in early intervention and provided professional development seminars and workshops nationwide on best practices in assessment and intervention. She also worked as an occupational therapist and has provided services in early intervention for more than 30 years.
JoAnn (JJ) Johnson, Ph.D., is associate professor in the Child and Family Studies Department in the School of Education at Saint Cloud State University in Minnesota. Previously, she worked at University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities in Louisiana, Oregon, and Nevada, serving as a center-based coordinator and teacher for young children ages 2–5, as a Graduate Teaching Fellow and home services coordinator, and as an adjunct faculty member, grant and contract director, project administrator, and service provider. She was also Director of the Research and Educational Planning Center and the Nevada University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities from 2001 to 2008.
Her professional experiences in disabilities services and studies include hospital-, home-, and center-based early intervention and developmental services; developmental assessment and evaluation; supervision and program coordination; and university and outreach training and instruction. Since the 1990s, Dr. Johnson has worked with both federal and numerous state departments of education and provided workshops and training throughout the United States and internationally on the use of the AEPS and activity-based intervention for families and professionals. In her spare time, Dr. Johnson likes to read, work on home projects, and observe young children’s development.
As the president of B2K Solutions, Ltd., Dr. Pretti-Frontczak extends her expertise in the preparation of personnel to a global market with the aim of improving the implementation of effective practices and services by those who work with young children with diverse abilities. She is a gifted speaker, strong applied researcher, and is known for creating solutions to complex problems. She has presented to diverse audiences in countries such as Singapore and Australia as well as to early education providers in virtually every state in the US. Dr. Pretti-Frontczak is a Past President of the Division for Early Childhood, was a professor at Kent State University for 16 years, and has worked as an early childhood consultant and trainer since 1990.
Kristine Slentz, Ph.D., is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Special Education at Western Washington University and works as a training and technical assistance consultant for Early Support for Infants and Toddlers (ESIT), the Part C program in Washington State. Her particular areas of interest and expertise are assessment and evaluation, early intervention, risk and resiliency, and working within family contexts across cultures. She has been fortunate to combine her love of travel with international training opportunities in Canada, Dubai, Singapore, and Kenya.
Elizabeth Straka, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, provides training and technical assistance to agencies that provide services to young children with disabilities and their families. She also provides training seminars nationally in regard to recommended practice in assessment and intervention with young children and their families, with an emphasis on team collaboration. Dr. Straka continues to practice as a therapist, focusing on the assessment and treatment of developmental disorders in young children.
Misti Waddell, M.S., is a senior research assistant/project coordinator at the Early Intervention Program at the University of Oregon. She has contributed to the development and research of the Assessment, Evaluation, and Programming System for Infants and Children (AEPS®), Second Edition, since the early 1990s. She has used the AEPS in classroom settings and has coordinated several federally funded, field-initiated research projects and outreach training projects.
Her research products include Project SEAM: Preventing Behavior Disorders and Improving Social Emotional Competence in Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities and Infant Mental Health: Improving Mental Health in Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities. Ms. Waddell provides field supervision for early intervention graduate students and has conducted training with early childhood teachers and parents in developmental and social-emotional screening, assessment, and intervention, including AEPS, Ages & Stages Questionnaires®, Third Edition (ASQ-3), and Ages & Stages Questionnaires®: Social-Emotional, Second Edition (ASQ:SE-2™).
