Ruth E. Cook, Ph.D.
Dr. Cook earned her doctorate degree with an emphasis on developmental psychology and two related master of arts degrees from the University of California at Los Angeles. She focused her interest on young children with special needs while serving as Director of the Early Childhood Center at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville and the Child Development Center at Mount Saint Mary's College in Los Angeles. Daily involvement with families of children from highly diverse backgrounds convinced her of the importance of fully involving families in all aspects of their children's development.
More than 25 years ago, Dr. Cook recognized the value of providing practical training based on evidence-based practices designed to facilitate inclusion of young children with special needs in natural environments. To this end, she initiated the publication of the coauthored Adapting Early Childhood Curricula for Young Children with Special Needs (Prentice Hall, 2007). This pioneering text is now in its 7th edition. In addition, she is a co-author of Strategies for Including Children with Special Needs in Early Childhood Settings (Thomson Delmar Learning, 2000). She has directed several federal training grants that provide tuition assistance to prepare students to work with young children with special needs both in their homes and in center-based programs. Dr. Cook consults widely and presents often in the areas of family-professional relationships and strategies for effective inclusion.