Michael J. Guralnick, Ph.D.
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. Comprised of both a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities and a Eunice Kennedy Shriver Intellectual 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, staff, and doctoral and postdoctoral students operate within the four CHDD buildings on the campus of the University of Washington and in other university and community sites to conduct basic and translational 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 numerous research, professional training, and development projects in the fields of early childhood development and intervention, with a special interest in the design and effectiveness of early intervention programs, peer-related social competence, and early childhood inclusion. He has published more than 150 articles and book chapters (including eight edited volumes), and his publications have appeared in a diverse group of well-respected journals spanning a range of disciplines. Major research has included a randomized clinical trial to determine the effectiveness of a comprehensive early intervention program in promoting the peer-related social competence of young children with developmental delays and a multi-context investigation of the factors influencing the peer interactions and peer social networks of children with Down syndrome. Current projects focus on the peer relationships of children with autism, the further development and application of the Developmental Systems Approach to early intervention, and international activities designed to integrate research and practice in the field of early intervention.
Dr. Guralnick received the 1994 Research Award from the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, the 1997 Distinguished Research Award from the Arc of the United States, and the Edgar A. Doll Award in 2008 from Division 33 of the American Psychological Association for outstanding scientific contributions to the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities. He is a past President of the Association of University Centers on Disabilities, the Council for Exceptional Children's Division for Early Childhood, and the Academy on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, and a former Chair of the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center Directors. He served as editor of the journal Infants and Young Children from 2003 to 2009 and is the founder and Chair of the International Society on Early Intervention.