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Dr. Goossens’ holds B.Sc. (C.D) and M.S degrees in Communication Disorders from the University of Western Ontario and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, respectively. Her Ph.D. in Special Education (specializing in Augmentative and Alternative Communication) was received in 1983 from PurdueUniversity. Over the course of her career she has held many positions serving individuals with communication disorders and developmental delays. She has worked with adults in a residential center in Ontario; served as a member of an interdisciplinary team at the SparksCenter (RegionalAssessmentCenter) in Birmingham, AL and provided augmentative communication services to preschool and school-age children through a private practice in BirminghamAL. Upon moving to New York City she worked as an Augmentative Communication Consultant to various agencies in the New York City area (Herbert G. Birch Services, The Shield Institute, United Cerebral Palsy of New York City and New York CitySchools). She is currently addressing the needs of early childhood students with physical disabilities at the HenryViscardiSchool in Albertson, New York. Dr. Goossens’ has taught courses in special education at the University of Alabama (Birmingham) and a Computer Applications in Special Education course at TeachersCollege-ColumbiaUniversity (New York City). She has published several clinical books regarding her work in the field of Augmentative and Alternative Communication. Dr. Goossens’ is known for her creative approaches for the implementation of augmentative communication in both self-contained and inclusive classroom settings. She has presented these concepts and innovations nationally and internationally (England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa).
As a research associate of The Global Institute at Abilities! Dr. Goossens’ is working collaboratively with Dr. Bursztyn and staff at the HenryViscardiSchool conducting clinical research. Past research has focused on developing training protocols to ‘quick start’ a child’s ability to acquire various skills deemed crucial to communicating or accessing the curriculum within the classroom: a) using eye-pointing to communicate and b) using electronic books as a vehicle for training a range of motor access skills.
Current research interests include Using Dynamic Communication Pages in the Context of Interactive White Boards to Promote AAC Immersion.
Publications include:
Goossens', C. & Crain, S. (1992). Utilizing switch interfaces with children who are severely physically-challenged: An emphasis on communication strategies. Austin: ProEd.
Goossens', C. & Crain, S. (1992). Engineering the preschool environment for interactive symbolic communication: 18 months - 5 years developmentally.Birmingham, Alabama: Southeast Augmentative Communication Publications.
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