About the Authors

David R. Beukelman, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders, University of Nebraska – Lincoln, 118 Barkley Memorial Center, Lincoln, NE 68583

Dr. Beukelman specializes in the areas of augmentative communication and motor speech disorders of children and adults. He is the Barkley Professor of Communication Disorders at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and Director of Research and Education of the Speech and Language Pathology Division of the Munroe-Meyer Institute of Genetics and Rehabilitation, Omaha, Nebraska. He is a senior researcher in the Institute for Rehabilitation Science and Engineering at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital. He is a partner in the Rehabilitation Engineering and Research Center for Communication Enhancement. Previously, Dr. Beukelman was Director of the Augmentative Communication Program, University of Washington Hospital, and Associate Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine of the University of Washington – Seattle. He teaches courses in augmentative and alternative communication, motor speech disorders, and cleft palate. From 1994 to 1997, he was editor of the journal Augmentative and Alternative Communication. He currently serves as a series editor for the Augmentative and Alternative Communication Series published by Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.

Pat Mirenda, Ph.D.
Professor, Faculty of Education, University of British Columbia, 2125 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, CANADA

Dr. Mirenda earned her doctorate in behavioral disabilities from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. For 8 years, she was a faculty member in the Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders, University of Nebraska–Lincoln. From 1992 to 1996, she provided a variety of training, research, and support services to individuals with severe disabilities through CBI Consultants, Ltd., in Vancouver, British Columbia. She is now Professor in the Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology and Special Education at the University of British Columbia. From 1998 to 2001, she was editor of the journal Augmentative and Alternative Communication. In 2004, she was named a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and was awarded the Killiam Teaching Prize at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Mirenda is the author of numerous book chapters and research publications; she lectures widely and teaches courses on augmentative and alternative communication, inclusive education, developmental disabilities, autism, and positive behavior support. Her current research focuses on describing the developmental trajectories of young children with autism and factors that predict the outcomes of early intervention.