Abstract
We were honored nine years ago when we were asked to succeed Rich Simpson and John Kregel as coeditors for Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities. Rich Simpson deserves kudos for generating and germinating the idea of a practitioner-friendly journal for advocates of individuals with developmental disabilities, including autism, which adhered to criteria for quality scholarship. During our tenure as coeditors, we have been pleased to be involved with the journal in the migration to a paperless online submission and review process, inclusion as a benefit of membership in Council for Exceptional Children’s (CEC) Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities, and acceptance for indexing in Journal Citation Reports® (JCR), published by Thomson Reuters (formerly ISI).
As exciting as these accomplishments were, what impressed us the most during our coeditorship was the commitment and professionalism of the members of the editorial board, who not only returned thoughtful and considered comments regarding manuscripts but also were responsive to our emails querying terminology changes, policy decisions, and ideas for special issues. The unifying theme conveyed in all correspondence from board members was their passion for enhancing the quality of life for individuals with developmental disabilities, their families, and those who worked with them. We recognize that service as a peer reviewer is not only uncompensated but often occurs at the expense of avocations and personal time. We have the utmost respect and deepest gratitude for the many hours of service provided by members of the editorial board. We particularly want to acknowledge Phil Gagne, our statistical consultant, for his role in evaluating complex parametric analyses.
We also owe a debt of gratitude to our bastions at the Hammill Institute, whose guidance and support made our jobs possible as well as enjoyable. Executive director Judy Voress and publications director Peggy Kipping provided the leadership and oversight that ensured dissemination of a quality publication. Managing editor Lisa Tippett (who always seemed to be at work) spent considerable time via email and phone to lend her expertise in problem solving, production, and formatting. Administrative assistant Lee Ann Mendoza made sure that the frequently changing editorial board details were correct. Beginning in 2007, our new partners at SAGE contributed mightily to the publication of the journal. Our current production editor, Glenn Bachman, provided just the right amount of prodding and copious humor for timely publication. Finally, we would like to thank the Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education at Georgia State University for providing graduate assistants, Michelle Ivey and Carina De Fazio, who served as the glue for our efforts.
During our tenure as coeditors, we have been continually impressed by the depth and breadth of the manuscripts submitted for publication consideration. The foci of the submissions have broadened to include a greater variety of developmental disabilities, with enhanced methodological rigor leading to correlational and causal conclusions. We have moved beyond simple reporting of perceptions and attitudes to an examination of how such qualitative features affect behavior. We also have seen a shift from an almost exclusive scrutiny on young children to encompass considerations for adolescents and adults. As trends have changed, our commitment has remained that of providing meaningful implications for applied settings.
We are confident that new coeditors, Alisa Lowery and Kevin Ayers, will continue and enhance the commitment to individuals with developmental disabilities, their families, and the professionals who serve them. Dr. Lowery is an associate professor in the Human Development Center at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center. She has more than 10 years of experience as a classroom teacher and an equal number of years in personnel preparation. She has numerous publications related to supporting inclusion of children in educational settings and young adults in postschool environments. Dr. Lowery examines and discusses evidence-based practices and also studies applications of technology in instructional and collaborative activities. Dr. Kevin Ayres is an associate professor and board-certified behavior analyst in the Department of Communication Sciences and Special Education at the University of Georgia. After several years as a classroom teacher, he has spent the past 12 years in personnel preparation. Dr. Ayres’ considerable body of research includes examination of curricula for students with severe disabilities and use of technology, particularly video technology, for promoting skills acquisition.
It has been our pleasure to work with the hundreds of authors who submitted their scholarship for review during our tenure as coeditors. We encourage the continued examination of many of the variables that affect learning and development among individuals with developmental disabilities, and the effectiveness of those who support them. We look forward to the continued excellence of Focus as an important masked, peer-reviewed journal, making meaningful contributions to professional literature.