Spotlight on Young Children Challenging Behavior

Charis Lauren Wahman, PhD, BCBA-D, is assistant professor of special education at Michigan State University. Her research focuses on training early childhood teachers on evidence-based practices within the framework of Positive Behavior Supports (PBS) to stop suspension and expulsion of preschool children. She examines the experiences of families whose children have significant social and emotional needs. Charis’s research aims to understand the contextual factors that hinder or enhance a child's social and emotional development while improving the quality of school-based intervention services for young children and the relationship between schools and families. Her work has been published in journals such as Remedial and Special Education, Children and Youth Services Review, Education and Treatment of Children, Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, Psychology in the Schools, Early Childhood Education Journal, Young Children, and Young and Exceptional Children. 

Janice K. Lee, PhD, BDBA, is the state coordinator for the Nevada Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Interventions (Nevada TACSEI) Pyramid Model Partnership.  In this role, she facilitates the State Leadership Team and oversees all work related to Nevada TACSEI training and technical assistance for public and private early care and education programs.  Previously, she worked as a case manager, consultant, early interventionist, and research faculty. She has over 20 years of experience as a trainer, coach, technical assistance provider, and consultant at the local, state, national, and international levels. Janice’s research interests include early childhood, challenging behavior, social emotional development, autism and developmental disabilities, families, implementation science, positive behavior support, and personnel preparation.