Abnormal Psychology 4143

Instructor Biography

V. Mark Durand, Ph.D.

Dr. Durand is the Regional Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and was the founding dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg .

His research has primarily focused on the assessment and treatment of self-injurious and disruptive behavior in persons with autism and severe disabilities as well as in sleep disorders. His published work includes numerous books and over 50 other research publications.

He has been invited to lecture nationally and internationally including presenting the Keynote Address at the Australian Behaviour Modification Association Conference, in Adelaide , Australia and recent addresses throughout Norway .

He serves on the Editorial Boards of four journals and was an Associate Editor for the Journal of the Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps. One book--Severe Behavior Problems: A Functional Communication Training Approach--is the product of 10 years of empirical research and outlines a novel treatment of problem behaviors using communication.

He developed one of the most popular Functional Behavioral Assessment instruments -- the Motivation Assessment Scale -- that is now translated into 15 languages. He has also authored several textbooks, including "Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach" and has recently published the first book on sleep disorders for children with disabilities - "Sleep Better!: A Guide to Improving the Sleep of Children with Special Needs".

Dr. Durand's external grant support--primarily from the U.S. Department of Education--totals more than $4 million to date.

Finally, he is the founding Director of the New York Autism Network--a project funded by the New York State Department of Education to assist families and educational personnel provide improved educational services for children with autism throughout New York . Dr. Durand also created the Autism Distance Education Network, which provides coursework in Autism to hundreds of students throughout the world.