ASD Researchers at UNC

Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs/UNC School of Education

Dr. Harriet Able is a Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Director of Graduate Studies in the UNC School of Education. She is also a Fellow at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute.  Dr. Able’s areas of expertise include early childhood, special education, interdisciplinary collaboration, teacher preparation with a focus on campus community collaborations, ethics and special education, post-secondary transitions, and empowering families who have children and youth with disabilities. She has received many interdisciplinary personnel preparation grants from the U.S. Office of Education focused on collaborative teaming initiatives between special education and the allied health professions.

Her research focuses on innovative personnel development models as well as ethics and special education. She has published and presented papers regarding the preparation of interdisciplinary personnel, inclusion for children and youth with ASD, hospital-based early interventions and ethics, and special education. Her primary research interests focus on young children and youth with autism spectrum disorders and family empowerment.