Crystal Williams

Crystal Williams is an Assistant Professor in the Special Education department at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Her work focuses on early intervention practices for children with significant support needs, emphasizing family roles in developmental outcomes and natural environment implementation. Previously, she worked as a developmental therapist and Infant/Toddler Specialist at Champaign County Head Start.

• Education:
  • Master’s in Early Childhood Special Education (University of Illinois, 2019)
• Research Interests:
  • Family-centered early intervention
  • Bagless approach in natural environments
  • Caregiver coaching frameworks
  • Inclusive practices for students with extensive support needs
  • Transition planning policy analysis
• Publications:
  • Recent studies examine Part C early intervention systems, caregiver coaching during the pandemic, and material use tensions in EI sessions
  • 2024 work on inclusive collaboration strategies and transition planning
  • 2023 research on natural environment inclusion practices
  • 2020 foundational paper on bagless intervention approaches