Jeff Sigafoos

Professor Jeff Sigafoos is a distinguished academic in the School of Education at Victoria University of Wellington. He received his PhD in educational psychology from the University of Minnesota in 1990 and has held academic appointments at the University of Queensland, University of Sydney, and The University of Texas at Austin prior to his current position. His work focuses on educational and behavioral interventions for individuals with developmental and physical disabilities, with over 789 publications to his name.

Dr. Sigafoos's educational background includes PhD, MA, and BA degrees from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. His research has been consistently funded by major organizations including the Royal Society of New Zealand, Health Research Council of New Zealand, Australian Research Council, and National Health and Medical Research Council.

• PhD, Educational Psychology, University of Minnesota
• MA, University of Minnesota
• BA, University of Minnesota

Professor Sigafoos's research interests center on the education of children with developmental and physical disabilities, including autism spectrum disorders, communication assessment and intervention for individuals requiring augmentative and alternative communication, the use of assistive technology to teach adaptive skills, and the assessment and treatment of severe behavior problems in individuals with developmental disabilities. His recent work has increasingly focused on technology-aided interventions for people with intellectual and multiple disabilities.

Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong emphasis on developing technology solutions to support individuals with severe disabilities. His work spans autism intervention, communication strategies, behavioral flexibility assessment, and culturally appropriate assessment tools. A significant portion of his research employs single-case research methodology to evaluate the effectiveness of various interventions.

Professor Sigafoos serves on the editorial boards of numerous prestigious journals in his field, demonstrating his standing as a leading scholar. His editorial roles include Clinical Archives of Communication Disorders, Current Developmental Disorders Reports, Teaching Exceptional Children, and several others.

• Editor, Clinical Archives of Communication Disorders
• Editor, Current Developmental Disorders Reports
• Editor, Teaching Exceptional Children
• Editor, Technologies: Assistive Technology Section
• Editor, Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders
• Member of International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (ISAAC)

In terms of academic mentoring, Professor Sigafoos actively supervises doctoral students, with current projects focusing on adapting early supports for autistic children in Azerbaijan and developing antecedent interventions for challenging behavior in adults with intellectual disability. His teaching portfolio includes courses on Applied Behaviour Analysis for Educators, Psychological Aspects of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Evidence-Based Practice in Education, and Educating Students with Developmental Disabilities.