V. Mark Durand is known worldwide as an authority in the area of autism spectrum disorder. He is a Distinguished University Professor of psychology at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, where he was the founding Dean of Arts & Sciences and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. Dr. Durand is a fellow of the American Psychological Association. He has received over $4 million in federal funding since the beginning of his career to study the nature, assessment, and treatment of behavior problems in children with disabilities. Before moving to Florida he served in a variety of leadership positions at the University at Albany, including associate director for clinical training for the doctoral psychology program from 1987 to 1990, chair of the psychology department from 1995 to 1998, and interim dean of Arts and Sciences from 2001 to 2002. There he established the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities at the University at Albany, SUNY. He received his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D.--all in psychology--at the State University of New York-Stony Brook.

Dr. Durand was awarded the University Award for Excellence in Teaching at SUNY-Albany in 1991 and in 2007 received the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Research and Creative Scholarship. Dr. Durand is currently a member of the Professional Advisory Board for the Autism Society of America and is on the board of directors of the International Association of Positive Behavioral Support. He was a co-editor of the Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions and serves on a number of editorial boards. He has more than 145 publications on functional communication, educational programming, and behavior therapy. His books include Severe Behavior Problems: A Functional Communication Training Approach, Sleep Better! A Guide to Improving Sleep for Children with Special Needs, and most recently, When Children Don't Sleep Well: Interventions for Pediatric Sleep Disorders.

Dr. Durand developed a unique treatment for severe behavior problems that is currently mandated by states across the country and is used worldwide. He also developed an assessment tool that is used internationally and has been translated into more than 15 languages. He has been consulted by the departments of education in numerous states and by the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education. His current research program includes the study of prevention models and treatments for such serious problems as self-injurious behavior.

In his leisure time, he completed three marathons.

Dr. Durand's Blog: http://www.cengage.com/cengage/instructor.do?disciplinenumber=24&product_isbn=9780495597841&courseid=&codeid=&subTab=About_the_Author&mainTab=&mailFlag=true&topicName=Search%20Results&filter=Book&type=keyword_all&keyword_all=HOWELL&pageno=1