Jeff Sigafoos has been involved in supporting people with developmental disabilities and their families since 1983 when he worked in residential and day programs. He was later involved in developing vocational training programs for young adults with behavioural concerns. After gaining his Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Minnesota in 1990, he became a lecture at The University of Queensland where he worked with parents and teachers to develop effective educational programs for children with autism. He was appointed to a Professorship at The University of Sydney in 1998 and then returned to the USA to start the Autism specialization at The University of Texas at Austin. He is currently a Professor of Educational Psychology at Victoria University of Wellington. At VUW, he serves as the Director of the Masters of Educational Psychology Program. His teaching and research interests are focused on improving educational experiences for children with developmental and physical disabilities.