Deirdre Forde

Deirdre Forde is a lecturer in the Froebel Department of Primary and Early Childhood Education, specialising in the area of Inclusive and Special Education. Deirdre is the programme leader of the Postgraduate Diploma in Inclusive and Special Education. Deirdre qualified as a primary school teacher and has a broad range of teaching experiences, in both mainstream and special schools. She also worked with the Travellers Youth Service, supporting young people at risk. Deirdre was an Associate Advisor with the Special Education Support Service and was involved in the delivery of continuous professional development for qualified teachers working in the area of Special Education. Deirdre is also a qualified Educational Psychologist and has worked across a variety of psychological services, in both educational and clinical practice. Her work in this field has involved working as part of a multi disciplinary team in the assessment and diagnostic service for children of all ages. Working with parents was central to this role.
Deirdre is a member of the ALL (Assisting Living and Learning) Institute here in Maynooth University. Deirdre's research and teaching interests include: child centred education, critical perspectives of inclusion and exclusion in education and society, children with chronic health conditions, the psycho educational assessment of children with disabilities, children with autism and visual impairment; and mental health.