Rita Ruth Jordan is an academic and researcher in the field of autism. She worked with children with special educational needs and started training programmes for their parents before moving into academia.

Education and career

Jordan has a B.Sc. from

University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

, an M.Sc. in child development, and an M.A. in linguistics. She earned her Ph.D. from the

University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...

in 1998. She trained teachers at the University of Hertfordshire before moving to the University of Birmingham. She started the Autism Centre for Education and Research at the University of Birmingham along with Glenys Jones. Jordan was the founding editor for ''

Autism Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing d ...

'' along with

Patricia Howlin Patricia Howlin is Professor of Clinical Child Psychology at the Institute of Psychiatry, London, whose principal research interests focus on autism and developmental disorders including Williams syndrome, developmental language disorders and Fr ...

. Jordan retired from the University of Birmingham and is now an emeritus professor.

Autism work

Jordan's work focused on improving the educational support for children on the autism spectrum. She published a review on existing educational interventions for the Department for Education along with her colleagues at Birmingham in 1998. She has authored several books on autism, many of these have been translated into different languages. Her publications cover topics in the field of autism and education, including books such as ''Autism with Severe Learning Difficulties,'' ''Autism and Learning,'' and ''Understanding and Teaching Children with Autism.'' Her journal articles raised issues to consider in the development of provision and practice for individuals on the autism spectrum.

Awards and honors

Jordan's awards include an OBE in 2007. She presented the Gulliford Lecture at the University of Birmingham in 2007. In 2014 she received a lifetime achievement award from the

National Autistic Society The National Autistic Society is a charity for autistic people and their families in the United Kingdom. Since 1962, the National Autistic Society has been providing support, guidance and advice, as well as campaigning for improved rights, ser ...

, and in a 2014 interview, Jordan describes this as a positive moment in her career.

References

External links

* February 17, 2014 {{DEFAULTSORT:Rita, Jordan Alumni of the University of Birmingham Alumni of University College London Autism researchers British psychologists British women psychologists Year of birth missing (living people) Living people