Special ed alumni, Maria Hugh, wins DEC J. David Sexton Doctoral Student Award

Special education alumni Maria Hugh was recently awarded the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) J. David Sexton Doctoral Student Award. Hugh was nominated by associate professor LeAnne Johnson for her community involvement, research skills and academic achievements.

According to the DEC website, the J. David Sexton Doctoral Student Award is given to a DEC member and doctoral-level student who has made contributions to young children with special needs and their families through their efforts in research, higher education, publications, policy, and information dissemination.

Johnson says, “Maria’s research experiences and skills represent a breadth and depth that place her among a very elite set of doctoral students. Maria’s drive to acquire new information and think deeply about how new information relates to and extends existing knowledge has made her an asset and a leader on multiple research teams.”

Hugh successfully defended her dissertation “Exploring Determinants of Early Childhood Special Educators Practice Selections for Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder” on June 17.

Hugh’s doctoral training was fully funded through the University of Minnesota’s collaboration with the National Center for Leadership in Intensive Intervention. She is now a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the School Mental Health Assessment, Research, & Training (SMART) Center at the University of Washington.