Research and Training Center on Independent Living
Ana Carolina Sella, Ph.D.
International Visiting Post-Doctoral Scholar
Research and Training Center on Independent Living
The University of Kansas, 1000 Sunnyside Avenue
Room 4089 Dole, Lawrence, KS 66045-7561
Phone: (785) 785-864-1618, FAX 785-864-5063, TTY (785) 864-0706
e-mail: carolsella@yahoo.com.br
Professional Biography
Carol Sella is interested in health promotion and disabilities and in programming procedures to teach reading and writing skills. These procedures involve computerized learning as well as development of other materials to teach children and adults how read in a step-by-step, individualized way.
She has worked as a research assistant, as a clinical psychologist and as a visiting consultant/professor at several universities and clinics in Brazil.
As an International Visiting Post-Doctoral Scholar at the RTC/IL, she is working with Dr. Glen White on participatory research and disabilities and with Drs. Richard and Muriel Saunders on their communications skills (adaptive switch) project.
Publications & Presentations
Sella’s publications include book chapters and papers on teaching children how to tell stories. Research revealed that most children in Brazilian schools could not tell or retell a complete story, so she helped develop a program to teach children “story grammar structures” that use setting and a beginning, middle and end.
Her most recent presentations include research on writing and reading skills, independence among different verbal repertoires and new data on teaching children how to tell stories.
Education & Awards
Sella earned a Master’s degree and Ph.D. in Special Education from the Federal University of Sao Carlos in Brazil. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the State University of Londrina.
During her graduate work she was awarded Federal Scholarships, including a sandwich doctorate scholarship. These scholarships came from CNPq (Brazilian National Research and Development Council) and from CAPES (Coordination of Improvement of Higher Education), which funded a previous visit to KU.
