Remembering Ted Carr
Who was the researcher whose work helped establish practices in autism and developmental disabilities that are still used routinely today?
Editor’s Note: This post draws from one that originally appeared on Spedpro.org 22 June 2009. The headline was “Edward G. Carr, 1947=2009.”The original is available via Archive.org—JohnL
Today is the anniversary of the birth of Edward Gary Carr (1947-2009), professor of psychology at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Professor Carr, known as “Ted” to friends and colleagues, who conducted foundational studies about the functions that self-injurious behaviors served, and contributed substantially to the development and refinement of methods known functional behavior assessment, functional analysis, and positive behavioral supports. In addition, he assessed the benefits of teaching sign language to children with serious language problems such as Autism.
Professor Carr completed a doctoral degree at the University of California San Diego in 1973, worked briefly at the University of California Los Angeles, and then joined the faculty at Stony Brook where, in 2000, he was accorded the honor of an appointment as Leading Professor. During his tenure at Stony Brook he authored or co-authored scores of articles, chapters, monographs, and books; mentored many students; worked with organizations in the US and abroad; and founded and directed the Research & Training Center on Positive Behavior Support for Autism & Developmental Disabilities. His many publications include the books Communication-Based Intervention for Problem Behavior (Carr et al., 1994) and How to Teach Sign Language to Developmentally Disabled Children.1
Early in his career, Professor Carr began examining alternative explanations for self-injurious behavior among individuals with Autism, publishing “The Motivation of Self-injurious Behavior: A Review of Some Hypotheses” in the prestigious journal, Psychological Bulletin in 1977. Over the ensuing years he and colleagues increased the understanding of how self-injurious and other problem behavior might operate on the children’s environments, in effect serving a communicative function. He and others used this knowledge to develop and refine the procedures of functional behavior assessment. The work on humane means of reducing problem behaviors led Professor Carr and others to promote the methods of positive behavioral supports.
The Association for Science in Autism Treatment posted a collection of tributes to Ted Carr in 2009 (see Tribute to Dr. Edward “Ted” Carr. Science in Autism Treatment, 6(1)). There is an entry in Wikipedia about Professor Carr. Stony Brook published a news story mourning the Carrs’ passing.
Ted Carr was born in Toronto, ON, 20 August 1947. He was the husband of Ilene Wasserman, Ph.D. They died in an automobile accident when another driver crossed the dividing line on a highway and hit their car head on. They had one child, Aaron.
References
Carr, E. G. (1977). The motivation of self-injurious behavior: a review of some hypotheses. Psychological Bulletin, 84(4), 800-81. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.84.4.800
Carr, E. G., Horner, R. H., Turnbull, A. P., Marquis, J. G., McLaughlin, D. M., McAfee, M. L., Smith, C. E., Ryan, K. A., Ruef, M. B., Doolabh, A. (1999). Positive behavior support for people with developmental disabilities: A research synthesis. American Association on Mental Retardation. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED439580.pdf
Carr, E. G., Levin, L., McConnachie, G., Carlson, J. I., Kemp, D. C., & Smith, C. E. (1994). Communication-based intervention for problem behavior: A user's guide for producing positive change. Paul H Brookes.
Footnote
As of August 2025, I could not find this book anywhere on the Intertubes. Sigh. As I recall, it was much discussed in the autism community in the 1980s. If someone has a copy, please let me know. I’d like to see whether the copyright would permit republishing it and making it available for free.
Nice post, John. I’d forgotten about Carr’s work.