Nicole Mogavero’s research focuses on early childhood development with an emphasis on parents’ experiences with the special education system.

Her 14 years of direct practice experience in special education settings and 17 years of clinical experience with children (birth ‒ young adulthood) and their families provide the background for research examining the effectiveness of special education.

Mogavero’s dissertation explores how parents experience their children with special needs transition from home-based early intervention services to a center-based preschool special education program, and how this process is influenced by policy, procedures, resources, services and supports of the current special education system. This has also motivated her to examine how to continue to build bridges between parents and professionals as well as between research and practice in special education settings.

She has an interest in teaching human behavior in the social environment and clinical practice with individuals, families and groups at the M.S.W. level and is inspired about developing specialized clinical practice courses in the areas of play counseling with children and adults, social skills groups and social work in the school setting.