Jan Sheldon

photo of Jan Sheldon
Courtesy Professor of Law
Subjects: Alternative Dispute Resolution, Juvenile Law
Phone: 785-864-4840
E-mail: jsheldon@ku.edu

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Jan Sheldon is a graduate of the University of Kansas School of Law, where she served as Articles Editor of the Kansas Law Review and was a member of Order of the Coif. She also holds a Ph.D. in Developmental and Child Psychology. After finishing law school, Sheldon began teaching at the University of Kansas. She is currently a professor in Applied Behavioral Science and Director of the Edna A. Hill Child Development Center. Sheldon works closely with personnel in the juvenile justice system and has been Co-Director of the Truancy Prevention and Diversion Program for more than 25 years. Sheldon and her colleagues also developed a community-based program that provides residential and day services for more than 350 children and adults with developmental disabilities and autism. Sheldon has received numerous teaching and advising awards including the W.T. Kemper Fellowship for Teaching Excellence (’98), the Steeples Service to Kansas Award (’02), and the J. Michael Young Academic Advising Award (’09). She has published three books and over sixty articles and chapters.

Representative Publications

"Law and Mental Health: Kansas" (with S. Letts)(American Psychological Association, 2008); “The Kansas Juvenile Code as it relates to Children in Need of Care” Kansas Bar Association (1996); "Mandatory AIDS Testing for Persons with a Developmental Disability in Residential Facilities," 39 Kansas Law Review 585 (with H.R. Turnbull and A. Paul) (1991); "Group Training for Social Skills: A Program for Court-Adjudicated, Probationary Youths," 9 Criminal Justice and Behavior 35 (with J.S. Hazel, J.B. Schumaker and J.A. Sherman) (1982); “Liability Issues in Community-Based Programs” (with A. Van Biervliet)(1981); "Legal Rights: A Kansas Guide to Developmental Disability Law" (with B. Blee) (1979).

Research Interests

Interventions for adolescents and their families, developmental disabilities, juvenile delinquency, autism, legal and ethical issues affecting dependent populations

Education

J.D., Kansas, 1977; Ph.D., M.A., Kansas, 1974; B.A., Kansas, 1970.

Admitted

Kansas 1977

Career History

Assistant Professor, Kansas 1977-1982; Associate Professor, Kansas 1982-1994; Professor, since 1995.

Member

Phi Beta Kappa; Phi Kappa Phi; Order of the Coif; Fellow, American Psychological Association; Kansas Bar Association; American Bar Association; Association for Applied Behavior Analysts.


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