In addition to her work as Professor of Education for more than 40 years at Syracuse University, Dr. Ensher is the Coordinator of two master’s degree programs in the School of Education at Syracuse: Early Childhood Special Education and the Inclusive Special Education Program in Severe and Multiple Disabilities. She taught for 3 years in Hanover, New Hampshire, and in Quincy, Massachusetts, and prior to coming to Syracuse University, she held a position as Assistant Professor at the Pennsylvania State University in State College.
For many years, Dr. Ensher has been and continues to be actively involved in teaching, writing, research, and community service related to families and young children who are at risk and/or have developmental disabilities. She works in close partnership with the Jowonio School, a nationally known inclusive educational setting for preschool children.
At Syracuse, she teaches graduate-level courses about methods and curricula in early childhood special education, families of young children with special needs, assessment and early intervention, and the theoretical foundations of early childhood special education. She also supervises graduate students in their clinical and field placements as they prepare to work with infants, young children, and their families.
Dr. Ensher has authored/co-authored several books about families, infants and young children with special needs. These include: Partners in Play: Assessing Infants and Toddlers in Natural Contexts (Delmar-Thompson/Cengage Learning); Newborns at Risk: Medical Care and Psycho-educational Intervention (AspenPublishers, 2 editions); Families, Infants, and Young Children at Risk: Pathways to Best Practice (Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.); and Relationship-Centered Practices in Early Childhood: Working with Families, Infants, and Young Children At Risk (Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.), and most recently The Early Years: Special Children, Their Families, and Foundations of Best Practice (ZERO TO THREE Press).