Invited Speaker
Ayşe Firdevs Aracıkül
Assistant Professor
Faculty Member in the Department of Special Education at Istanbul Medipol University, Türkiye. Specialist in early intervention, sensory-motor functions, and infants at developmental risk or with disabilities.
Biography
Assistant Professor Ayşe Firdevs Aracıkül is a faculty member in the Department of Special Education at Istanbul Medipol University, Türkiye. Her academic background encompasses early childhood education and special education, with a particular focus on early intervention, sensory-motor functions, and infants at developmental risk or with disabilities.
She completed her undergraduate degree in Early Childhood Education between 2004 and 2008, her master’s degree in Special Education between 2010 and 2014, and her doctoral studies in Special Education between 2020 and 2025. Before transitioning to academia, she worked for seventeen years as a public school teacher in early childhood education, supporting both children with special educational needs and typically developing children.
Early Childhood & Educational Expertise
Assistant Professor Aracıkül has extensive professional experience in early childhood education and special education, with a strong emphasis on early intervention and the developmental needs of infants and young children. Her work focuses on sensory-motor functions, developmental assessment, and intervention approaches for infants at developmental risk or with disabilities.
Drawing on her years of teaching experience and academic research, she aims to strengthen the connection between developmental assessment, individualized intervention, and early childhood educational practices.
Research & Program Development
A major focus of Assistant Professor Aracıkül’s research is the assessment and support of sensory-motor functions in infants and young children. During her master’s studies, she adapted the Test of Sensory Functions in Infants (TSFI) for use in Türkiye. As part of her doctoral research, she developed DUMFET (Sensory-Motor Functions and Interaction-Based Early Intervention Program for Infants), an early intervention program integrating sensory-motor functions and interaction-based approaches. She continues to investigate the effectiveness of the DUMFET program.
Her academic work also addresses the developmental needs of infants at developmental risk or with disabilities. She has authored and contributed to academic publications in the field, including international research on infants with developmental risks or disabilities. In addition to her academic research, she works as a researcher on projects with Sense On, an organization specializing in project development and implementation. Her work reflects an interdisciplinary approach to early intervention and early childhood development. She has also written and published four sensory stories designed for young children, demonstrating her interest in sensory-informed and developmentally appropriate approaches to early learning.
Academic Career & Professional Recognition
Since the 2025–2026 academic year, Assistant Professor Aracıkül has served in the Department of Special Education at Istanbul Medipol University. Her academic activities integrate seventeen years of public school teaching experience with ongoing research into early intervention, sensory-motor development, and assessment and intervention practices for infants and young children.
Her research contributions were recognized with an oral presentation award at the International Rehabilitation Congress (ICER 2025). Through her teaching, research, program development, and interdisciplinary collaborations, she continues to contribute to early childhood special education. She aims to strengthen international interdisciplinary collaboration in early intervention and early childhood development and to advance research and evidence-informed practices that support infants and young children at developmental risk or with disabilities.