Carol-Ann is an Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education. She is a both a Montessori trained teacher and a Primary qualified teacher registered with the Teaching Council of Ireland. She is a passionate educator and researcher. She has taught across all levels of early years and primary education, with extensive experience in special and inclusive teaching and learning.  Her research and experience in promoting inclusion in education and society and her expertise in early childhood and primary education brings a critical and contemporary vision to teaching and learning in ITE. Carol-Ann's research interests are: The inter-relationships between cultural, language and communication, identity and belonging and the role of education in the development of intercultural competencies in early childhood. Special education and inclusion; a continuum of play; children’s personal play worlds; the importance of real-life play experiences; the role of family play experiences; intergenerational play/fun and the development of humour in early play. Playful teaching and learning in early childhood (playful inclusive pedagogy, transformative pedagogy); early literacy and numeracy; autism and neurodivergent challenges including rare diseases. The teaching of early communication, language and mathematics through play for children with autism in early intervention and primary classrooms.