The purpose of this book is to provide a resource for educators who work with students with exceptionalities.
This book will help you understand the special education system, including legal regulations and the screening process. Additionally, it will cover how to assess students and conduct effective assessments. It also covers the roles that both general and special education teachers play in order to create a well-rounded classroom for all children.
This book will teach about the different types of disabilities and their signs as well as how to address them when they occur. As such, it contains many examples from real classrooms around the world so that readers can see what an effective strategy looks like in action.
This text is intended for anyone who works with exceptional children or wants to learn more about them. It can be used as a textbook in a course on special needs education at any level, but it is also written so that parents or caregivers may use this information without needing academic training beforehand.
The book has a very simple structure: there are 5 chapters, each corresponding to one of 5 types of exceptional children that the book specifically focuses on.
Chapter 1 is about children with intellectual disabilities, chapter 2 is about children with emotional disturbances, chapter 3 is about children with learning disabilities, chapter 4 is about children with physical or sensory impairments, and chapter 5 is about gifted and talented children. Each chapter begins by defining the type of exceptional child it covers and then goes in-depth into the special needs these children have, what educational practices can best meet their needs and support them.
If you are new to the study of special education, you may be interested in how this book came together. To ensure that this edition is as current as possible, I chose topics based on input from those who work with exceptional children and students every day.
In addition, I carefully reviewed each chapter for clarity and readability. This resulted in the addition of several new terms and resources and an update of many older references. New sidebars were added to help you understand the practice implications of important concepts. A selection of new case studies was included to give you a better understanding of how research findings can be applied in real-world settings.
It discusses programs in each of the following areas: learning disabilities, intellectual disabilities, emotional and behavioral disorders (including conduct disorder and ADHD), autism, speech and language disorders, traumatic brain injury, other health impairments (such as diabetes or epilepsy), visual impairments, hearing impairments (including deafness), developmental delays, multiple exceptionalities (including autistic-like behavior and pervasive developmental disorder), giftedness and talent development.
Exceptions Children: An Introduction to Special Education is a textbook for teachers in training, and it is designed to provide a foundation for understanding the diverse needs of exceptional children, including those with mild and moderate learning and behavior problems. The Tenth Edition reflects current federal legislation and regulations on special education, as well as information from the Individuals With Disabilities Act (IDEA) regarding low incidence disabilities. The new edition also includes chapters on autism spectrum disorders, alternative schools and placement options, technology in special education, and more.
With a broad view of issues in special education, this text is designed to provide an overview of the field that is both balanced and comprehensive. The text presents information in manageable sections and offers real-world case studies, vignettes, and examples to help readers understand what they are learning.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the law that guarantees children who have disabilities the right to a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment. This means that children who have disabilities are entitled to receive special services from the public schools, but only if they meet certain criteria. The criteria for eligibility vary from state to state, but all states must follow the definitions outlined by IDEA.
Children with disabilities have a wide variety of needs. Some need only minor modifications or accommodations in their regular classrooms or programs, while others require more intensive services like physical therapy or occupational therapy. Some will require highly specialized programs that can only be provided in specially equipped classrooms outside of their neighborhood schools.
Written in a conversational style, the book stresses that special education is not just a collection of programs and services; rather, it is best understood as a complex system of policies, practices, and values that shape the lives of people with disabilities. The authors provide an in-depth look at this system by examining key issues such as the history of special education, characteristics of students with disabilities, responses to diversity, assessment and instruction, planning for transition and parent involvement. This edition’s chapters on law and ethics have been thoroughly updated to reflect new laws and regulations.