Educators today are challenged with the task of designing curricula and standards for students of varying abilities. While technology and innovation steadily improve classroom learning, teachers and administrators continue to struggle in developing the best methodologies and practices for students with disabilities. Models for Effective Service Delivery in Special Education Programs brings together case studies and academic research on successful classroom models and practices to provide rewarding learning environments for students with disabilities. This publication is an essential reference source for special education teachers, supervisors, directors, and administrators, as well as academicians and researchers interested in developing special education programs within school districts and classrooms.
Similar to a handbook in its comprehensive description of the theory and research supporting current practices in the treatment of autism spectrum disorders, this interdisciplinary text shows how the existing knowledge base can be used to explore promising new possibilities related to the field’s many unanswered questions. Key features include the following: Comprehensive – This is the first book to consider the history and current state of autism as a field in transition, to cover its varied approaches and philosophies, and to describe the interventions used throughout the developmental cycle. Cross Disciplinary – Serving students with autism necessitates communication and collaboration among professionals from several disciplines as well as family members. The editors have, therefore, brought together divergent perspectives, theories and philosophies in order to demonstrate that scientific evidence, rather than educational orientation, must determine which practices should be selected for use in particular situations. Research Based – Whereas many existing texts advocate a particular type of treatment, this one recognizes that interventions must be selected and evaluated based on the scientific evidence of their effectiveness. Integrated Methodology –Chapter authors consider findings from studies that employed single-subject designs, experimental large-scale studies, and qualitative methodology. The inter-relatedness of therapies and disciplines will be highlighted throughout. Expertise – The volume editors are all highly visible researchers in autism and developmental disabilities. Likewise, each chapter is directed by a senior, highly accomplished author who is nationally recognized for his/her work in the topic being addressed. This book is appropriate for practicing professionals in education and psychology and for speech/language therapists and other clinicians. It is also suitable as a graduate level text in these fields.
This volume focuses on evidence-based practices (EBPs) , supported, sound research studies documenting their effectiveness with a target population. As such, EBPs have significant potential to improve the outcomes of learners with learning and behavioral disorders.
Educators are continually pressured to create interesting and educational lessons for students of varying learning abilities. While technology steadily improves classroom learning, education systems struggle to develop more innovative teaching methods for students with disabilities. Cases on Service Delivery in Special Education Programs compiles real-world case studies on successful classroom models and practices to provide rewarding learning environments for students with disabilities. Addressing topics such as behavior modification, social development, and teacher collaboration, this publication is an essential reference source for special education teachers, supervisors, directors, administrators, principles, and policymakers, as well as academicians and researchers interested in developing special education programs within school districts and classrooms.
Teaching and Learning at a Distance is written for introductory distance education courses for preservice or in-service teachers, and for training programs that discuss teaching distant learners or managing distance education systems. This text provides readers with the basic information needed to be knowledgeable distance educators and leaders of distance education programs. The teacher or trainer who uses this book will be able to design courses, evaluate programs, and identify issues and trends affecting the field. In this text we take the following themes: The first theme is the definition of distance education. Before we started writing the first edition of Teaching and Learning at a Distance we carefully reviewed the literature to determine the definition that would be at the foundation of our writing. This definition is based on the work of Desmond Keegan, but is unique to this book and has been adopted by the Association for Educational Communications and Technology and by the Encyclopedia Britannica. The second theme of the book is the importance of research to the development of effective courses and programs offered at a distance. The best practices presented in Teaching and Learning at a Distance are validated by scientific evidence. Certainly there are “rules of thumb,” but we have always attempted to only include recommendations that can be supported by research. The third theme of Teaching and Learning at a Distance is derived from Richard Clark’s famous quote published in the Review of Educational Research asserting that media are mere vehicles that do not directly influence achievement. Clark’s controversial work is discussed in the book, but is also fundamental to the book’s advocacy for distance education—in other words, we authors do not make the claim that education delivered at a distance is inherently better than other ways people learn. Distance delivered instruction is not a magical approach that makes learners achieve more. Equivalency theory is the fourth theme of the book. Here we present the concept that instruction should be provided to learners that is equivalent rather than identical to what might be delivered in a traditional environment. Equivalency theory helps the instructional designer approach the development of instruction for each learner without attempting to duplicate what happens in a face-to-face classroom. The final theme for Teaching and Learning at a Distance is the idea that the book should be comprehensive—that it should cover as much of the various ways instruction is made available to distant learners as is possible. It can serve as a stand-alone source of information.
Developmental disorders affect a high percentage of people in contemporary society. As such, it is imperative to dedicate time and research to facilitate a more comprehensive understanding of these disorders. Autism Spectrum Disorders: Breakthroughs in Research and Practice is an innovative reference source for the latest academic material on emerging perspectives, treatment and care techniques, and therapeutic strategies to support individuals with autism spectrum disorders. Highlighting a range of topics such as social skills, educational support, and assistive technologies, this book is ideally designed for healthcare professionals, researchers, students, academics, and practitioners interested in learning more about autism spectrum disorders.
The Handbook of Intellectual Disability and Clinical Psychology Practice will equip clinical psychologists in training with the skills necessary to complete a clinical placement in the field of intellectual disability. Building on the success of the previous edition this handbook has been extensively revised. Throughout, the text, references, and website addresses and have been updated to reflect important developments since the publication the first edition. Recent research findings on the epidemiology, aetiology, course, outcome, assessment and treatment of all psychological problems considered in the book have been incorporated into the text. Account has been taken of changes in the diagnosis and classification of intellectual disability and psychological problems reflected in the AAIDD-11 and the DSM-5. New chapters on the assessment of adaptive behaviour and support needs, person-centred active support, and the assessment of dementia in people with intellectual disability have been added. The book is divided into eight sections: Section 1: Covers general conceptual frameworks for practice - diagnosis, classification, epidemiology and lifespan development. Section 2: Focuses on assessment of intelligence, adaptive behaviour, support needs, quality of life, and the processes of interviewing and report writing. Section 3: Covers intervention frameworks, specifically active support, applied behavioural analysis and cognitive behaviour therapy. Section 4: Deals with supporting families of children with intellectual disability, genetic syndromes and autism spectrum disorders. Section 5: Covers issues associated with intellectual disability first evident or prevalent in middle childhood. Section 6: Deals with adolescent concerns including life skills training, relationships and sexuality. Section 7: Focuses on residential, vocational and family-related challenges of adulthood and aging. Section 8: Deals with professional issues and risk assessment. Chapters cover theoretical and empirical issues on the one hand and practice issues on the other. They close with summaries and suggestions for further reading for practitioners and families containing a member with an intellectual disability. Where appropriate, in many chapters, practice exercises to aid skills development have been included. The second edition of the Handbook of Intellectual Disability and Clinical Psychology Practice is one of a set of three volumes which cover the lion’s share of the curriculum for clinical psychologists in training in the UK and Ireland. The other two volumes are the Handbook of Child and Adolescent Clinical Psychology, Third Edition (by Alan Carr) and the Handbook of Adult Clinical Psychology Practice, Second Edition (edited by Alan Carr & Muireann McNulty).
Education is an important aspect of the environmental influences on autism and effective education can have a significant effect on outcome for those on the autism spectrum. This handbook is a definitive resource for reflective practitioners and researchers who wish to know and understand current views of the nature of autism and best practice in educational support. It explores the key concepts, debates and research areas in the field.
Practitioners, scholars, and teacher education students alike can celebrate reading Exploring Inclusive Educational Practices through Professional Inquiry. This rich array of case scenarios both illuminates and elaborates the meaning of inclusion in today’s schools and tomorrow’s visions. Twenty-five stories from parents, teachers, school principals, and specialists highlight the kind of experiential knowledge that won’t be found in typical research reports and district documents about inclusive education. What happens to real people—students and their families—doesn’t always resemble policies that can look so good on paper. This book makes a wonderful contribution to better understandings of the challenges of inclusion as well as the commitments positioned alongside values in order to meet those challenges. There are brave and spirited people in these pages—not the least of whom are the children themselves.Professor Luanna H. Meyer, PhD Director, Jessie Hetherington Centre for Educational Research Victoria University, New Zealand This is a book on inclusive education that leaves you with hope and ideas for action. It takes a very difficult and highly charged topic and demonstrates that it is possible to see both the trees and the forest. Michael Fullan Professor Emeritus OISE/University of Toronto We are reminded in the commentaries parents share in this book of how their passionate commitment to good education and their ideas make inclusion work. The case-study approach reveals the critical importance of their, and many other perspectives in finding solutions to what are so often dismissed as irresolveable dilemmas. They aren’t, and this book models exactly the kinds of conversations we need in schools across the country to challenge all of us to stay the course. It’s a must-read for anyone who wants to make diversity and inclusion a reality in public education today. Michael Bach Executive Vice-President Canadian Association for Community Living
2020 Finalist for Book of the Year Award, North American Society of Social and Political Philosophy (NASSP) This book examines the philosophical, motivational, and practical challenges of education theory, policy, and practice in the twenty-first century. There is a loud and persistent drum beat of support for schools, for citizenship, for diversity and inclusion, and increasingly for labor market readiness with very little critical attention to the assumptions underlying these agendas, let alone to their many internal contradictions. Merry does not neglect the historical, comparative international context so essential to better understanding where we are, as well as what is attainable in terms of educational justice. He argues that we must constructively critique some of our most cherished beliefs about education if we are to save the hope of real justice from the rhetoric of imagined justice.
