Special Education: Contemporary Perspectives for School Professionals, 5th Edition

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About the book

• Learn about the full spectrum of special education -- from the history of the field, to what types of students they'll teach, to collaborating, assessing, and instructing -- with the most current, first-rate information available.
  • All chapters include a brief snippet of history, key characteristics of the students and prevalence data, an outline of the assessment process, service delivery options and research-based instructional practices, parent perspectives, and issues related to the disability area.
• Gain perspective from reading about the real children, real families, and real professionals living special education. To put a "face" on the field, each chapter includes authentic stories from children with disabilities, individuals who have disabilities, and from professionals who work in the field.
  • UPDATED: Each chapter begins with vignettes of students with disabilities or gifts/talents at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels. Fourteen vignettes are updated to introduce new students, new dimensions of student characteristics, or changes in recommended practices. The students are referenced within the chapters, and readers complete end-of-chapter activities to apply what they have learned to each student's case.
• Benefit from a "just-right" blend of accurate, up-to-date, research-based information presented in a reader-friendly manner. While the textbook has a strong evidence base, material is presented in a way that is neither too simple, nor too complex, and is easily understood by teacher candidates. The language used and the chapter pattern facilitates quick understanding.
  • UPDATED: Streamline their studies. Based on user feedback, coverage in chapters for low incidence disabilities has been streamlined to increase the likelihood readers will complete the chapters and clarify what is critical to know at an introductory level. (See Chapters 11, 12, 13, and 14.)
• Prepare for their evolving roles in education and the well being of students with disabilities through an emphasis on contemporary concepts and evidence-based practices.
  • Explore the essential topics of collaboration, diversity, and cultural competence in detail. Chapter 3 is dedicated to exploring diversity in special education, offering concrete approaches for reaching diverse students. Chapter 4 is dedicated entirely to exploring modern collaborative practices in schools (co-teaching, teaming, consultation). Collaboration concepts and diversity topics are then integrated throughout the book as parts of discussions about students' educational needs and options.
  • Learn about technology and its use with students with disabilities and gifts/talents. Information about valuable websites and technology applications help readers extend their knowledge and learn about the types of technologies available that are critical to student learning.
  • UPDATED: Stay up-to-date with changes that significantly affect the field. To keep instructors and readers up-to-date on the latest topics and trends in special education, this edition includes:
    • Updated information related to the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the APA. (Updates have been made to every chapter referencing disabilities heavily influenced by the DSM-V, especially Chapters 6 and 7.)
    • Reflection of the shift in emphasis with the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) from response to intervention (RTI) to multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS). The former has not been eliminated as it still is policy in some states, but the latter has been added. (Changes have been made to all related mentions of education legislation throughout the book, but especially in Chapter 2.)
    • Expanded coverage of autism to meet the high level of interest in this topic. (See Chapter 10.)

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