First Published in 1996. Teaching approaches for pupils with learning difficulties have often emphasized the presentation and repetition of easily manageable tasks rather than exploration, learning through mistakes and reflection. However, there is encouraging evidence that such pupils may be helped to develop effective learning approaches with marked improvements in their academic performance and self-concept. The importance of the teacher's role in facilitating pupils' reflective activity cannot be overstated. This book locates reflective experiences within classroom interaction and discusses a variety of ways in which teachers can foster reflection. These include their classroom talk, challenging activities, and the creation of an ethos where expectations are high and pupils' thinking and self-awareness are shown to be valued. Most, but not all, of the classroom research reported here was conducted in special schools for pupils with moderate learning difficulties, but the findings have implications for teachers of a wide range of pupils, in both aEURO~special' and aEURO~ordinary' schools. The hope is that they will be stimulated to incorporate some of the ideas in this book into their own practice.

Written during a period of reexamination and change in the field of special education, this book was developed in order to provide a better understanding of the contexts in which children receive their formal education. The movement toward the "least restrictive environment" for the education of children with disabilities is weathering a wave of reinterpretations including mainstreaming, the regular education initiative, and inclusion. While each interpretation has its proponents and critics, limited theory and few data are available to guide these important policy decisions.
Focusing specifically on classrooms -- the settings where educators can have the most immediate impact and where research is most needed -- this volume's goals are:
* to establish what is known about classroom ecologies from both general and special education perspectives,
* to integrate the perspectives of researchers and practitioners, and
* to chart directions for further research specifically related to children with learning disabilities.
The construct of classroom ecology is defined as three interrelated domains: instruction, teacher and peer interaction, and organization and management. This scheme provides the structure for the book. Taken as a whole, the content of the volume underscores the limits of current knowledge and at the same time provides directions for needed changes in both research and practice.

This new edition of Ann Lewis's widely acclaimed text has been substantially revised and updated to take into account the recent revisions to the National Curriculum and the guidance of the Code of Practice. It provides:
*an analysis of the issues and practicalities of implementing the National Curriculum at primary school level
*an exploration of the main trends concerning the education of children with learning difficulties
*guidelines on safeguarding a broad curriculum, assessing children's learning and helping all children gain access to the National Curriculum
Related issues such as the grouping of children, the role of the special needs coordinator, resources, record keeping and the legal position are also examined. These areas are explored in the light of classroom practice, evidence about the impact of the National Curriculum to date and wider research evidence and policy analysis.

Worldwide, more parents are opting for immersion pre-schooling for their children in order to benefit from its linguistic, educational, and cultural benefits. This immersion can be either bilingual or monolingual, aimed at early second language learning, or at language maintenance - offering minority language children mother-tongue support and enrichment. This book examines some of the key issues and policy concerns relating to immersion education in the early years. The term itself can be difficult in some political contexts, as can the differing outcomes noted by studies comparing monolingual programmes, and bilingual programmes for minority language children. The importance of training in immersion methodology for educators is discussed, as is the need to adapt preschool pedagogical practices to the immersion context, in order to provide optimal input for young language learners. One of the most pressing discussions surrounds differentiated provision - ensuring that the varying needs of children with language impairment, typical second language learners, and mother-tongue speakers with significant socioeconomic or linguistic disadvantages are all met. Overall, the book explores the challenges currently facing the sector, particularly with regard to training and professional development for practitioners, and the provision of appropriate materials in less widely used languages. Given the documented benefit of high quality immersion pre-schooling, this book fulfils an urgent need to increase the recognition of the sector. This book was published as a special issue of International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism.

The category of learning disabilities continues to be among the most contentious in special education. Much of the debate and dissent emanates from a lack of understanding about its basic nature. The failure to evolve a comprehensive and unified perspective about the nature of learning disabilities has resulted in the concept being lost. The loss is best illustrated through the failure to answer this seemingly simple question: "What is a learning disability?"
Using historical, empirical, theoretical, conceptual, and philosophical analyses, this volume explores a number of problems and issues facing the field of learning disabilities. The chapters cover historical influences, definitional problems, primary characteristics, assessment practices, theoretical development, major themes, research and measurement models, and long-term outcomes. The goal is to explicate the nature of learning disabilities by analyzing what it was supposed to be, what it has become, and what it might be. A predominant theme running through this text is the necessity for the field of learning disabilities to regain integrity by recapturing its essence.

Published in 1981, this book describes and critically examines the standardised tests and modes of assessment available and most commonly used by speech therapists, psychologists and educationalists. Tests and other assessment procedures are discussed and therapeutic strategies suggested. Thus, psycholinguistic approaches such as ITPA, the Reynell Developmental Language Scales and the Aston Index; linguistic techniques such as LARSP and phonological assessments are described, and adult disorders as well as childhood problems, are reviewed. There is also a brief consideration of the problem of assessing the language of those not speaking English as a first language. The book serves as a core text for student speech therapists and also as a reference for those practicing or researching in speech therapy, special education and linguistic pathology.

Reissuing works originally published between 1937 and 2005, this collection of books on various aspects of learning to read and write is a superb resource for those teaching or those studying education. Some titles look at literacy in a multilingual environment and offer advice and techniques for the world of EFL while others consider the nature of childhood learning strategies and others look at policy in schools. Spanning the worlds of linguistics, psychology and education this set has something to offer for all classrooms.

This book examines new developments in provisions for people with learning disabilities. It establishes the current network of services as a base and reduces aspects of the NHS, Community Care Act (1990) and Disabled Persons Act (1986) to terminology accessible to professionals and others engaged in this area. Building on "Services for the Mentally Handicapped in Britain" (Malin, Race and Jones, 1980), it includes additional chapters such as advocacy/empowerment and recreation and leisure. Other parts of the book consider in more detail concepts engendered in the new legislation: care-management and assessment, quality and inspection, and inter-agency planning. The book aims to provide a broad review of material based on research and local developments in deinstitutionalization and community care, residential, day care, voluntary and educational services. It should be of interest to students and professional staff in psychology, teaching, medicine, nursing, social work and the voluntary sector concerned with people with learning disabilities.

Children who have difficulty acquiring basic skills need additional help and encouragement. In "Helping Children with Reading and Spelling, " Rea Reason and Rene Boote have written a highly practical manual which provides detailed frameworks for assessment and teaching which will be widely used by class teachers, particularly those working with children who have specific literacy difficulties. The book does not adopt any one theoretical stance, but provides a comprehensive and workable collection of ideas, including photocopiable pages which can be used as teaching and assessment resources and case studies to illustrate the methods suggested. The emphasis of the book is on reading for meaning and enjoyment, together with the systematic practice of word and letter recognition skills.

This unique book features a collection of lively stories on the integration of Intensive Interaction practice into schools and adult service settings. It addresses communication development, both from a micro and macro level across a variety of service settings, with each chapter written by a different practitioner. These personal accounts cover individual practice and reflection with a single case-study person, as well as influencing organisational change. The authors assert that within adult services and educational settings, Intensive Interaction can be used as a way to develop communication and confidence and to work with the principles of inclusion and person-centred acceptance and support. The book develops an understanding of issues that can be addressed within training and mentoring other staff, and uses case studies throughout as a powerful training tool. Filled with practical advice and techniques to develop communication with people who find it hard to communicate, as well as guidance on ensuring the sustainable extension of the use of Intensive Interaction by embedding the approach within organisational ways of working, this book will be of value to anyone working within children and adult services for people with communication impairments.

As the integration of children with special educational needs into ordinary classrooms progresses, most special needs professionals spend an increasing amount of time in mainstream schools, working with teachers in the classroom on interventions for individual children and with head teachers and senior management teams on whole school policy.
Skills in Classroom Consultation is a practical guide to the tools and techniques required to work effectively with colleagues in defining goals, allocating responsibility and formulating strategies. It shows how consultative skills can be used to solve particular educational problems and also how the consultant professional can act in a more far-reaching way as an agent of change within an institution.

This book covers research on biopsychological aspects of dyslexia reflects on psycholinguistic aspects of dyslexia offers reflections on dyslexia treatment research in general. It points out that in some dyslexics it is not sufficient to treat word identification difficulties alone.

As the integration of children with special educational needs into ordinary classrooms progresses, most special needs professionals spend an increasing amount of time in mainstream schools. They work with teachers in the classroom on interventions for individual children, and with head teachers and senior management teams on whole school policy. This is a practical guide to the tools and techniques required to work effectively with colleagues in defining goals, allocating responsibility and formulating strategies. It shows how consultative skills can be used to solve particular educational problems, and also how the consultant professional can act in a more far-reaching way as an agent of change within an institution.

Even the most experienced educators struggle with the challenge of designing and delivering meaningful inclusive practices in their school communities and classrooms. How can you deliver meaningful learning experiences that meet the needs of ALL students? The Inclusion Toolbox is an all-in-one resource that combines research-based strategies and practical tools to help teachers design and implement a truly inclusive education program. The Inclusion Toolbox features materials relevant to all grades, disabilities, and stages of implementation, and is organized in a way that allows teachers to start at multiple entry points. Readers will discover: Step-by-step plans for implementing new programs through teambuilding and leadership Guidance on how to maintain, strengthen, and expand existing inclusive programs Strategies to empower and involve families, students with disabilities, and their peers Techniques to create effective and complementary schedules Tools to assess student interests, develop adaptation plans, encourage students to participate in extracurricular activities, and more With user-friendly online resources and practical strategies, this comprehensive guide will help you expand your toolbox, inspire your students, and make inclusion a reality!

Taking drugs is complex and there are concerns about the best ways of addressing drugs issues in schools - particularly for pupils with special educational needs. Many teachers are worried about discussing drugs with their pupils. They fear that they know too little and that some of their pupils may know too much. They also worry that talking about drugs to naive children may raise their interest. Yet the government expects all pupils to receive drug education and requires all schools to have a drug policy. It has ambitious targets in reducing the use of drugs by young people. This book aims to help teachers of pupils with special educational needs to assess what their contribution should be and identify what the particular issues associated with their pupils are. It will help schools to: create or revise a drugs policy plan a program of study deliver drug education appropriate to their pupils deal with drug related incident.

Research on language and communication development and intervention in persons with mental retardation has been conducted at a fast and furious pace during the last two decades. Past attempts to summarize this research have been rather restricted, focusing on a single, narrowly defined substantive domain such as lexical development, or of a single etiology such as Down Syndrome.
This volume, in contrast, presents a critical, integrative review of research and theory on language development and processing across all domains and a variety of etiologies. In addition, many previous attempts to review portions of this research have failed to consider the research within the context of current theory and data from developmental psycholinguistics and linguistics. A major contribution of this book is the emphasis on relevant work outside of mental retardation for understanding and treating the language and communication problems of persons with mental retardation. Finally, this book is comprehensive and up-to-date across all the areas of language covered including appropriate introductory material in linguistics and psychology -- discussions of the innateness, cognition-first and motherese views of normal language acquisition. In addition, the authors' extensive bibliography is valuable in and of itself to any serious student or professional in the area.

Based on the research of the Bristol Language Development Scales (BLADES), Chataway is a structured programme of work designed to help children develop speaking skills. Chataway is based around conversational skills, allowing children to prepare for social challenges as well as academic work the programme is written in a clear and straightforward way, with progress easy to monitor can be used with all children those with average range skills and those with special needs group work focus extra training for staff not required. For all teachers and teaching assistants in settings from Foundation Stage and Key Stages 1 and 2, to pupils with special needs at Key Stage 3 and in Special Schools. The book is also relevant for parents, carers and all speech and language therapists and assistants working to develop speaking skills.

Kate Ripley's work in the topical area of Emotional Literacy has shown that children must first learn to discriminate and label their own emotions before they can focus on understanding other people's. This comprehensive programme is designed to assist early years practitioners help children to achieve these first important steps, the pack consists of: theoretical rationale - long and short version how the programme fits within the current legislative framework baseline assessment details pratical strategies to support the programme evaluation from pilot study bibliography and recommended materials. In addition to the book there are downloadable resources containing a twenty minute video film showing behaviour to be addressed and intervention in action, a demonstration in powerpoint to show to colleagues and stories to use for baseline assessment.

Language for Learning in the Secondary School employs the same easy-to-use format as the best-selling Primary version of this book but has been adapted to meet the specific needs of secondary school teachers. This indispensable resource is packed full of practical suggestions on how to support students with speech, language and communication difficulties. Colour coded throughout for easy referencing, this unique book supports inclusive practice by helping you to: Identify students with speech, language and communication needs Understand how language is processed Consider roles and responsibilities at secondary level Plan a differentiated curriculum Consider the language demands across the subjects Adopt a whole school approach Make use of a wide range of positive strategies Empower students to access the curriculum. Language for Learning in the Secondary School comes complete with a wealth of photocopiable resources and activities, giving teachers and teaching assistants the confidence to help students with speech, language and communication needs more effectively in mainstream settings. It will also be an extremely useful resource for specialist teachers, speech and language therapists and educational psychologists.

Linguistics and Aphasia is a major study of recent developments in applying psycholinguistics and pragmatics to the study of acquired language disorders (aphasia) and their remediation. Psycholinguistic analyses of aphasia interpret disorders in terms of damaged modules and processes within what was once a normal language system. These analyses have progressed to the point that they now routinely provide a model-based rationalefor planning patient therapy. Through a series of case studies, the authors show how the psycholinguistic analysis of aphasia can be assessed for its effectiveness in clinical practice. Pragmatic approaches to the study of aphasia are of more recent origin. Ruth Lesser and Lesley Milroy evaluate their considerable significance to the study of aphasia and their relevance to practical issues of diagnosis and treatment. Controversial analysis, in particular, offers a fruitful and productive framework within which to assess the functional adequacy of the language used by aphasic speakers in everyday contexts.

Disaffected pupils respond well in circumstances where they feel secure, where they have a sense of being valued and respected, and where they perceive there to be opportunities for them to succeed. Paul Cooper offers some insights into how these outcomes might be achieved in both mainstream and segregated settings. Paul Cooper grounds his investigation in the views expressed by a group of pupils who have been excluded from mainstream schools and placed in residential schools for pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties. He charts the perceptions these pupils have of their current and former experience of schooling, as well as their views on the nature and causes of their difficulties. Connecting the insights gained from these pupils to work that has been done in the area of school effectiveness, he offers some guidelines on ways in which teachers and managers can work towards reducing disaffection in schools. The book's practical research base emphasizes the need to find solutions to educational problems within the real life contexts in which they occur; it will be of interest to all those whose concerns are with the everyday realities of schooling.

What are learning disorders? How can schools endeavour to address these disorders in today's inclusive classrooms? This book answers these important questions in practical terms and discusses in detail the instructional needs of students with dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia and other significant disorders that affect learning. Peter Westwood draws on international research literature to provide supporting evidence of best practices. The book is unique in linking the teaching methods recommended for overcoming learning problems directly to each of the three tiers of support in the Response-to-Intervention Model. It presents examples of effective whole-class teaching, intensive small group instruction and individual tutoring, as well as addressing key topics such as: educational progress of students with learning disorders; principles for teaching dyslexic students; difficulties with writing and spelling; developing students' numeracy skills; specific intervention strategies; nonverbal learning disabilities. Learning Disorders will be of interest to practising teachers, trainee teachers, teaching assistants, educational psychologists, school counsellors and parents. It will also provide valuable insights for any school planning to upgrade its support system for students with special educational needs.

Despite years of study and advanced technologies, we still do not fully understand how the "typical" brain works, much less how an autistic brain works. And while we have become increasingly familiar with the term autistic thinking, people with autism are still misunderstood, leading to frustration, depression and missed opportunities to reach one's potential. According to Peter Vermeulen, treatment of autism is still too focused on behaviour and minimally focused on observation or determining the way of thinking that leads to the behaviour. In this groundbreaking book, inspired by the ideas of Uta Frith, the internationally known psychologist and a pioneer in theory of mind as it relates to autism, Vermeulen explains in everyday terms how the autistic brain functions with a particular emphasis on the apparent lack of sensitivity to and awareness of the context in which things happen. Full of examples, often humorous, the book goes on to examine "context" as it relates to observation, social interactions, communication and knowledge. The book concludes with a major section on how to reduce context blindness in these various areas, vital for successful functioning. Due to the far-reaching consequences of context blindness, this book is a must for those living and working with somebody with autism.

First published in 1973, this book considers the differences between mainstream schools and special educational needs schools, for children with learning disabilities. It contains a wealth of research data, case history material and reference to existing literature, designed to answer many questions which parents, heads, and schoolteachers have asked. Questions considered include whether children with disabilities do as well in ordinary schools as children without, whether they are as happy and well adjusted, and how they fit into the social structure of the class. The book also looks at whether much teasing occurs and how practical difficulties can be overcome.

The Routledge Handbook of Communication Disorders provides an update on key issues and research in the clinical application of the speech, language and hearing sciences in both children and adults. Focusing on areas of cutting-edge research, this handbook showcases what we know about communication disorders, and their assessment and treatment. It emphasizes the application of theory to clinical practice throughout, and is arranged by the four key bases of communication impairments: Neural/Genetic Bases Perceptual-Motor Bases Cognitive-Linguistic Bases Socio-Cultural Bases. The handbook ends with an integrative section, which looks at innovative ways of working across domains to arrive at novel assessment and treatment ideas. It is an important reference work for researchers, students and practitioners working in communication science and speech and language therapy.