The Advances in Special Education Technology series is designed to focus international attention on applications of technology for individuals with disabilities. Outstanding researchers from around the world will contribute chapters synthesizing the research evidence on specific types of technology applications that improve access, engagement, and learning outcomes of diverse learners. The scope of contributions will cover subfields known as assistive technology, instructional design, instructional technology, online learning, personalized learning, and universal design for learning and will encompass both formal and informal learning settings across the lifespan. Instructional designers often fail to consider issues of accessibility when creating educational materials. As a result, students with disabilities frequently encounter physical, sensory, or cognitive barriers that prevent them from accessing, engaging, and succeeding in learning activities. This volume will examine issues of accessibility and how designers can improve the quality of educational materials by embedding supports that anticipate the special learning needs of diverse learners.

The first reference book written for the sight-impaired student and those who serve their needs, "A Field Guide for the Sight-Impaired Reader" explains how to locate, obtain, and integrate all forms of aid to construct a world of reading equal to that of the fully sighted reader. It profiles the major blind service organizations; explores specialized formats such as Braille, large print, and electronic texts; and shows what technology readers require and where to find it. It provides comprehensive lists of audio and large print publishers, a state-by-state listing of resource agencies for the blind, and valuable internet resources to assist students and their teachers and librarians in obtaining the texts they need to succeed in both academic and pleasure reading.

Beginning with thorough coverage of the national organizations in place for visually handicapped readers and how they can assist both students and librarians, "A Field Guide for the Sight-Impaired Reader" outlines the types of technology available to readers and the companies that manufacture it. Available software, braille resources, large print resources, and internet web sites are all discussed in detail, with contact information. Also included are reading strategies for a variety of academic subject areas, a detailed listing of state resources with addresses, phone numbers, and web sites, an exhaustive list of audio publishers, and a list of books compiled from recommended reading lists such as the American Library Association's Outstanding Books for the College Bound. A discussion of the Americans with Disabilities Act and its impact on libraries is provided, as well as funding sources for librarians who want to provide more materials and technology for their sight-impaired patrons than their budgets might allow. With the encouragement and resources provided here, sight-impaired students who felt the world of reading was closed off to them can now create a reading life as rich as that of any fully sighted student.

This book presents a unique exploration of common myths about autism by examining these myths through the perspectives of autistic individuals. Examining the history of attitudes and beliefs about autism and autistic people, this book highlights the ways that these beliefs are continuing to impact autistic individuals and their families, and offers insights as to how viewing these myths from an autistic perspective can facilitate the transformation of these myths into a more positive direction. From 'savant syndrome' to the conception that people with autism lack empathy, each chapter examines a different social myth - tracing its origins, highlighting the implications it has had for autistic individuals and their families, debunking misconceptions and reconstructing the myth with recommendations for current and future practice. By offering an alternative view of autistic individuals as competent and capable of constructing their own futures, this book offers researchers, practitioners, individuals and families a deeper, more accurate, more comprehensive understanding of prevalent views about the abilities of autistic individuals as well as practical ways to re-shape these into more proactive and supportive practices.

During the early nineteenth century, schools for the deaf appeared in the United States for the first time. These schools were committed to the use of the sign language to educate deaf students. Manual education made the growth of the deaf community possible, for it gathered deaf people together in sizable numbers for the first time in American history. It also fueled the emergence of Deaf culture, as the schools became agents of cultural transformations. Just as the Deaf community began to be recognized as a minority culture, in the 1850s, a powerful movement arose to undo it, namely oral education. Advocates of oral education, deeply influenced by the writings of public school pioneer Horace Mann, argued that deaf students should stop signing and should start speaking in the hope that the Deaf community would be abandoned, and its language and culture would vanish. In this revisionist history, Words Made Flesh explores the educational battles of the nineteenth century from both hearing and deaf points of view. It places the growth of the Deaf community at the heart of the story of deaf education and explains how the unexpected emergence of Deafness provoked the pedagogical battles that dominated the field of deaf education in the nineteenth century, and still reverberate today.

This innovative volume details counseling interventions for secondary students with ADHD and its associated academic and conduct problems, particularly focusing on youth at risk for developing serious disruptive behaviors. It addresses the continuing debate over counseling for youths with ADHD by identifying key elements common to reputable therapies and suggesting a framework for their successful implementation. The core of the book discusses the Challenging Horizons Program (CHP), a behavior- and solutions-focused approach to counseling adolescents with ADHD that has been studied extensively for more than 15 years. Based on the quality of research, the CHP has been included in the National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices maintained by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Excerpts from actual sessions illustrate typical therapist-client interactions in the CHP, and sample modules from the program's treatment literature expand the book's descriptions of effective hands-on interventions. Counseling skills featured in this book include: Bridging the research-into-practice divide. Establishing a therapeutic alliance with students with ADHD. Developing and implementing interventions for memory, organization, and planning. Enhancing young clients' social skills. Enlisting family members in the intervention process. Working directly with teachers to improve student behaviors. A Practical Guide to Implementing School-Based Interventions for Adolescents with ADHD is an essential resource for researchers, clinicians and related professionals, and graduate students in such disciplines as school and clinical child psychology, social work, educational psychology, psychotherapy and counseling, and learning and instruction.

It is widely agreed throughout the world that education and access to education are human rights. In order to accommodate the educational needs of people globally, technology will be required that supports inclusion and promotes equity for both learning processes and governance in educational institutions. In order to achieve this, technological resources must be designed to be accessible and usable for all individuals by implementing user-centered design (UCD) and user experience design (UXD) processes. UXD and UCD Approaches for Accessible Education is an academic research publication that explores thoughts and experiences on accessible and equitable education from perspectives on human-computer interaction, user research, and design thinking. It seeks to improve the understanding on how technology should be designed to truly contribute to and support accessibility and equity in education. Featuring a wide range of topics such as online courses, inclusive education, and virtual reality, this publication is essential for academicians, curriculum designers, researchers, instructional designers, educational software developers, IT consultants, policymakers, administrators, and students.

Expanding William F. Pinar's notion of autobiography from an individual to a national scale, this book takes the reader on an inner journey to explore the fragmented condition of the post-9/11 American national psyche. It excavates the many layers of the emerging social context within which multiple, conflicting national narratives of identity compete, and uses notions of democracy, nation, and citizen as signposts of contested terrain inside a troubled nation. While reminding us that the old, enduring questions remain unresolved, the book identifies and grapples with new questions that are central to emergent visions of 'educating for democracy' in contemporary America, situated now within a frenetic post-9/11 world.

The challenge of preventing and coping with violence and other psychosocial problems among youth is the inspiration for this work, which offers both a conceptual foundation and a practical guide for helping troubled youth in schools. The book is meant to be a guide for practicing school staff. It is intended to be either immediately useful, or to be a stimulus for longer-range plans. All chapters are written by veterans of school systems who are or have been principals, special education directors, directors of guidance, school counselors, school psychologists, teachers, and school social workers. The topics range from a call for socially critical leadership from school administrators to moment-to-moment suggestions for interactions with students.

Two sets of words echo throughout this book: "prevent" and "connect." Prevention, not only reaction, is necessary if schools are to assist troubled youth, and in order to do the best job possible, school staff members must connect not only with students, but with the students' families and the community at large, as well as other school colleagues. Part I presents the big pictures and helps readers to re-think current conceptions of the work of schools in the psychosocial development of youth. Part II provides complementary chapters with descriptions and illustrations of effective practices for meeting the learning needs of troubled youth. Armed with the inspiration and the applications of this book, school professionals will be able to get to work immediately on fulfilling all students' promise, as well as their own as professionals.

The relationship of language to cognition, especially in development, is an issue that has occupied philosophers, psychologists, and linguists for centuries. In recent years, the scientific study of sign languages and deaf individuals has greatly enhanced our understanding of deafness, language, and cognition. This Counterpoints volume considers the extent to which the use of sign language might affect the course and character of cognitive development, and presents a variety of viewpoints in this debate.
This volume brings the language-thought discussion into a clearer focus, both theoretically and practically, by placing it in the context of children growing up deaf and the influences of having sign language as their primary form of communication. The discussion is also sharpened by having internationally recognized contributors, such as Patricia Siple, Diane Lillo-Martin, and Ruth Campbell, with specialties in varied areas, all converging on a common interest in which each has conducted empirical research. These contributors clarify and challenge the theoretical assumptions that have driven arguments in the language-thought debate for centuries. An introduction by the editors provides a historical overview of the issues as well as a review of empirical findings that have been offered in response to questions about language-thought relations in deaf children. The final chapters are structured in the form of "live" debate, in which each contributor is given the opportunity to respond to the other perspectives presented in this volume.

The authors have provided an extensive amount of data dealing with an educational program for hyperactive and brain-injured children. The goal of the authors is the better understanding of exceptional children and the development of a method of teaching and a system of education adequate to meet the needs of these children.

This proposed volume will provide in-depth coverage about a construct known as the broad autism phenotype (BAP). The BAP encompasses biological, cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and interpersonal characteristics resembling those found on the autism spectrum, although more subtle than what is evident among individuals who meet formal criteria for an autism spectrum diagnosis. Initially identified in 1994, the BAP has been receiving increased attention due to the recognition of autism as a spectrum of disorders that vary in symptoms and severity.

Among the most commonly reported characteristics of individuals with learning and behavioral disabilities are significant and persistent problems with literacy acquisition. Applied research has revealed a number of methods for facilitating literacy learning among individuals with learning and behavioral disabilities. Included in this volume are chapters from a group of internationally-prominent authors, addressing important issues in the conceptualizing, assessing, and treating problems in literacy. These chapters include conceptual factors in reading assessment, reading comprehension, and a critique of the 'dyslexia' concept, implementation of Response to Intervention models for treatment of literacy deficits, applications for individuals with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, reading instruction in the content areas, strategy instruction, and reading instruction for English learners with learning disabilities. In addition, current research in writing for students with learning and behavioral disabilities is described, including chapters on contextual factors in writing disabilities, persuasive writing for students with behavioral disabilities, writing instruction for young children with disabilities, and peer-mediated writing strategies. This volume is intended to be of interest to clinicians, teachers, researchers, graduate students, and many others interested in literacy and learning of individuals with learning and behavioral disabilities.

Millions of children have been diagnosed with autism or fall somewhere within the autism spectrum. Early intervention, education, and training programs have been found to support these students immensely, leading to a higher level of independent social life than has previously been seen. Anxiety, bullying, communication, and learning abstract concepts can be a great challenge for autistic children and can also provide an obstacle for social interaction with other children. It is important to continue offering these students access to a broad, enriched, and balanced curriculum while also devising new approaches and alternative systems of communication that will help to facilitate their access to the educational process and foster adaptive behaviors. Interventions for Improving Adaptive Behaviors in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders offers a current overview of modern practices regarding the teaching of autistic children. This book seeks to update the current practices for professionals working with autistic children, offer practical information regarding interventions, and provide tools for managing autistic children in critical situations. Covering topics such as autism diagnostic observation schedule, inclusivity in schools, and vocational training for autistic people, this text is essential for teachers, special education teachers, administrators, speech therapists, academicians, researchers, students, and professionals and practitioners involved in the upbringing, education, social, and vocational inclusion of people with ASD.

Academic classrooms in both K-12 and higher education feature diverse students with many different backgrounds, personalities, and attitudes toward learning. A large challenge in education is not only catering to each of these students to motivate them to learn, but also the many strategies in handling diverse forms of academic misconduct. It is essential for educators and administrators to be knowledgeable not only about disciplinary actions, but also intervention methods that will create a lasting impact for student success. The Research Anthology on Interventions in Student Behavior and Misconduct provides the best practices, strategies, challenges, and interventions for managing student behavior and misconduct. It discusses intervention and disciplinary methods both at the classroom and administrative levels. This book focuses on the prevention of school violence and academic misconduct in order to promote successful learning. Covering topics such as learning behavior, student empowerment, and social-emotional learning, this major reference work is an essential resource for school counselors, faculty and administration of both K-12 and higher education, libraries, pre-service teachers, child psychologists, student advocacy organizations, researchers, and academicians.

Levine shows us how to observe, question, and think about children's problem behaviors in school from the child's perspective so we can understand what is motivating children to act as they do before we intervene. Cases included in this book range from noncompliance and poor academic performance to disinhibition, suspected ADHD, PTSD, and injury-caused acting out. Understanding children's problem behaviors in school- seeing beyond the surface actions to reveal and name the root needs fueling those actions-is vital to helping the child. Yet, whether teachers in schools or parents at home, adults often make quick, cursory assessments, then an intervention is sprung. Explanations might be sought from the child, who often resists and becomes more distant. Punishment can occur and things are taken away, but the behavior worsens. These scenarios and similar occurrences frustrate parents, teachers, and other school professionals alike. In Learning from Behavior, Levine shows us how to observe, question, and think about problem behaviors in such a way that we can understand what is motivating the children to act as they do. Behavior, after all, often represents what the child cannot communicate, due to language limitations, level of psychological development, or traumatic experience. Children think differently; they are not small adults. We need to understand the behavior from the child's perspective before we can intervene to change the behavior. Author Levine shows us, incorporating illustrative vignettes, how to do that. Step by step, Levine, a clinical social worker experienced as a consultant to dozens of schools, helps us take the astute advice cited in one children's song we've all heard: stop, look and listen, to first understand the behavior. Question the causes. Cases included in this book range from noncompliance and poor academic performance to disinhibition, suspected ADHD, PTSD, and injury-caused acting out. We hear about the history of behavioral interventions, listen as children tell us how they perceive these interventions, and look over the social worker's shoulder as effective helping strategies are put into action. As Levine explains, Given the challenges we share communally in helping children, we should do everything possible to learn more about children's behavior, enhance our methods for reaching out to them, and refine our approaches to intervention. All of us-teachers, parents, clinicians, researchers, and administrators, along with the children we serve-must participate in this vital endeavor.

Rooted in the everyday reality of special and mainstream classrooms, this book aims to help teachers promote positive behavior by approaching challenging behavior as a learning difficulty. The author tackles the issue of how teachers can analyze and meet the range of individual learning needs, and considers the link between the management of teaching and learning and challenging behavior. In addition, he provides practical preventative and intervention strategies, and offers advice on observing behavior and a description of a system for teacher support. A strong commitment to the curriculum, particularly in EBD schools, is set within a framework of spiritual development for all children.

A balance of theory and practice for understanding the full range of curriculum and instructional topics involved in educating individuals with severe intellectual disabilities and autism In this authoritative guide, leading scholars and researchers present information and evidence-based practices for dealing with the full range of curriculum and instruction for individuals with severe intellectual disabilities and autism. Case studies throughout Instruction of Students with Severe Disabilities look at students of various ages and with a variety of disabilities, and each chapter includes an application to a student with autism. The content is presented with citations of supportive research, and evidence-based practices are presented in clearly defined ways to ensure that teachers understand the practices and how to apply them in their own classrooms. The 9th Edition is updated with new evidence-based research; a new chapter on inclusive education; a new chapter on transition; and more.

Veteran educator Kathleen Nosek tells parents the secrets to successfully naviagating today's school system and ensuring that dyslexic children receive the quality education they are entitled to by law. Includes a definition of dyslexia, how to identify it, how to get your child evaluated and more.

With the high prevalence of autism spectrum disorders among the younger generation, there is a shortage of adequate resources to deliver care for these individuals. Therefore, social media and online forums help create a sense of community and a sense of social network, where members provide support for each other. Assessing Social Support and Stress in Autism-Focused Virtual Communities: Emerging Research and Opportunities is a critical reference volume featuring the latest academic research on online communities and how using social media can provide stress relief for families and individuals diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. Including coverage among a variety of applicable viewpoints and subjects such as social media concepts, stress relief, and healthcare communities, this book is ideally designed for academics and practitioners as well as healthcare professionals, researchers, students, academics, and practitioners looking for innovative research on autism spectrum disorders.

This book examines real life reflections on Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), current practices and issues related to assessing, instructing and life-long planning for individuals with autism and developmental disabilities. School systems, mental health facilities, and society are being challenged to deal effectively with the growing number of people with autism and developmental disabilities. This is partly due to the inclusive philosophy of educating, training and treating individuals. This book provides regular, special educators, mental health professionals, clinicians and parents with information on best practices and research based findings related to: identification, characteristics, diagnosis; special, general, early and post-secondary education; and quality of life concerns. The book's chapters are topical, comprehensive and diverse. Chapters on assessment examine the emerging field of infant mental health, testing protocols, barriers to diagnosing diverse students, and recent developments in the diagnosing and assessment of autism spectrum disorders i.e. genetic testing, home movies and robots. A number of chapters on instructional aspects delineate curriculum innovations, procedures to implement social skills, assistive technology use and planning for postsecondary education. Life long planning, provides unique content on self-determination, social competence, sibling aspects, and employment and retirement considerations.