Comparative special education is a topic rarely covered in research. This is a ground-breaking assessment of special education services for students with mild disabilities in eight Latin American countries (Brazil, Chile, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, and Uruguay). Considering that people with mild disabilities comprise more than two-thirds of the disabled population in the world, this is an important area of study. The editors have identified two broad areas in which experiences could be recounted: the provision of services and the preparation of personnel. The focus is on the elementary education level, although early intervention and secondary education are also discussed.

"Identification of Learning Disabilities: Research to Practice" is the remarkable product of a learning disabilities summit conference convened by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) in August 2001 and the activities following that summit. Both the conference and this book were seen as important preludes to congressional reauthorization of the historic "Individuals With Disabilities Education Act" (IDEA) scheduled for 2002 and subsequent decision making surrounding implementation. The OSEP conference brought together people with different perspectives on LD (parents, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers) and resulted in this book, which examines the research on nine key issues concerning the identification of children with learning disabilities. Coverage includes alternative responses to treatment, classification approaches, processing deficit models, and approaches to decision making.
Chapter Structure-- Each of the first nine chapters is organized around a lengthy, issue-oriented paper, which presents the most current research on that topic. These primary papers are then followed by four respondent papers that reflect a variety of viewpoints on the topic.
Summarizing Chapter -- A small group of researchers (listed in the final chapter) dedicated an enormous amount of time to summarizing the research and developing key consensus statements regarding the identification of children with learning disabilities. Their work is sure to have a tremendous impact on future discussions in this area.
Expertise-- The following well-known scholars have helped summarize the vast amount of research presented in this book as well as the consensus statements derived therefrom: Lynne Cook, Don Deshler, Doug Fuchs, Jack M. Fletcher, Frank Gresham, Dan Hallahan, Joseph Jenkins, Kenneth Kavale, Barbara Keogh, Margo Mastopieri, Cecil Mercer, Dan Reschley, Rune Simeonsson, Joe Torgesen, Sharon Vaughn, and Barbara Wise.

This volume honors the founder of the International Academy for Research in Learning Disabilities (IARLD), William M. Cruickshank, and his many accomplishments. His influence on special education in general, and learning disabilities in specific, is evident throughout the world. Consistent with his international activities, the contributors to this book represent nine different countries. The chapters reflect a range of perspectives on "the state of the art" in learning disabilities, documenting both commonalities and differences across countries. Taken together, the chapters provide a comprehensive and informative picture of learning disabilities.

This volume honors the founder of the International Academy for Research in Learning Disabilities (IARLD), William M. Cruickshank, and his many accomplishments. His influence on special education in general, and learning disabilities in specific, is evident throughout the world. Consistent with his international activities, the contributors to this book represent nine different countries. The chapters reflect a range of perspectives on "the state of the art" in learning disabilities, documenting both commonalities and differences across countries. Taken together, the chapters provide a comprehensive and informative picture of learning disabilities.

Placement of students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment has become a central issue in special education. To date, no comprehensive treatment of placement issues is available, especially for students with emotional and behavioral disorders who present particularly difficult placement problems. This book combines data and discussions intended to further the understanding of how and why decisions are made to place students with emotional or behavioral disorders in particular educational environments. This volume establishes the problem of placement in a contemporary and historical context, reviews the literature on placement of students with emotional or behavioral disorders, and discusses placement options and concerns about multicultural issues, post-secondary education, law and regulation, demands on teachers, and policy choices.
Its goals are to:
* improve understanding of decision processes leading to placement,
* set the stage for improvements in pupils' lives in school and elsewhere, and
* stimulate research on the many placement issues that are left unresolved.

TheHandbook of Special Education brings greater clarity to the ever-expanding topic of educating exceptional children. Across the volume, chapter authors review and integrate existing research, identify strengths and weaknesses, note gaps in the literature, and discuss implications for practice and future research. Chapters follow a consistent model: Definition, Causal Factors, Identification, Behavioral Characteristics, Assessment, Educational Programming, and Trends and Issues.

This book provides comprehensive coverage of all aspects of special education in the United States including cultural and international comparisons. The Handbook of Special Education discusses emerging trends in the field for researchers and practitioners while also providing foundational material for graduate students and scholars. The third edition has been updated and shortened to make it more accessible and helpful to all of its users, taking into account the recent developments and most current academic research in the field.

Table of Contents

Section I. Historical and Contemporary Issues-James M. Kauffman

1. Nature, History, and Prospects - James M. Kauffman, Michael M. Gerber

2. Multi-Tiered Systems of Support as Special Education Reform: A Critical Appraisal - Andrew L. Wiley, Dylan David, BeckyAnn Harker

3. What Do We Know About Effective Teaching and Teacher Education for Teachers Working with Students with Disabilities? - Mary Brownell, Melinda M. Leko, Loretta Mason-Williams

4. Purpose and Ethics of Special Education - Jason Travers, Allison Gilmour, Matt Tincani

Section II. Statistical Concepts and Research Methods - Terry Scott

5. Statistics, Data, and Special Educational Decisions: Basic Links to Realities - James M. Kauffman, John W. Lloyd

6. Single-Case Experimental Design - John W. McKenna, Corey Peltier

7. Issues and Considerations for Research Integrity in Special Education - Terrence M. Scott, Sarah Wilson

8. Systematic Literature Reviews and Meta-Analyses in Special Education - Nicholas A. Gage, Brian Reichow

Section III. Legal Aspects - Mitchell L. Yell

9. The Individuals with Disability Education Act: A Historical Review - M. Renee Bradley, Michael E. Norman

10. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act: School District’s Obligations Under the Law - Mitchell L. Yell, Antonis Katsiyannis

Section IV. The General Education Context - Marcia L. Rock

11. Academic Progress Monitoring - Sheri Berkeley, Paul J. Riccomini, Karen M. Omohundro, Kaitlynn Fraze

12. Necessary Differences Between General and Special Education - Naomi P. Zigmond, Amanda Kloo, Marcia L. Rock

Section V. Special Education Categories - Daniel P. Hallahan

13. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities - Edward A. Polloway, Emily C. Bouck, James R. Patton, Jacqueline Lubin

14. Specific Learning Disabilities - Paige C. Pullen, Sarah R. Powell, Zhina Shen, Sarah G. King, Holly B. Lan, Kristen E. Ashwort, Shelly P. Lovelac, Daniel P. Hallaha

15. Emotional and Behavioral Disorders - Timothy J. Landrum

16. Severe and Multiple Disabilities - Susan Bruce, Sarah E. Ivy, Christopher Brum

17. Communication Disorders - Filip T. Lonke, Emma C. Willis

18. Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students - Gabriel I. Lomas, Caroline Guardino, Julie Tibbitt

19. Blind and Low Vision - Kim T. Zebehazy, Holly Lawson

20. Traumatic Brain Injury - Renee Lajiness-O'Neill, Laszlo A. Erdodi, Jonathan D. Lichtenstein

21. Autism Spectrum Disorder: Understanding Current Educational Research and Practice - Brian Boyd, James D. Lee, Kara Hume

22. Special Gifts and Talents - Jonathan Plucker, Carolyn M. Callahan

Section VI. Policy, Leadership, and Administration - Jean B. Crockett

23. Conceptual Models of Special Education: Implications for Improving Instruction for Students with Disabilities - Jean B. Crockett, Janet R. Decker

24. Public Funding for Special Education - Tammy Kolbe, Elizabeth Dhuyey

25. Factors Shaping the Special Education Teacher Workforce - Elizabeth Bettini, Hannah M. Mathews, Tashnuva Shaheen, Kathryn Meyer, LaRon A. Scott

26. Challenges Facing the Special Education Teacher Workforce: Composition, Distribution, and Effectiveness - Elizabeth Bettini, Kathryn Meyer, Hannah M. Mathews, Tashnuva Shaheen, LaRon A. Scott

27. Using Implementation Frameworks to Guide the Preparation of Leaders and Administrators of Special Education - Mary Lynn Boscardin, Jean B. Crockett

Section VII. Instruction - Paige C. Pullen

28. Effective Reading Instruction - Paige C. Pullen

29. Writing Instruction for Students with Disabilities - Gary A. Troia, Stephen P. Ciullo, Kimberly A. Wolbers, Matthew C. Zajic

30. Improving Arithmetic, Word-Problem, and Fractions Performance in Students with Mathematics Learning Disabilities - Lynn S. Fuchs, Pamela M. Seethaler, Sara R. Powell, Rebecca Zumeta-Edmonds, Douglas Fuchs

31. Science and Social Studies - Frederick J. Brigham

32. Physical Education: A Federally Guaranteed Component of Special Education - Scott McNamara, Wes Wilson, Melissa Bettner, Justin Haegele

33. Teaching Behavior and Emotion - Terry Scott, Stefanie LaPolla

34. No Longer a Niche on the Fringe: Technology’s Front and Center Role in Special Education - Michael J Kennedy, Joseph R. Boyle

Section VIII. Transition - Joseph W. Madaus

35. Transition from School to Work of Individuals with Disabilities - Jay W. Rojewski

36. Transition to Postsecondary Education - Joseph W. Madaus, Tracy E. Sinclair, Meg Grigal, Allison Lombardi, Walter Keenan

37. Transition to Independent Living - Joshua Taylor, Lauren Avellone, Whitney Ham, Kelley Wilds, Sarah Howorth

Section IX: Parent and Family Issues - Hedda Meadan-Kaplansky

38. Building and Maintaining Trusting and Equitable Partnerships with Families - Tracy Gershwin Mueller

39. P Partnering with Family Members to Support Children’s Development - James D. Lee, Sarah N. Douglas, Hedda Meadan

Section X. Early Identification - Mary E. Bratsch-Hines

40. Principles and Practices of High-Quality Early Intervention Part C Services - Jessica Amsbary, Hsiu-Wen Yang

41. Evidence-Based Practices of Early Childhood Special Education - Kate Ascetta, Kathleen Marshall

Section XI. Cultural and International Issues - Dimitris Anastasiou

42. International teacher issues in special and inclusive education - Garry Hornby

43. International Special Education: The Influence of the CRPD in European Countries and Beyond - Garry Hornby

"Identification of Learning Disabilities: Research to Practice" is the remarkable product of a learning disabilities summit conference convened by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) in August 2001 and the activities following that summit. Both the conference and this book were seen as important preludes to congressional reauthorization of the historic "Individuals With Disabilities Education Act" (IDEA) scheduled for 2002 and subsequent decision making surrounding implementation. The OSEP conference brought together people with different perspectives on LD (parents, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers) and resulted in this book, which examines the research on nine key issues concerning the identification of children with learning disabilities. Coverage includes alternative responses to treatment, classification approaches, processing deficit models, and approaches to decision making.
Chapter Structure-- Each of the first nine chapters is organized around a lengthy, issue-oriented paper, which presents the most current research on that topic. These primary papers are then followed by four respondent papers that reflect a variety of viewpoints on the topic.
Summarizing Chapter -- A small group of researchers (listed in the final chapter) dedicated an enormous amount of time to summarizing the research and developing key consensus statements regarding the identification of children with learning disabilities. Their work is sure to have a tremendous impact on future discussions in this area.
Expertise-- The following well-known scholars have helped summarize the vast amount of research presented in this book as well as the consensus statements derived therefrom: Lynne Cook, Don Deshler, Doug Fuchs, Jack M. Fletcher, Frank Gresham, Dan Hallahan, Joseph Jenkins, Kenneth Kavale, Barbara Keogh, Margo Mastopieri, Cecil Mercer, Dan Reschley, Rune Simeonsson, Joe Torgesen, Sharon Vaughn, and Barbara Wise.

Placement of students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment has become a central issue in special education. To date, no comprehensive treatment of placement issues is available, especially for students with emotional and behavioral disorders who present particularly difficult placement problems. This book combines data and discussions intended to further the understanding of how and why decisions are made to place students with emotional or behavioral disorders in particular educational environments. This volume establishes the problem of placement in a contemporary and historical context, reviews the literature on placement of students with emotional or behavioral disorders, and discusses placement options and concerns about multicultural issues, post-secondary education, law and regulation, demands on teachers, and policy choices.
Its goals are to:
* improve understanding of decision processes leading to placement,
* set the stage for improvements in pupils' lives in school and elsewhere, and
* stimulate research on the many placement issues that are left unresolved.

Special Education: What It Is and Why We Need It provides a thorough examination of the basic concept of special education, a discussion of specific exceptionalities, and constructive responses to common criticisms of special education. Whether you're a teacher, school administrator, teacher-educator, or simply interested in the topic, you will learn just what special education is, who gets it or who should get it, and why it is necessary. The second edition of this brief yet powerful primer will help you build the foundation of a realistic, rational view of the basic assumptions and knowledge on which special education rests.

Special Education: What It Is and Why We Need It provides a thorough examination of the basic concept of special education, a discussion of specific exceptionalities, and constructive responses to common criticisms of special education. Whether you're a teacher, school administrator, teacher-educator, or simply interested in the topic, you will learn just what special education is, who gets it or who should get it, and why it is necessary. The second edition of this brief yet powerful primer will help you build the foundation of a realistic, rational view of the basic assumptions and knowledge on which special education rests.