The educational assessment of bilingual children in the Western world is highly controversial. The editors and authors of this book are experienced academics and practitioners in this field in the UK. They have taken the creative ideas of Jim Cummins across the Atlantic and have applied them through a novel technique of curriculum related assessment. The book describes the technique in detail and reports on its use in a wide range of settings. The book introduces the context and outlines some of the challenges facing teachers of bilingual children. Five central chapters show how teachers and psychologists have applied Cummins' framework to the analysis of classroom support; to specialist support for children with learning difficulties; to differentiating the curriculum in English and Science in secondary schools; to work with young children in primary schools; and to the assessment of children who have hearing impairment. These accounts demonstrate the flexibility and promise of the technique and also point out its limitations. The final section of the book applies Cummins' ideas to the analysis of language development in bilingual children. In addition, one chapter describes a new resource for assessing their language skills in both their languages.

Offers a comprehensive overview of the impact of key advances in social, developmental and cognitive psychology on the role of educational psychologists. Features case examples, activities, and recommended reading to enhance readers’ learning and encourage them to seek out other resources and put what they have learnt into practice. Encourages students to integrate their understanding of core psychological disciplines, as well as to consider what ‘evidence-based practice’ really means, making this an ideal resource for students studying educational psychology and for anyone interested in the profession.

Offers a comprehensive overview of the impact of key advances in social, developmental and cognitive psychology on the role of educational psychologists. Features case examples, activities, and recommended reading to enhance readers’ learning and encourage them to seek out other resources and put what they have learnt into practice. Encourages students to integrate their understanding of core psychological disciplines, as well as to consider what ‘evidence-based practice’ really means, making this an ideal resource for students studying educational psychology and for anyone interested in the profession.

First published in 1992. Special educational needs are being defined in new ways. Changing laws and perspectives in many countries present new challenges to practitioners. The fundamental shift underlying all these changes is the idea that handicap is not an absolute phenomenon, that special educational needs are relative to a person's environment. Once this is accepted, it is inevitable that there will be a radical re-examination of how such needs are identified and how they are assessed. This book draws together a range of contributions from leading figures in special education worldwide, to emphasise assessment in the service of prevention, of teaching, and of mainstreaming and integration. It is not enough to understand children's individual strengths and weaknesses. The primary objective of assessment is to guide intervention, and for that purpose it must have a broader focus and not concentrate exclusively on the target individuals who appear to have disabilities or learning difficulties: the learning environment is equally important as a focus for assessment. The book is divided into three sections that explore three broad themes: empowering children and parents during the assessment process; designing assessment so that it supports the integration and mainstreaming of children rather than their segregation; and making improvements through specific approaches to assessment.

First published in 1992. Special educational needs are being defined in new ways. Changing laws and perspectives in many countries present new challenges to practitioners. The fundamental shift underlying all these changes is the idea that handicap is not an absolute phenomenon, that special educational needs are relative to a person's environment. Once this is accepted, it is inevitable that there will be a radical re-examination of how such needs are identified and how they are assessed. This book draws together a range of contributions from leading figures in special education worldwide, to emphasise assessment in the service of prevention, of teaching, and of mainstreaming and integration. It is not enough to understand children's individual strengths and weaknesses. The primary objective of assessment is to guide intervention, and for that purpose it must have a broader focus and not concentrate exclusively on the target individuals who appear to have disabilities or learning difficulties: the learning environment is equally important as a focus for assessment. The book is divided into three sections that explore three broad themes: empowering children and parents during the assessment process; designing assessment so that it supports the integration and mainstreaming of children rather than their segregation; and making improvements through specific approaches to assessment.

This book aims to enable parents in trilingual families to consider possible language strategies on the basis of analysing their individual circumstances. It includes a tool for diagnostic self-analysis that will help each reader to identify their situation and learn how parents in similar situations have approached the task of supporting their children's use of languages. Based on a unique survey of parents in trilingual families in two European countries, the book highlights the challenges that trilingual families face when living in mainly monolingual societies. It takes into account the recent emergence of a 'New Trilingualism' among educated parents who find themselves in trilingual families because of global trends in migration and the recent expansion of the EU.

Bringing together the latest research and understanding on selective mutism, this edited book gives essential information on the various treatment and therapy options. Experts in the fields of speech and language therapy, psychology, music therapy education and communication offer a wide range of professional perspectives on the condition, while case studies from people with selective mutism, past sufferers and parents reveal the personal impact. The book also clarifies what support a person with selective mutism is likely to need at home, school and in social situations. This definitive volume on selective mutism will be key reading for professionals such as speech and language therapists, educational psychologists, child psychiatrists, child and adolescent mental health workers, teachers, SENCOs and anyone working with selective mutism in therapeutic and educational settings, as well as family members wanting a closer understanding of what selective mutism is and how they can help.