Teaching Students with Special Needs: A Guide for Future Educators

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Our text, Teaching Students with Special Needs: A Guide for Future Educators is written for a unique audience and may appear a bit different than some other popular and excellent textbooks on special education. We have tailored the design, content, and writing style for an audience of aspiring educators who need a text to give them a solid foundation rather than a comprehensive summary. Further, the text has been written to convey important concepts in a manner that is more practical and accessible to future educators with an emerging understanding of the processes that occur to support learners experiencing difficulty in school. We would expect that there will be future special education teachers reading this book, but it is not intended for those individuals alone. In fact, the book is designed to highlight the fundamental issues relevant to ALL educators in American public schools. 

The text highlights the “big ideas” and critical content of special education, as it currently exists, answering the essential questions: 

  • Who are the children in special education?
  • How did they become eligible for special education services?
  • What are my responsibilities for meeting the needs of children in special education? 

This text has been designed with the intent of applying principles of explicit instruction to a textbook. Throughout the text, you will find graphic organizers, summaries of key points, support in developing background knowledge of key concepts and new terms, explanations of terminology in accessible language, and an ongoing emphasis of the “big ideas” of special education. We would hope that future educators reading this book would be able to develop appropriate background knowledge to understand the historical and contextual issues associated with special education and find the chapters on disability categories useful as primers on vast and complicated topics. 

We hope that this text will be a positive first step in your development as highly effective teachers for all students in your future classes.

Preface

CHAPTER 1: Introduction to Special Education: Children with Special Needs in U.S. Schools and Society

CHAPTER 2: Planning and Providing Special Education Services
John Beattie and Jeremy Lopuch 

CHAPTER 3: Foundations of Academic Exceptionalities: Defining Normality, Disability, and Giftedness in School Settings

CHAPTER 4: Providing Special Education Supports in Urban Schools: High-Needs Communities and Culturally, Linguistically Diverse Students
Shaqwana Freeman-Green, Chris O’Brien, Lan Kolano, Joan Lachance, and Theresa Perez

CHAPTER 5: Teaching Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Melissa Hudson and John Beattie 

CHAPTER 6: Teaching Children with Specific Learning Disability 

CHAPTER 7: Teaching Children with Attention Defi cit Hyperactivity Disorder
Beth Keller, John Beattie, and Chris O’Brien 

CHAPTER 8: Teaching Children with Speech and/or Language Impairments 

CHAPTER 9: Teaching Children with Emotional or Behavioral Disorders
Alicia Brophy

CHAPTER 10: Teaching Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Julie L. Thompson and Victoria Knight

CHAPTER 11: Teaching Children with Hearing Impairments.

CHAPTER 12: Teaching Students with Visual Impairment and Blindness

CHAPTER 13: Teaching Children with Health Impairments and Physical Disabilities
Kelly R. Kelley 

CHAPTER 14: Early Intervention or Early Childhood Special Education and the Prevention of School Failure
Laura S. McCorkle and JaneDiane Smith 

CHAPTER 15: Reforms in General Education to Improve Outcomes for All Students 
Holly Johnson, Benikia Kressler, Melissa Brydon, Stephanie Morano, and LuAnn Jordan 

CHAPTER 16: Universal Design: Reducing Barriers and Creating Access for a More Inclusive School and Society
Debra G. Holzberg, Julie Person, and Chris O’Brien 

Index

Christopher O'Brien
John Beattie
Donna Sacco

Our text, Teaching Students with Special Needs: A Guide for Future Educators is written for a unique audience and may appear a bit different than some other popular and excellent textbooks on special education. We have tailored the design, content, and writing style for an audience of aspiring educators who need a text to give them a solid foundation rather than a comprehensive summary. Further, the text has been written to convey important concepts in a manner that is more practical and accessible to future educators with an emerging understanding of the processes that occur to support learners experiencing difficulty in school. We would expect that there will be future special education teachers reading this book, but it is not intended for those individuals alone. In fact, the book is designed to highlight the fundamental issues relevant to ALL educators in American public schools. 

The text highlights the “big ideas” and critical content of special education, as it currently exists, answering the essential questions: 

  • Who are the children in special education?
  • How did they become eligible for special education services?
  • What are my responsibilities for meeting the needs of children in special education? 

This text has been designed with the intent of applying principles of explicit instruction to a textbook. Throughout the text, you will find graphic organizers, summaries of key points, support in developing background knowledge of key concepts and new terms, explanations of terminology in accessible language, and an ongoing emphasis of the “big ideas” of special education. We would hope that future educators reading this book would be able to develop appropriate background knowledge to understand the historical and contextual issues associated with special education and find the chapters on disability categories useful as primers on vast and complicated topics. 

We hope that this text will be a positive first step in your development as highly effective teachers for all students in your future classes.

Preface

CHAPTER 1: Introduction to Special Education: Children with Special Needs in U.S. Schools and Society

CHAPTER 2: Planning and Providing Special Education Services
John Beattie and Jeremy Lopuch 

CHAPTER 3: Foundations of Academic Exceptionalities: Defining Normality, Disability, and Giftedness in School Settings

CHAPTER 4: Providing Special Education Supports in Urban Schools: High-Needs Communities and Culturally, Linguistically Diverse Students
Shaqwana Freeman-Green, Chris O’Brien, Lan Kolano, Joan Lachance, and Theresa Perez

CHAPTER 5: Teaching Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Melissa Hudson and John Beattie 

CHAPTER 6: Teaching Children with Specific Learning Disability 

CHAPTER 7: Teaching Children with Attention Defi cit Hyperactivity Disorder
Beth Keller, John Beattie, and Chris O’Brien 

CHAPTER 8: Teaching Children with Speech and/or Language Impairments 

CHAPTER 9: Teaching Children with Emotional or Behavioral Disorders
Alicia Brophy

CHAPTER 10: Teaching Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Julie L. Thompson and Victoria Knight

CHAPTER 11: Teaching Children with Hearing Impairments.

CHAPTER 12: Teaching Students with Visual Impairment and Blindness

CHAPTER 13: Teaching Children with Health Impairments and Physical Disabilities
Kelly R. Kelley 

CHAPTER 14: Early Intervention or Early Childhood Special Education and the Prevention of School Failure
Laura S. McCorkle and JaneDiane Smith 

CHAPTER 15: Reforms in General Education to Improve Outcomes for All Students 
Holly Johnson, Benikia Kressler, Melissa Brydon, Stephanie Morano, and LuAnn Jordan 

CHAPTER 16: Universal Design: Reducing Barriers and Creating Access for a More Inclusive School and Society
Debra G. Holzberg, Julie Person, and Chris O’Brien 

Index

Christopher O'Brien
John Beattie
Donna Sacco