Focus On Special Educational Needs

Focus on Special Educational Needs explores the characteristics of effective classroom instruction for language learners aged 5–18 with special educational needs. It guides teachers and other educational practitioners to combine their perspectives in providing balanced, coordinated, cohesive, and comprehensive approaches. The authors present a framework for developing inclusive learning environments which are culturally and linguistically responsive, based on strengths-based perspectives. Research studies and examples from the classroom illustrate collaborative practice in action. Additional online resources at www.oup.com/elt/teacher/fosen Cristina Sánchez-López is a teacher educator in Chicago at the Illinois Resource Center, Multilingual Cultural Classroom, and Paridad Education Consulting. Theresa Young is a speech-language pathologist and educator in private practice in Parry Sound, Ontario. ‘This excellent book provides detailed guidance for educating language learners with special educational needs, based on a thorough review of classroom research. The authors advocate approaches which build upon all the assets learners bring to the classroom, and integrate these with decades of best practices in second language development and special education. This will be a welcome resource to graduate students and practicing teachers alike.’ Dr Nadeen T. Ruiz, School of Education, University of California at Davis

This title is a practical and accessible guide to teaching young children with special educational needs. At the heart of the book is the belief that the focus should be on the child as an active learner, rather than on their disability.

Demonstrates how the fields of special education and inclusive education have evolved philosophically and technically over the past 30 years.

Special Educational Needs and Disability: The Basics has been fully updated in light of the 2014 Children and Families Act in England and now also includes a focus and discussion of legislation across the whole UK. Providing an engaging and complete overview, it examines the fundamental principles of the subject from policy to practice. This book covers the historical development of special provision and key legislation, policy-making, the identification and assessment of young people’s special or additional learning and behaviour needs, and ways to address barriers to learning associated with various kinds of difficulty. Essential revisions to this second edition include: discussion of the implications of the 2014 Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice: 0 to 25 years for Heads, governors, SENCos, staff, students and families in schools in England, a focus on the law relating to special or additional support needs in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and its implications, an update on statutory assessment requirements and advice on compiling them, including the new Education Health and Care Plans in England. This book is an ideal starting point for all those with questions about what constitutes special educational needs and disability and how individuals can be supported in practice. It is essential reading for policy-makers, trainees, teachers and all those working with young people who experience difficulties and their families.

The contributors focus on particular areas of special educational need, arguing that effective educational provision can be enhanced with reference to the particular problems experienced by children. Set in the context of a generic understanding of special education, this timely book addresses commonly-raised questions: what is the condition and how can I recognise it? why does it occur? what sort of educational, personal, and social consequences are there associated with it? are there any specialist skills and resources which I should know about? what are the implications for educational provision, teacher support, curricular access, assessment and classroom management? This popular book has been fully revised to provide a comprehensive overview of special needs provision. A such it is the key text on special needs in the '90s.

'This book is timely. I hope that it will be very widely read' - Mary Warnock With a Foreword from Baroness Mary Warnock, this book provides a comprehensive overview of the field of special educational needs (SEN). It contains chapters written by a range of experts on different aspects of SEN, and is full of practical suggestions for how to achieve effective, inclusive practice. Various research perspectives are considered, the value of labels is examined and the need to recognize the overlapping characteristics between different syndromes is highlighted. Chapters focus on translating theory into classroom practice, and include case studies covering the Birth to 19 age range. There is coverage of: SEN and the state of research SEN and legal issues Parents' perspectives Speech and language difficulties Dyspraxia and occupational therapy Dyslexia and dyscalculia Auditory Processing Disorder Behavioural Optometry Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Asperger's Syndrome and Autistic Spectrum Disorder Tourette's Syndrome. Ideal for those undertaking teacher education courses, as well as experienced teachers, therapists and policy makers, this book is a guide to understanding and supporting learners with additional needs.

This essential textbook equips you with a strong understanding of theories, policies and practices and how they impact on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, guiding you through your SEND course or modules. It provides you with the foundations and tools necessary to think critically about the issues and developments concerning SEND, inclusion, and professional practice. The book includes: - Material surrounding mental health in childhood and adolescence - Chapters on global perspectives of SEND, and assistive technologies - Practical case studies, reflection questions and activities - Spotlights on key theories and research - Up-to-date information on policies impacting SEND

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.