Special Education What It Is and Why We Need It

by Kauffman, James M.; Hallahan, Daniel P.

• ISBN13: 9780205420391
• ISBN10: 0205420397
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-09-22
• Publisher: Pearson

Summary

Misunderstanding of special education is common, even among educators. Just what special education is, who gets it or who should get it, and why it is necessary are matters that relatively few teachers, parents, school administrators, or educators of teachers can explain accurately or with much confidence. This new book will help readers build a foundation of understanding from which to fashion a realistic, rational view of the basic assumptions and knowledge on which special education rests. Beginning with a thorough examination of the basic concept of special education, the authors move to a discussion of exceptionalities and appropriate instructional responses, and then to the ways in which special education is different from general education. A concluding chapter outlines the common criticisms of special education, in which the authors offer thoughtful, constructive responses to each criticism, drawing on material in the book. Each chapter ends with a ";Case in Point,"; profiling a student with disabilities and asking readers to think through the application of the chapter's concepts to that particular student's instructional challenges. Kauffman and Hallahan's clear-eyed and persuasive guide provokes a fresh consideration of the importance of special education not only for students and teachers but also for citizens.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
The Puzzle of Special Education	1	(11)
Common Misconceptions	1	(2)
Brief History of Special Education in the United States	3	(4)
Contemporary and Perpetual Issues	7	(1)
Questions in the Puzzle and Nature of the Dilemma	8	(2)
Summary	10	(1)
Case in Point	10	(1)
Reference Notes	11	(1)
Measurement of Educational Performance	12	(16)
The Problem of Measurement in Education	12	(6)
What Is a Statistical Distribution?	18	(6)
How Can and Should Special Education Change Performance?	24	(2)
Summary	26	(1)
Case in Point	26	(1)
Reference Notes	26	(2)
The Nature of Educational Disabilities	28	(19)
Three Important Points About Disabilities and Exceptionalities	30	(1)
Mental Retardation	31	(2)
Learning Disability	33	(1)
Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder	34	(1)
Emotional or Behavioral Disorder	35	(1)
Communication Disorder	36	(1)
Deafness	37	(1)
Vision Impairment and Blindness	38	(1)
Physical Disability	39	(1)
Autistic Spectrum Disorder	40	(1)
Traumatic Brain Injury	40	(1)
Deaf-Blindness and Other Severe and Multiple Disabilities	41	(1)
Giftedness and Special Talents	42	(1)
Why Prevention of Disabilities Is Often Not Practiced	43	(2)
Summary	45	(1)
Case in Point	45	(1)
Reference Notes	46	(1)
The Nature of Special Education	47	(10)
How Special Education Is---or Can Be---Special	47	(6)
Special Education on a Continuum	53	(1)
Special Education's Bottom Line	54	(1)
Summary	55	(1)
Case in Point	55	(1)
Reference Notes	56	(1)
Frequent Criticisms and Responses to Them	57	(18)
Responses to Criticisms	57	(7)
Other Questions About Special Education	64	(8)
Summary	72	(1)
Case in Point	72	(1)
Reference Notes	73	(2)
References	75	(6)
Index	81