The ChildPsychologist

Real Teachers, Real Families and Students, Real Classrooms, Real Research.

Contemporary concepts and evidence-based practices prepare new teachers for their roles in the education and well-being of students with disabilities and other special needs.  Marilyn Friend combines research-informed concepts and skills with practical information for educators working in this challenging age of high standards and accountability, curriculum access, inclusive practices, professional collaboration, and student diversity.  The third edition integrates the requirements of the NCLB and IDEA legislation with evidence-based practices so that readers understand the expectations for educators and students, and learn how critical concepts translate into educational practices.  

Real People, Real Classrooms:

• Chapter Opening Vignettes describe the experiences of three different students of varying ages as they relate to the topics discussed in each chapter and are referenced at key points in the chapter.
• Firsthand Accountfeatures real life stories from teachers, students, parents, and school professionals sharing their own experiences and perspectives relating to life and learning with special needs.
• Speaking from Experience features capture the insights and advice of experienced teachers on topics ranging from working effectively with colleagues to finding ways to juggle all the responsibilities of being a special educator to addressing a variety of professional challenges, including those related to student behavior and family concerns.   

 Real Research:

• Instruction in Action highlight teaching application for intensive instruction delivered by special education teachers in various educational settings.
• Positive Behavioral Supports illustrates the many positive, proactive ways to address students’ behavior/social issues as part of overall classroom teaching and learning.

Cutting Edge Information

• Technology Notes features showcase fascinating instructional and assistive technology applications for teaching students with exceptional needs in special educational settings as well as links to information that can help beginning teachers plan their lessons, motivate their students, and keep abreast of their rapidly changing field.
• Professional Edge features describe conceptual materials and cutting edge information that connect theory to practice.

Click here to view
Special Education in Contemporary Society, Third Edition
in a whole new way- with a SAGE e-walkthrough.

"The real strength of Richard Gargiulo's text is that it does not overwhelm the readers. Learning the vast- and often complex- field of special education is no easy task. Yet, the text meets this challenge head-on." --Bruce A. Shields, Ph.D., Daemen College

"Given the myriad of introductory textbooks on the market, I have continued using Gargiulo's text as it offers a clear, understandable overview of exceptionality and a wealth of resources that compliment my instruction." --Emiliano C. Ayala, Ph.D., Sonoma State University

"The 'First Person' features are very well done and the students love them!" --Michelle LaRocque, Ph.D., Florida Atlantic University

Special Education in Contemporary Society, Third Edition provides a highly readable and research-based introduction to special education. Richard Gargiulo believes teachers need more than just academic knowledge about exceptionality they need an awareness and understanding of the human side of exceptional students and their families. Special Education in Contemporary Society, Third Edition is a comprehensive text with a "people first" approach that gives pre-service teachers a first-hand look into the lives of exceptional children, their families, and their mentors.

Key Features & Benefits:

• Shares the honest and engaging first person accounts of individuals with disabilities in First Person features
• Provides targeted teaching strategies and suggestions with New Effective Instructional Practices boxes
• Covers and integrates INTASC and CEC standards and Praxis II core principles
• Incorporates new coverage of Deaf-blindness
• Includes new and updated content in the key pedagogical features throughout: Chapter-opening narratives, "First Person" boxes, "Suggestions for the Classroom," "Making Inclusion Work," and "Learning Activities"

Accompanied by High-Quality Ancillaries for Instructors and Students!

• Instructor’s Resources on CD-ROM include a computerized test bank, PowerPoint slides, teaching tips, and more.
• A DVD featuring videos on key topics, such as RTI, Co-Teaching, and Differentiated Instruction, are also available to promote discussion and student learning in the classroom.
• A comprehensive Student Study Site at www.sagepub.com/gargiulo3estudy features student and instructor resource materials, including chapter quizzes, full-text SAGE journal articles and activities, e-flashcards, and more.

Intended Audience: Special Education in Contemporary Society, Third Edition is an introductory text for the Introduction to Special Education and Introduction to Exceptionality courses.

Unlike other books, this text is organized chronologically to present the overall process in a “straight line” – a practical and useful pedagogy in itself for the novice teacher. The text provides the practical tools necessary for a new teacher to understand the process of assessment in schools and then learn how to put it all together. It provides future special educators comprehensive coverage of the latest tests and evaluation procedures for all areas of exceptionality – for every age group – for students with mild, moderate, and severe disabilities.

HIGHLIGHTS OF WHAT'S NEW IN THE THIRD EDITION:

• New chapter on Response to Intervention (RTI) makes readers aware of the increased importance of multi-tiered assessment in today’s classrooms (see Chapter 17).
• New information on Functional Behavioral Assessments (FBA) and Behavior Intervention Plans (BIP) (see Chapter 11).
• New information on the various types of speech and language disorders often seen by teachers of Special Education (see Chapter 13).
• Provides readers with a more comprehensive approach to the eligibility requirements necessary for a diagnosis to be made (see Chapter 16).
• Updated and revised content for the discussed areas of disability, including Learning Disabilities, Speech and Language Disorders, Mental Retardation or Intellectual Disabilities, and Emotional Disturbance

With over 600 new references added to the 11^th edition, the authors are committed to bringing the most current and credible perspectives to bear on the ever-increasing complexity of educating students with special needs in today’s schools.  The authors believe firmly that responsible instruction can help all students to maximize their potential, and they offer practical suggestions for ways in which educators can meet the educational needs of students with special needs and diverse abilities in collaborative environments that include families, other professionals, and the community. 

HIGHLIGHTS OF WHAT'S NEW IN THE ELEVENTH EDITION: 

• Over 600 new references have been added, reflecting the authors’ commitment to present readers with the most current perspectives on the ever-increasingly complex issues involved in educating students with disabilities in today’s schools.
• NEW Assessment of Academic Progress sections in all categorical chapters provide readers with category-specific information about Progress Monitoring, Outcome Measures, Testing Accommodations and Alternative Assessment for students with special needs. 
• Significantly reorganized Chapter 2, "Integration, Inclusion, and Support of Positive Outcomes" both provides new information on Universal Design, use of technologies, differentiated instruction, response to intervention (RTI), and assessment of academic progress and student outcomes, highlighting the current focus of federal mandates (e.g. NCLB, IDEA) on student outcomes, and makes it easier for students to absorb that information.
• Increased coverage of Response to Intervention (RTI) in accordance with changes to federal law, including major new sections in Chapter 2 and Chapter 6, emphasises the importance of multi-tiered assessment to readers.
• Marginal references throughout the text make it easy for readers to use the relevant multimedia assets on the MyEducationLab website created specifically to accompany Exceptional Learners, 11e, to improve their mastery of key concepts.  
• New information on Identifying and Implementing Effective Reading Instruction (for English Language Learners).
• New information on Parent Training and Information Centers and Community Parent Resource Centers.
• New discussion of the change in terminology from mental retardation to intellectual and developmental disabilities.
• New information on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.
• The lastest research on gullibility as a characteristic of persons with mild intellectual disabilities.
• New research on neuroimaging and genetics findings relevant to the causes of Learning Disabilities and ADH.
• New Skills definition of blindness.
• The latest research on the role of visual-spatial abilities in autism.

Through real-life stories about children, their families, and their teachers, and through the use of the most recent evidence-based research on special education, this important book provides students with a comprehensive introduction to special education and its relationship to general education. The sixth edition provides this experience within the framework of three guiding themes: Inclusion, Partnerships, and Universal Design for Learning.

Long noted for its focus on progress in general education through inclusion, families, and parent-professional partnerships, the new sixth edition of Exceptional Lives: Special Education in Today's Schools, now includes a “Values and Outcomes” end-of-chapter feature that focuses on ideal educational results as well as IEP marginal notes that allow readers to link content to practical lessons.

New to this Edition!