Including
Children with Special Needs:
A Handbook for Educators and Parents.
Diane Schwartz, ed. Westport, CT:
Greenwood Press, 2005. Pp. 356. $59.95, hardcover. ISBN: 0-313-33377-7. TEL:
800-225-5800 • FAX: 603-431-2214
In
1997 the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) was reauthorized, establishing
the view that the best way to educate students with special needs is in the
general education classroom. This dramatic shift in the interpretation of
“least restrictive environment” from a continuum of settings to
a more inclusive one presents many policy changes for teachers and schools.
Specifically, it requires school districts, to the maximum extent appropriate,
to enable students with disabilities to be educated with their nondisabled
classmates.
If more restrictive environments, such as separate classes, are employed,
this is acceptable only if the nature or severity of the disability is such
that education in a regular class with aids and services cannot be achieved.
Students with disabilities are not expected to participate in the same general
curriculum that is taught to all the other children in their school and are
held to the same standards as their nondisabled peers. In addition, the law
requires general education teachers and parents to take a greater role in
the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) process.
This book is designed to meet the needs of parents and general educators in
their newly defined role. The content is drawn from the many questions heard
from parents who are trying to understand how inclusion affects the education
of their children with special needs, from the experiences of teachers who
for the first time have students with disabilities in their classes, and from
the many requests of administrators seeking information for their staffs.
The authors of the 13 chapters of this book take a comprehensive view of inclusion
that encompasses all students with diverse learning needs. This includes students
from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds and family structures,
and students with varying personal interests, learning styles, and intelligences.
While the inclusive school movement has focused on educating students with
disabilities alongside their nondisabled peers, in a broader sense inclusion
is about bringing equity and access to learning for all students.
The book is divided into three main sections. Part 1 presents the foundations
and fundamentals of inclusion. It introduces the paradigm shift in the education
of students with disabilities from a segregated model to one of integration.
This part discusses the disability rights movement and the philosophical underpinnings
of inclusive schools and presents an overview of the children being served
by special education legislation. Authors in this section also explain how
students with disabilities are identified, give an in-depth look at the nondiscriminatory
evaluation process, and show how services are provided in the least restrictive
environment as required by IDEA.
Part 2 examines the diverse needs of special learners and how teachers can
address these needs in the general education classroom. Here we also find
strategies to help teachers collaborate with related services providers such
as speech pathologists and physical therapists by inviting these professionals
to be part of the classroom team.
The chapters in Part 3 examine ways for parents to become knowledgeable participants
in the educational process. This section of the book also explores ways to
promote effective advocacy for both parents and students, with an emphasis
being placed on building students’ strengths, competencies, and independence.
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