Handbook of Special Education

Special education is now an established part of public education in the United States—by law and by custom. However, it is still widely misunderstood and continues to be dogged by controversies related to such things as categorization, grouping, assessment, placement, funding, instruction, and a variety of legal issues. The purpose of this 13-part, 57-chapter handbook is to help profile and bring greater clarity to this sprawling and growing field. To ensure consistency across the volume, chapter authors review and integrate existing research, identify strengths and weaknesses, note gaps in the literature, and discuss implications for practice and future research. Key features include:

Comprehensive Coverage—Fifty-seven chapters cover all aspects of special education in the United States including cultural and international comparisons.

Issues & Trends—In addition to synthesizing empirical findings and providing a critical analysis of the status and direction of current research, chapter authors discuss issues related to practice and reflect on trends in thinking.

Categorical Chapters—In order to provide a comprehensive and comparative treatment of the twelve categorical chapters in section IV, chapter authors were asked to follow a consistent outline: Definition, Causal Factors, Identification, Behavioral Characteristics, Assessment, Educational Programming, and Trends and Issues.

Expertise—Edited by two of the most accomplished scholars in special education, chapter authors include a carefully chosen mixture of established and rising young stars in the field.

This book is an appropriate reference volume for anyone (researchers, scholars, graduate students, practitioners, policy makers, and parents) interested in the state of special education today: its research base, current issues and practices, and future trends. It is also appropriate as a textbook for graduate level courses in special education.

James M. Kauffman (Ed.D., University of Kansas) is Professor Emeritus of Education at the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia. He was the William Clay Parrish Professor of Education from 1992–1994, the Charles S. Robb Professor of Education 1999–2003, and received the Outstanding Faculty Award from the Curry School of Education in 1997. He received the Research Award, Council for Exceptional Children in 1994 and the Outstanding Leadership Award, Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders in 2002. He is the author or co-author of many books, chapters, and articles in special education.

Daniel P. Hallahan (Ph.D., University of Michigan) has been the Charles S. Robb Professor of Education at the University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education since 1971. He was the inaugural editor of Exceptionality and serves on the editorial boards of Learning Disabilities Research and Practice, Learning Disability Quarterly, The Journal of Special Education, and Exceptionality. He is a past president of the Division of Learning Disabilities of CEC and in 2000 received the CEC Career Research Award. He is the author or co-author of many books, chapters, and articles in special education.