Publisher's Synopsis
The education service is in the process of basic changes in curriculum, organisation and funding. This inevitably affects special needs education which, while adapting and undertaking significant changes, is retaining the progress made since the implementation of the 1981 Education Act. This edited book provides an overview of and commentary on the broad areas of policy and organisational aspects and curriculum and teaching matters concerning special needs education. Within these pages the reader will find pointers for future developments in the field. The book is in three sections and shows that special needs education relates to all aspects and levels in the education system: ¢ Provision for special needs, which includes chapters on early identification, provision for clumsy children, specific learning difficulties and those with communication difficulties. ¢ Teaching, assessment and support approaches, which includes chapters on school-based developments to meet the needs of children experiencing difficulty in learning, individual strategies for investigation and intervention and reflection on the role of educational psychologists. ¢ Policy, organisation and training, which includes chapters on implementing the 1981 Education Act, school clusters, international perspectives, lobbying and teacher education for special needs. The areas covered derive from the work of Professor Klaus Wedell who has had a considerable influence on the field. This book will be required reading for anyone interested in understanding recent developments and finding new ways forward in the broad field of special needs and education.
