Book Review – Negotiating the Special Education Maze: A Guide for Parents and Teachers … Paperback
The book "Negotiating the Special Education Maze" is a valuable book for teachers, educators and parents in the present times when disability rights and inclusive education are being discussed across the world. The quality of education is being seen in terms of inclusion and equity. Inclusion in education demands that the differently abled children are needed to be educated with general education children in the same classroom.
The
book Authored by Winifred Anderson, Stephen Chitwood and Deidre
Hayden, who are active in the field of special education and the law,
can be helpful for implementation differentiated learning by creating
jointly an effective education program for their child by the
parents, teachers, pedagogues and education therapist. The graphics
and formats in the book are relevant to understand the modalities of
including and accommodating children with special needs.
The
book published by Woodbine House in paperback, explains in reasonable
detail every step from eligibility and assessment to the
Individualised Education Program (IEP) and suggestions for
implementation of the IEP. The book emphasises the centrality of
parents and care-givers in deciding about IEP and understanding their
role for support to the child with special needs at home.
The
changes in the American disability laws have been discussed which are
also relevant in the Indian situation wherein the number of
disabilities have also been raised from seven to 21 for various
social and educational benefits. The book is also equally good for
the parents since it helps them negotiate for the child rights and
their needs-based education.
The
book provides useful information for the IEP development process and
clarifies parents' role as partners in the education of their
children with special needs and participate effectively in
parents-and-teachers meetings. It provides a clear explanation of the
steps to become eligible for special education services, developing
an Individualised Education Plan, and making sure that services are
received.
Since
children do not have much say about their education, this book
provides parents the required information about child rights and
demand services for their children's future.