Children with Special Needs

Bridging the gap between child development and strategies for inclusion, this powerful volume will help early childhood practitioners and pre-service teachers feel better equipped to meet the needs of all the children in their early childhood setting.

Each chapter introduces you to a child (ages birth to 8 years) with one or more special needs, including Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Turner Syndrome, ADHD, Emotional/Behavioral Disorders, Apraxia, Down Syndrome, Giftedness, and Juvenile Diabetes. Advocating a holistic view of working with children, each profile includes:

• A description of the child
• An interview with a family member or early childhood professional describing essential facts and historical incidents in the child’s life
• An epilogue updating the status of the child
• Information for educators about the special needs covered in the profile
• Hints for success—teaching strategies for working with children in inclusive classrooms
• Discussion questions for the classroom
• Resources for educators and parents
• Plus, an appendix with guidelines for an IEP (Individualized Education Program)

Marjorie J. Kostelnik is dean of the College of Human Resources and Family Sciences at the University of Nebraska. Esther Onaga is associate professor of Family and Child Ecology at Michigan State University. Barbara Rohde is associate supervisor of the Child Development Laboratories at Michigan State University. Alice Whiren is a professor in the Department of Family and Child Ecology at Michigan State University.

"The authors' unique case-study approach makes Children with Special Needs 'come to life' for regular early childhood teachers-to-be, and the cases serve as the context for meaningful discussions of disability conditions and successful teaching strategies."
—Doris Bergen, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio

" Children with Special Needs is a very special, innovative, and welcomed book. The stories it tells about real children vividly teach us that we must pay attention to the whole child and that particular disabilities are only one part of who a child is. I strongly recommend this book."
—Louise Derman-Sparks, Co-director, Early Childhood Equity Alliance, Human Development faculty, Pacific Oaks College