How Autism is Reshaping Special Education: The Unbundling of IDEA - Softcover

Claypool, Mark K.; McLaughlin, John Michael

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1475834977 ISBN 13: 9781475834970

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2017

Synopsis

Special education in the United State is based on the concept of access—public schools are open to all children. But access is no longer a sufficient foundation. Approaches and accommodations that lead to academic success are increasingly demanded for those with learning disabilities. Functional, independent-living, and employable skills are requisite, but rare, for those with serious handicapping conditions. Since the last reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Act, four events have transpired that will have a dramatic impact on the next iteration of the federal law: the increase in the number of children diagnosed with autism, the rise of applied behavior analysis, the birth of social media, and the reality of unbundling. In How Autism Is Reshaping Special Education: The Unbundling of IDEA, Claypool and McLaughlin explore the effect of these events on a special education process burdened by regulation, where advances in the behavioral sciences and neurosciences blur the lines between education and medicine, and where social media fosters aggressive advocacy for specific disabilities.
2018 International Book Awards: Finalist Education/Academic

2018 Next Generation Indie Book Awards: Finalist Education/Academic (Non-Fiction)

2017 Best Book Awards: Finalist Education/Academic

About this title

About the Author:

Mark Claypool is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of ChanceLight Behavioral Health, Therapy and Education, the nation’s leading provider of behavior, physical, occupational and speech therapy and alternative and special education programs for children and young adults. In 2015, along with John M. McLaughlin, he published We’re In This Together: Public-Private Partnerships in Special and At-Risk Education (Rowman & Littlefield), which won an IPPY award for education commentary/theory and was an Indie finalist in the education category.

John M. McLaughlin, PhD, is a school founder, professor, and researcher. McLaughlin is the author of The Last Year of the Season (North Star Press, 2014), a tale of education intrigue in fictional St. Luke, Minnesota. In 2015, along with Mark K. Claypool, he published We’re In This Together: Public-Private Partnerships in Special and At-Risk Education (Rowman & Littlefield), which won an IPPY award for education commentary/theory and was an Indie finalist in the education category.

Review:

Reviewed by Kimberlee J Benart for Readers' Favorite
Authors Mark K. Claypool and John M. McLaughlin, PhD, wrote How Autism Is Reshaping Special Education: The Unbundling of IDEA (the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) "to paint an accurate portrait of autism and special education today," but they do so much more. In anticipation of the next re-authorization of the IDEA, Claypool and McLaughlin lay out the complex changes that have taken place in American society, politics, case law, technology, medical science, education policy, and insurance and funding since the federal law was last amended. Chapters address the concepts of unbundling and mass customization in general terms; discuss the history of special education efforts; convey some of the frustrations experienced by parents and educators as programs developed through advocacy and brought us to where we are today; and include a variety of sometimes opposing opinions by advocates and other stakeholders on how we should best move forward to overhaul the current law to better help the millions of American children being educated under its provisions. 

How Autism Is Reshaping Special Education is a well-organized and engagingly written presentation on a very important subject. While giving due credit to everyone involved in implementing special education programs in past decades, Claypool and McLaughlin clearly and logically convey the changes which demand a fresh look at how we do business today. This book would appeal to anyone generally interested in the topic of special education for students with learning disabilities, as well as advocates and professionals specifically interested in the re-authorization of the IDEA federal law. This is a thought-provoking treatment that educates the reader on both intellectual and emotional levels.

About this edition

• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1475834977
• ISBN 13: 9781475834970
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 154