Leading Inclusion from the Inside Out : A Handbook for Parents and Early Childhood Teachers in Early Learning and Care, Primary and Special School Settings

Following on from the phenomenal success of the Peter Lang publication ‘Autism from the Inside Out’, ‘Leading inclusion from the Inside Out’ is the first book to focus on providing Irish parents, early childhood teachers in early learning and care, primary and special school settings with practical and effective strategies for supporting the inclusion of all children at this critical phase of their education journey. With a foreword by Prof Seamus Hegarty, University of Warwick/University College Dublin, and emerging from the experiences of the authors during the delivery and evaluation of the multi-award winning Leadership for INClusion in the Early Years (LINC) Programme, the book is located in contemporary research on inclusion. The volume is presented in three interconnected sections focused on placing the child at the centre of a bioecological framework; realising inclusive pedagogy and cultivating effective
leadership for including all children.

Believing that language is a significant contributor to progressing an education system where all children are valued equally, the authors have directed specific attention to the use of terminology that communicates a philosophy of universality, within which difference and diversity are embedded, rather than disability and uniformity. In essence, the publication looks towards a new era, where leading inclusion from the inside out progresses to leading early childhood education from the inside out and advocating for inclusion is relegated to history.

Professor Emer Ring is Dean of Early Childhood and Teacher Education at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, Ireland.

Dr Lisha O’Sullivan is Head of Department of Reflective Pedagogy and Early Childhood Studies at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, Ireland.

Marie Ryan is an educational psychologist and a lecturer in early childhood education at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, Ireland.

Dr Patricia Daly is a former Head of the Department of Educational Psychology and Special and Inclusive Education at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, Ireland.