The Special Education Sourcebook: A Teacher's Guide to Programs, Materials, and Information Sources

Provides a listing of resources for educators of students with special needs

This well-presented book meets its goal of providing "educators with comprehensive annotated listings describing available resources for recognizing, understanding, and meeting the challenges of students who have special needs." Resources covered include textbooks, resource books, multimedia, periodicals, organizations, curriculum guides, instructional materials, and assistive technology and software, though references to resources available on the Internet are missing. The descriptions of the various types of special needs and the accompanying brief reviews of the items in each bibliography are excellent and accessible to both educators and lay readers. Of special note is the brief discussion in the introductory chapter regarding the steps involved in the systematic evaluation of a particular resource. Libraries serving educators and parents of children with special needs will find this volume useful.
A.R. Huggins, Memphis State Univ. Libs., Tenn.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This sourcebook lists special education materials for both the resource specialist and mainstream teacher and the interested parent.

The authors developed their lists from publishers and producers and relevant organizations. Most materials were reviewed, although annotations are not evaluative. Emphasis was placed on current sources (a few classic titles were kept for reference). Resources include textbooks, general books, multimedia, periodicals, and organizations (clearinghouses, government agencies, advocacy groups). Rather than include computer software, the authors list technology vendors.

Sections include general special education, specific disabilities (LD, behavior, sensory, physical, mental, multiple, autism), early childhood special education, assessment, specific academic skills, and lifelong partnerships (transitions to work and post-secondary education; support teams). A separate subsection covers technology in special education. A list of publishers and producers with addresses and phone numbers is followed by title, author, organization, and subject indexes. Writing is clear and succinct, and annotations are useful. Emphasis is on teaching and otherwise facilitating the growth of youth with special needs, particularly in terms of early intervention. The strongest lists are those for books, periodicals, and organizations.

A complementary work, The Complete Directory for People with Learning Disabilities [RBB D 15 93], lists more specific titles and groups but lacks the broad-based perspective of this book. As a first-stop bibliography, particularly for educators, this inexpensive Special Education Sourcebook should prove valuable.