Special Needs and Early Years: A Practitioner Guide

In the third edition of this respected and influential textbook, Kate Wall blends theory and practice with an informative and highly accessible writing style to provide a detailed analysis of provision for young children with additional needs.

New to this edition are up-to-date information on all the relevant policies and legislation, including the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), Every Child Matters (ECM) and the training guidelines for new SENCOs; a timeline showing the development of policies and legislation in the field; learning objectives at the beginning of chapters; points for reflection, to aid independent study and facilitate critical thinking; new case studies, covering the Birth to 8 age range; new content on the role of fathers, pupil voice and listening to children, taking an holistic view of the child, and current issues around diversity and inclusion.

This book is essential reading for early years students and practitioners, and for all those working with young children with special educational needs and their families.

Kate had over twenty years experience as an early years practitioner working with young children with special needs and their families before moving into HE in 1999. She was the Programme Director of the Early Childhood Studies degree programmes in her previous post. Kate has written several books on special needs along with many articles and has presented at National and International conferences. She is currently a member of the National Early Years Advisory Board within NASEN (National Association of Special Educational Needs).