Special Needs and Early Years: A Practitioner?s Guide

Research in early years and special needs shows that early and appropriate intervention is required, but not all early years practitioners will necessarily have the experience, knowledge, and skills to ensure these expectations are transformed into high quality special needs provision.

Kate Wall believes that all children should be entitled to achieve their full potential, and that all practitioners should have the necessary skills to support children and their families. Her varied and extensive work as an early years practitioner in mainstream and special early years settings has helped her to identify the key issues for practitioners and parents including:

• Working with families
• Partnerships with parents
• Observation and assessment
• Programs of intervention
• Responding to the affective needs of children
• Issues of inclusion for children with special needs

Having spent many years supporting families of children with special needs, she now shares her expertise in an accessible book based on her own research and practice. The book offers theoretical knowledge, case study discussions, and practical suggestions for working practice and in-service training.

 

 

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).