Author Description

Product Description This thought-provoking text brings new ideas to the literature of special needs education, an area shot through with questions of ethics and values. This existing literature is heavily weighted towards the articulation of firmly held value positions and the advocacy of particular approaches. New Directions in Special Needs acknowledges the importance of such advocacy but argues that it needs to be set alongside empirical evidence, the touchstone of any attempt to understand the complexities of the field. The book is supported by data from projects carried out by the Special Needs Research Centre at Newcastle University, as well as evidence collected from the authors' professional experience in schools. The authors emphasize the historical perspective of special needs education (missing from much of the literature on the subject) and outline a model of the major forces and processes which shape special needs education at any given time. About the Author D. Skidmore teaches at the School of Education at Newcastle University.