Author Description

Continuing its highly lauded and unique emphasis on the roles and responsibilities of a variety of professionals — in education, psychology, counseling and human services, and allied health — the new edition further clarifies the ways in which cross-professional collaboration can and does enhance and enrich the lives of exceptional individuals and their families as it strengthens and supports the work of the professionals themselves. Each reader will, no matter whether they are studying in education, psychology, counseling, human services, or allied health, understand more fully their own role in working with students with special needs and how their goals can be furthered by the work and expertise of other professionals they will work with. The first six chapters provide a detailed introduction to the foundations of--and issues particular to--human exceptionalities. The successive twelve chapters focus on the definitions, classifications, prevalence, causation, and characteristics of all the major categories of exceptionality. Each categorical chapter concludes with practical material on the educational, medical, and social services aspects of working with exceptional persons and professional collaboration. Up-to-date research appears throughout to inform intelligent, interesting discussions. Detailed, personal stories about exceptional persons--alongside fresh pedagogical features to help students study and apply the material in each chapter--are the basis for the book’s unique, human approach. This is an excellent text for teachers-in-training, in-service teachers interested in additional certification, and anyone planning to work with exceptional persons in other human services contexts, such as psychology, social work, allied health, and counseling.