Mary A. Houser – författare

Special education students often learn about the characteristics of disabilities, but can lack an understanding of the relationship between diagnostic assessment and eligibility for special education services. The Special Educator′s Guide to Assessment: A Comprehensive Overview by IDEA Disability Category focuses on the role that assessment plays in the diagnosis of a disability, determination of eligibility for special education services, and education of students with disabilities to provide a meaningful interconnection between assessment concepts and classroom application for teachers.  Authors Tara S. Guerriero, Mary A. Houser, and Vicki A. McGinley want to ensure that future special education teachers have the preparation to provide comprehensive instruction to P-12 students through this text.

While special education teachers are often not the ones conducting comprehensive evaluations, it is paramount that they understand their students’ individual characteristics, and understand how assessment is used to determine diagnosis and eligibility.  Framing the text around The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) provides students with concrete standards by which all disabilities are evaluated and regulated in our public educational system.

Part I introduces the basic topics of assessment, ethics, and assessment types. Part II moves on to provide diagnostic and eligibility criteria according to IDEA categories that are most commonly diagnosed in an educational setting while Part III describes the criteria for IDEA categories most commonly diagnosed in a medical setting. Features like case studies and sample comprehensive evaluations help bring to life assessment and how it applies in real classrooms. 

Included with this title: The password-protected Instructor Resource Site (formally known as SAGE Edge) offers access to all text-specific resources, including a test bank and editable, chapter-specific PowerPoint® slides.

Case Studies in Special Education and Additional Learning Needs is an all-important resource containing 44 high quality case studies portraying students of different ages and abilities. Part I addresses both the disability categories under IDEA (e.g., learning disabilities and autism) and additional learning needs (e.g., impact of trauma, language and cultural differences, assistive technology, and gifted/talented). Part II exhibits case studies depicting processes and procedures associated with early intervention, collaboration, law, IEPs, student and parental rights, obtaining special education services, and accountability and documentation in the special education process.