Children With Special Needs: Lessons for Early Childhood Professionals (Early Childhood Education, 82)

Bridging the gap between child development and strategies for inclusion, this volume is designed to help early childhood practitioners and pre-service teachers feel better equipped to meet the needs of all the children in their early childhood setting. Each chapter introduces a child (ages from birth to eight years of age) with one or more special need, including autism, cerebral palsy, Turner Syndrome, ADHD, emotional/behavioural disorders, IDEA, apraxia, Down Syndrome, giftedness, and juvenile diabetes. Advocating a holistic view of working with children, each profile includes: a description of the child; an interview with a family member or early childhood professional describing essential facts and historical incidents in the child's life; an epilogue updating the status of the child; information for educators about the special need covered in the profile; hints for success - teaching strategies for working with children in inclusive classrooms; discussion questions for the classroom; resources for parents and teachers; and an appendix with guidelines for an IEP (Individualized Education Program).