This book brings a refreshing perspective to preparing students with disabilities and their families for all aspects of independent life. Many of the transitions experienced by younger children set the stage for future changes, yet do not receive the attention they deserve in the literature. This publication offers a strengths-based approach that includes philosophical perspectives and evidence-based practices to assist this vulnerable population with lifespan changes and challenges. Each chapter addresses transitional needs and their assessment, and relevant interventions from the perspectives of an application to schools, families and communities. Multicultural perspectives are integral to all these chapters. The book covers transition from: - home to early childhood education - early childhood education to primary school - primary school to secondary school - primary school to special settings - juvenile justice settings back into the community - school to work - school to further education or training - post-school settings to retirement. Lifespan Transitions and Disability: A holistic perspective is a necessary companion for postgraduate education students and researchers who have an interest in exploring the nature and context of special and inclusive education today.

One claim made for the policy of care in the community was that it would rescue people with intellectual disabilities from social marginality. To what extent has this promise been fulfilled and their lives transformed? David May presents the lives of people from this group as a series of transitions and offers us a view of the world that is as complex and changeable as any other. Each section covers a different aspect of choice, opportunity and transition on the lifepath, for example, * moving from home to school * leaving school * employment * living independently and * growing old The contributors have extensive research experience in the field of intellectual disabilities and provide a comprehensive review of this research, drawing out the implications for policy and practice. This book will be an invaluable resource for professionals and carers working with those with intellectual disabilities, as well as their families.

Based on the findings of a five year longitudinal study into the experiences of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), this book provides tertiary educators and support staff with practical support for addressing the challenges associated with ASD as they manifest in college and university environments. It explores issues such as: · Interpreting assignment tasks · Unwritten expectations and codes of conduct · Rigidity of thinking · Project planning · Self-monitoring · Multi-tasking and central coherence The authors suggest practical strategies for better accommodating students with ASD in the inclusive classroom. Chapters include case studies of individual students, which provide real world examples of possible issues and successful interventions, making this an essential resource for all those involved in supporting students with ASD in tertiary education settings.

Now in a thoroughly revised and updated second edition, this handbook provides a comprehensive resource for those who facilitate the complex transitions to adulthood for adolescents with disabilities. Building on the previous edition, the text includes recent advances in the field of adolescent transition education, with a focus on innovation in assessment, intervention, and supports for the effective transition from school to adult life. The second edition reflects the changing nature of the demands of transition education and adopts a "life design" approach. This critical resource is appropriate for researchers and graduate-level instructors in special and vocational education, in-service administrators and policy makers, and transition service providers.

This volume provides a unique and valuable contribution to our understanding of the impact of stressful life events and mass trauma on the person, the culture and society in the course of the life span. It provides a comprehensive look at our psychological state of affairs at the beginning of the twenty-first century. There are several volumes that address some or most of these areas indivi- ally but this volume is unique in that it has brought together theoreticians, researchers and clinicians who address critical challenges in our lives. But we are now several months into the global financial crisis requiring a transition, not only for the western world but for the third world. How on earth do families in trauma zones – from Sri Lanka to Afghanistan, New Orleans to Gaza – cope with similar declining older relatives, with added traumas and zero medical resources attempt to survive? In news reports, politicians and financiers denying the inevitable and struggling for solutions that cannot be relevant to the new reality that they have yet to discover.

Most people recognize the importance of inclusive education and hope to promote it everywhere at all levels and situations in education. However, the road to realizing this ideal is by no means a smooth one; due to this, further study is required. Building Inclusive Education in K-12 Classrooms and Higher Education: Theories and Principles discusses various inclusive practices in K-12 classrooms and higher education all over the world and presents problems and challenges that educators are struggling to overcome. Covering key topics such as educational technology, global movement, and inclusive education, this major reference work is ideal for administrators, policymakers, industry professionals, researchers, academicians, scholars, practitioners, instructors, and students.

The SAGE Reference Series on Disability is a cross-disciplinary and issues-based series incorporating links from varied fields that make up Disability Studies. This volume tackles issues relating to disability through the life course.

This title is directed primarily towards health care professionals outside of the United States. It is the authoritative textbook for students of learning disabilities covering a wide variety of topics. It is relevant not only for nursing courses, but also for care workers, OTs, and other professional and non-professional carers. The new edition has been completely updated and includes the latest evidence for practice. There are new chapters which means the book provides comprehensive coverage of learning disablities throughout a person's life. There are also new contributors, including people with learning disabilities. Each chapter is supported by information on further reading and other resources.

Children and adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities are at high risk of co-morbid emotional, behavioural, and psychiatric problems that may further reduce their functional abilities. For the clinicians who support them and their families, meeting the needs of children and adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities and mental health problems is challenging. In this book, clinicians who work with young people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and mental health problems will find a comprehensive framework for how their complex needs might best be addressed. Relevant biological, developmental, family, educational, social, and cultural factors are integrated. The evolution of developmental sequence is seen as vital to understanding the mental health problems of young people with disabilities. This view informs multi-dimensional assessment of behaviour, and addresses conceptual confusion in defining behaviour problems, developmental disorders, mental disorders, and serious mental illnesses. Evidence-based interventions to promote skill development and mental health in young people with disabilities are described. A model for how interdisciplinary and multi-agency collaboration and co-ordination might be facilitated is outlined. Parents’ perspectives are also presented. Fundamentally, though, this is a book by clinicians, for clinicians. All clinicians and other professionals who work to improve mental health outcomes and quality of life more generally for young people who have intellectual and developmental disabilities - paediatricians, child psychiatrists, psychologists, speech pathologists, occupational therapists, social workers, behaviour clinicians, counsellors, teachers, agency managers, among others – will find the book invaluable.

A Collaborative Approach to Transition Planning for Students with Disabilities is designed to inform aspiring special education teachers, special education teams, transition planning specialists and school administrators about the complex process of transition planning and to meet the transition requirements of special education legislation. Author Dr. JoAnn Rae has been in the field of special education for 34 years, in service as a special education teacher, special education administrator, teacher certification supervisor and as college faculty. The framework she outlines is specially designed to advance students’ involvement and participation in their lives, not only in the presence of the most severe sensory and intellectual disabilities, but also in the case of multiple disabilities. Unique scenarios not typically seen in other textbooks, such as IEP team disagreements, students with terminal illnesses, students with ill or overworked parents or students living in poverty are also explored. The text also includes: Descriptions of research-based practices to maximize students’ self-determination, autonomy, goal setting and ability to have successful life experiences Opportunities to integrate knowledge with practice by providing strategies that relate to the real-life difficulties students and transition planning specialists may encounter Easy-to-replicate communication tools, such as letters to students and parents, as examples to enhance collaboration Methods for teachers to effectively promote and increase student involvement and collaboration by using structured and interactive interviews A Collaborative Approach to Transition Planning for Students with Disabilities reflects the universal challenges that teachers, families and finally, the students themselves face, as they progress through school with a disability. For students with disabilities, the key component to successful transition planning is creating a collaborative atmosphere that allows them to be successful. This book promises to serve as an essential resource to all who are dedicated to that goal.