Special Education in Contemporary Society: An Introduction to Exceptionality

by Richard M. Gargiulo, Emily C. Bouck

"The real strength of Richard Gargiulo's text is that it does not overwhelm the readers. Learning the vast-and often complex-field of special education is no easy task. Yet, the text meets this challenge head-on." --Bruce A. Shields, Ph.D., Daemen College
"Given the myriad of introductory textbooks on the market, I have continued using Gargiulo's text as it offers a clear, understandable overview of exceptionality and a wealth of resources that compliment my instruction." --Emiliano C. Ayala, Ph.D., Sonoma State University
"The 'First Person' features are very well done and the students love them!" --Michelle LaRocque, PhD, Florida Atlantic University

Special Education in Contemporary Society, Third Edition provides a highly readable and research-based introduction to special education. Richard Gargiulo believes teachers need more than just academic knowledge about exceptionality-they need an awareness and understanding of the human side of exceptional students and their families. Special Education in Contemporary Society, Third Edition is a comprehensive text with a "people first" approach that gives pre-service teachers a first-hand look into the lives of exceptional children, their families, and their mentors.

Key Features & Benefits: Shares the honest and engaging first person accounts of individuals with disabilities in First Person features Provides targeted teaching strategies and suggestions with New Effective Instructional Practices boxes Covers and integrates INTASC and CECstandards and Praxis II core principles Incorporates new coverage of Deaf-blindness Includes new and updated content in the key pedagogical features throughout: Chapter-opening narratives, "First Person" boxes, "Suggestions for the Classroom," "Making Inclusion Work," "Learning Activities," and "Technology Tips"

Accompanied by High-Quality Ancillaries:
New and comprehensive companion website with student and instructor resource materials including chapter quizzes, full text SAGE journal articles and activities, flashcards and more. Instructor's Resource CD-ROM with a test bank, PowerPoint lectures, computerized testing, and more. Contact SAGE to request your copy.


Intended Audience: Special Education in Contemporary Society, Third Edition is an introductory text for the Introduction to Special Education and Introduction to Exceptionality courses.

Genres: Education, Textbooks, Nonfiction, Teaching, School

616 pages, Paperback

First published March 29, 2002

Reviews

[Kate♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5stars

*dabs* I cant believe I actually read this textbook all the way through

this textbook but also this class (Special Education) was a JOY. I ADORED taking this this semester and it's definitely been one of my favorite classes I've taken. Highly recommend taking an intro to special ed if you can cause it's a joy!

[Alyssa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an assigned text.

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a textbook, so naturally the writing can seem dry. I enjoyed this book, however, and found it highly informative and incredibly useful. I feel it was most applicable for elementary education, and while it touched on higher grades and adult life, the focus remained on elementary education.

The book calls itself "An Introduction to Exceptionality" and does indeed provide a solid introduction. It looks at people and their abilities, disabilities, strengths, and needs. It talks about students in the greater context of school, society, and families. It looks at programs, practices, laws, history, and educational considerations. Individual chapters focus on specific needs such as learning disabilities, emotional and behavioral disorders, ADHD, visual and hearing impairments, speech and language impairments, and physical disabilities, to name a few. The last chapter also focuses on another population with unique needs: gifted and talented students.

All in all, this is a very quality textbook and it is written at a level that is both well-informed and informative.

[Mikayla Beckman]

I read this textbook for my FIRST class about special education in college (yay!). This textbook reminded me of a high school textbook. The content was very self-explanatory and sometimes worded poorly. Overall, I didn't hate having to read this over the course of the semester as the material was incredibly easy, however, I also can't say that I learned much from this textbook either.

[J.R. Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative and clear descriptions of LDs.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent text. It is easy to read with great current information about the field. It is helpful for both teachers and social workers.

[Miranda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had to read for clasd

[Alison Melville · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, this is a textbook. I’m counting it because it’s the only book I read this month, and I did read the whole thing. 😆

[teacupsandunicorns · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes dense, other times meandering.

Sometimes the authors insert their opinions, which honestly was unnecessary and unneeded. But otherwise great info.

[jacky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good as far as textbooks are concerned. The first section is very dry, but the chapters on the actual categories of disabilities are interesting and useful.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent primer for the Praxis II 0543 exam! Very thorough and very well organized.

[Alana · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this was a very thorough book, the lack of focus on secondary education was disappointing. I felt an elementary teacher can garner more from this book than a secondary teacher.

[Daniel Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of information presented in a clear and readable way.

[Anne Hendricks · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent textbook on the subject of special education in the classroom.

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmmmmmmm.......nothing to say

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and reader friendly (for a textbook anyway).