Special Educational Needs and Disability: The Basics: The Basics

The Basics

by Janice Wearmouth

Special Educational Needs and The Basics provides an engaging and comprehensive overview of special educational, and additional support, needs in education contexts in the UK. The third edition of this bestselling publication covers the historical development of special provision and national policy-making, and summarises current and proposed legislation and statutory guidance across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, examining the fundamental principles of the field from policy to practice. Additional focus is given to recent legislation in England extending the age range of young people identified as experiencing difficulties from birth to 25 years, and the implications this has for practice. Fully updated to incorporate recent research evidence, this indispensable book covers essential features of policy and practice that teachers need to consider in and outside of the classroom, This is an ideal starting point for all those with questions about what constitutes special educational, or additional support, needs and disability and how to support those children and young people who experience such needs. It is essential reading for trainee and practising teachers, policy-makers and all those working with young people and their families.

340 pages, Paperback

First published November 10, 2011

Reviews

[Rory Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Detailed and informative, this book provides some key information which will undoubtedly be useful to school leaders and governors with responsibility for SEN (Special Education Needs).

The breadth of the book was impressive: possibly too impressive. Chapter by chapter it worked through all the major classifications and types of SEN. But was that kind of even-handed approach the most appropriate? The DfE produce annual data on the numbers of those with different types of SEN, and it always shows large numbers with certain types of SEN, compared to relatively few with other types. Wouldn’t it make more sense for the book to commit more space to the more prevalent types, which more teachers will probably find themselves having to support?

At the beginning of the book there was significant coverage of background issues, such as academic ‘models of human learning’ (chapter 1) and the history of SEN (chapter 2). Those chapters were informative but they felt a little ‘heavy’ and overly detailed. I think devoting more time to case studies and to practical SEN strategies which schools can implement, would have been more helpful. For example, the book dealt with dyslexia in chapter 4. But it didn’t refer to many resources which teachers can use to identify and evaluate potential resources to support dyslexics. A resource used by many is Greg Brooks’ What works for Literacy Difficulties, a book which is in its 6th edition because of its eminently practical value to teachers. It would have been helpful if the book could have flagged up more resources like that, which schools can consult, in order to plan their provision.

The tendency towards too much background information also led to a very odd political excursus on page 100, where the book noted that Nazis had murdered people with Downs Syndrome. Yes that is horrifically true. But the politics of social engineering and killing those with Downs Syndrome now typically includes wider issues about the high numbers of abortions (up to birth) of those with Down Syndrome. But that is not mentioned in the book. If the book is going to digress into politics, then it should at least attempt to give a fair representation of all the issues. On the other hand, why is a book on SEN provision in schools even raising issues of Nazis at all?

Elsewhere in the book, some of the issues were a bit surprisingly vague. For example, the discussion of bullying made the point that it varies from country to country and from school to school, but no actual data was cited (p.158). Yet PISA has produced international data on these issues. The book also talked about Restorative Justice, as a strategy for dealing with bullying. Whilst there is some evidence to support that approach, there is also other evidence that queries the effectiveness of restorative approaches in some cases of bullying. Once again, the book needs to present the ‘full’ picture to the reader.

Overall, I think that there is a potentially good and very useful book struggling to manifest itself here, but the current version feels as if it has too much background information, and that it isn’t focused sharply enough on providing the most relevant up to date research, on some of the issues which it raises.

These comments are based on a reading of the 2nd edition, published in 2016.

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informative, but also very very heavy going due to the level of detail. I also did not feel I got a huge amount of practical application out of reading this, which is a shame considering the length. However, it might be useful for going back to look at specific challenges pupils may face.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written, good explanations of concepts and easy to read.

[17cullen · Rating 4 out of 5]

In serious need of further proof reading before being published!