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Special Education in Contemporary Society: An Introduction to Exceptionality

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Special Education in Contemporary An Introduction to Exceptionality, Seventh Edition offers a comprehensive, engaging, and readable introduction to the dynamic field of special education. Grounded in research and updated to reflect the most current thinking and standards of the field, this book provides readers with the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and beliefs that are crucial to constructing learning environments that allow all students to reach their full potential. Authors Richard M. Gargiulo and Emily C. Bouck encourage a deep awareness and understanding of the "human" side of special education, providing readers with a look into the lives of exceptional students and their families, as well as the teachers that work with exceptional persons throughout their lives.

Also available as a digital option (courseware). Learn more about Special Education in Contemporary Society-Vantage Digital Option, Seventh Edition [ 978-1-0718-2599-0]

656 pages, Loose Leaf

First published March 29, 2002

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Richard M. Gargiulo

40 books1 follower

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5 stars
51 (24%)
4 stars
72 (34%)
3 stars
54 (26%)
2 stars
21 (10%)
1 star
8 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
Profile Image for Kate♡.
1,458 reviews2,149 followers
April 23, 2018
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!
Profile Image for Dani.
198 reviews4 followers
January 23, 2015
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.
Profile Image for Mikayla Beckman.
354 reviews5 followers
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May 2, 2022
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.
Profile Image for Mary.
97 reviews14 followers
November 23, 2019
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.
Profile Image for Alison Melville.
200 reviews
June 28, 2024
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. 😆
Profile Image for teacupsandunicorns.
381 reviews
September 25, 2024
Sometimes dense, other times meandering.

Sometimes the authors insert their opinions, which honestly was unnecessary and unneeded. But otherwise great info.
Profile Image for jacky.
3,496 reviews93 followers
December 10, 2012
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.
Profile Image for Christy.
53 reviews1 follower
April 14, 2013
An excellent primer for the Praxis II 0543 exam! Very thorough and very well organized.
35 reviews
July 7, 2013
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.
Profile Image for Daniel Morgan.
726 reviews26 followers
July 25, 2020
A lot of information presented in a clear and readable way.
Profile Image for Anne Hendricks.
Author 11 books43 followers
December 17, 2016
An excellent textbook on the subject of special education in the classroom.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews

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