Special Education Subject Guide
Special education comprises “programs and services for stidents who deviate physically, mentally, or emotionally from the norm to an extent that they require unique learning experiences, techniques or materials in order to be maintained in the general education classroom” (Dictionary of Special Education, p. 150). This definition can be applied to both disabled and gifted students, although most special education research focuses on students with physical, mental, or emotional disabilities.
The special education movement began to spread with the social reforms of the 19th century, including the expansion of compulsory free public education. However, most modern research in the field dates form the late 20th century, thanks to increased parental activism and the passage of several key laws mandating equitable funding and access to public education (see Public Laws 94-142 and 101-476). Prominent scholars in the field of multicultural education include James E. Ysseldyke, James M. Kauffman, Daniel P. Hallahan, Alan S. Kaufman, and Nadeen L. Kaufman.
| Introductory Resources |
| Subject Introduction |
“Questions Often Asked by Parents About Special Education Services”
National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities, 1999
http://www.nichcy.org/pubs/ideapubs/lg1txt.htm
| Reference Books |
Dictionary of Special Education and Rehabilitation, 4th ed.
Glenn A. Vergason and M.L. Anderegg, eds.
Denver: Love Publishing, 1997
LC3957 .V47 1997
Encyclopedia of Special Education: A Reference for the Education of the Handicapped and Other Exceptional Children and Adults
Cecil R. Reynolds and Elaine Fletcher-Janzen, eds.
New York: J. Wiley & Sons, 2000
LC4007 .E53 2000, vs.1-3
Handbook of Special and Remedial Education: Research and Practice
Margaret C. Wang, Maynard C. Reynolds, and Herbert J. Walberg, eds.
Oxford: Pergamon, 1995
LC3965 .H263 1995
Handbook of Special Education
James M. Kauffman and Daniel P. Hallahan, eds.
Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1981
LC3965 .H26 1981
Special Education Dictionary
Horsham, PA: LRP Publications, 1997
LC3957 .S64 1997
| Find Books & Media |
Books and media in the APU University Libraries can be found by using the APOLIS2 online catalog.
| Subject Headings & Call Number Ranges |
| Books |
Critical Issues in Special Education
James E. Ysseldyke
Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000
LC3981 .Y87 2000
New Directions in Special Education: Eliminating Ableism in Policy and Practice
Thomas Hehir
Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education, 2005
LC4031 .H44 2005
Special Education for a New Century
Lauren I. Katzman, Allison Gruner Gandhi, Wendy S. Harbour, and J.D. LaRock, eds.
Cambridge, MA: Harvard Educational Review, 2005
LC3981 .S64 2005
Special Teaching for Special Children? Pedagogies for Inclusion
Ann Lewis and Brahm Norwich, eds.
New York: Open University Press, 2005
LC4704 .S64 2005
Who Benefits From Special Education? Remediating (Fixing) Other People's Children
Ellen A. Brantlinger, ed.
Mahwah, NJ: L. Erlbaum Associates, 2006
LC4031 .W53 2006
| Media By Subject |
Special Education
Learning Disabled Children
Learning Disabilities
| Subject Bibliographies |
Education: A Guide to Reference and Information Sources, 2nd ed.
Nancy Patricia O’Brien
Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 2000
Z5811 .B89 2000
The Special Needs Reading List: An Annotated Guide to the Best Publications for Parents and Professionals
Wilma K. Sweeney
Bethesda, MD: Woodbine, 1998
Z5814.C52 S84 1998
| Resources in Non-APU Libraries |
| LINK+ | LINK+ is a single catalog for 40+ California libraries that have a cooperative borrowing and lending arrangement for books only. This service is for APU faculty, staff and students, and is free. Items usually come within 2-3 work days. |
| WorldCat | WorldCat is a single catalog for hundreds of North American and international libraries. Books and other library resources may be requested from this catalog through the interlibrary loan service. This service is for APU faculty, staff and students, and costs $2.00 per item requested. Items usually come within 7-10 work days. |
| Find Journal Articles |
Print journals in the APU University Libraries can be found by using the APOLIS2 online catalog. Besides the print collection of journals, you may also obtain journal articles through many of APU Libraries' online databases.
| Journals |
| Journal Title | Available Formats |
| Exceptional Children | |
| International Journal of Disability, Development, and Education | |
| Journal of Developmental Education | |
| Journal of Learning Disabilities | |
| Journal of Special Education | |
| Remedial and Special Education | |
| Teacher Education and Special Education |
| Print Periodical Indexes |
Education Index
New York, NY: H.W. Wilson Company
Z5813 .E23
| Databases |
For a description of each database, go to the online resources page and look up the database by title.
Academic Search Premier
Education Full Text
ERIC
PsycINFO
SocINDEX with Full Text
| Getting Journal Articles |
| Periodical Finder | Sometimes while using a database, article records are found without any corresponding full-text article. Use Periodical Finder to see whether or not the article can be found in full-text in a different database. It can also be used to look up the full-text availability of items found in bibliographies. |
| Articles not at APU | If a journal article is unavailable in either the print journal collection or one of the online databases, it can be requested through interlibrary loan. |
| Find Internet Resources |
| Professional Organizations/Government Agency Websites |
California Department of Education: Special Education Programs
Council for Exceptional Children
National Association of Special Education Teachers
National Education Association: Special Education & IDEA
U.S. Department of Education: Office of Special Education Programs
| Other Websites |
Internet Public Library: Special Education Resources
Created by librarians, the Internet Public Library’s Special Education page is a small collection of high-quality sites for special education students, parents, teachers, and administrators. The site also links to several accessibility-enabled sites for readers with hearing and vision impairments.
National Clearinghouse for Professions in Special Education
The NCPSE web site contains information about educational programs and careers in special education, as well as a searchable “research library” of journal articles and government reports related to special education.
| Free Online Journals |
International Journal of Special Education
Journal of Special Education Technology
| Blogs/RSS Feeds |
You can subscribe to each of the feeds listed above individually, or save the following file to your computer, then import it into your feed reader for an instant subscription to all 6 blogs/feeds:
http://home.apu.edu/~kwilcox/specialed.opml
Don’t have a feed reader? Try Google Reader (https://www.google.com/reader/) or Bloglines (http://www.bloglines.com/).
Special Education Law Blog
Page: http://specialedlaw.blogs.com/home/
Feed: http://specialedlaw.blogs.com/home/rss.xml
NEA Special Education News
Page: http://www.nea.org/specialed/index.html
Feed: http://www.nea.org/specialed/feeds/rss.xml
Special education articles from the ERIC database
Feed: http://rss.epnet.com/AlertSyndicationService/Syndication.asmx/GetFeed?guid=706946
SpedPro
Page: http://johnl.edschool.virginia.edu/blogs/spedpro/
Feed: http://johnl.edschool.virginia.edu/blogs/spedpro/feed/
SpeEdChange
Page: http://speedchange.blogspot.com/
Feed: http://speedchange.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Written by Subject Specialist Kimberley Wilcox, September 3, 2007
