If you’re looking for the best books about special education, you’re in luck. From books that can help teachers, parents, and professionals, to books that go inside a disorder, these books will help you understand the minds of anyone with special needs and create a better atmosphere for them.
1. Smart Kids With Learning Difficulties: Overcoming Obstacles and Realizing Potential by Rich Weinfeld
The author of this book has more than 20 years of experience working with special needs children. In this very educational book, he teaches readers (especially teachers) how to create their own accommodations to help their special needs children absorb things in a more effective way. Weinfeld also talks about setting positive, encouraging tones that work in both the classroom and at home. Special education teachers will find a wide array of inspiration and clever ideas to help them become better teachers to the students who need them the most.
2. The Autistic Brain by Temple Grandin
Temple Grandin is fairly well-known for her success and her diagnosis with autism. After being diagnosed at an early age, she went on to have a productive life. Her book talks about the thinking processes of an autistic person, from the inside out. It’s a passionate book, as she talks about the condition and how their brains think differently. Her first-hand accounts have helped special education teachers better understand their students, and what makes them different. Finding a new way of thinking can help you become a better teacher.
3. Whole Brain Teaching for Challenging Kids by Chris Biffle
Considered a teaching revolution, Whole Brain Teaching is an extraordinary movement that started in 1999. The book encompasses Whole Brain Teachings’ ideas and innovations; recognizing that students learn the best when they are engaged. The book talks about getting every single student involved in the best way they can. They provide teachers (and parents) with an amazing amount of great ideas. You’ll be challenging your students to challenge their minds in no time. This book has even made Amazon’s Special Education Best-Seller list, at number 8.
4. The Mislabeled Child: How Understanding Your Child’s Unique Learning Style Can Open the Door to Success by Fernette Eide & Brock Eide
This book covers a wide array of learning disabilities and disorders. It can be used by parents, professionals, and special education teachers that are looking to discover different ways to help children with all sorts of learning problems. It describes how the brain looks with each specific disorder; helping you look at their biggest strengths and weaknesses. It has in-depth information about these disorders, at more than the behavioral level. The book is empowering for those caring for any child with special needs. By better understanding how they see the world, teachers can create a positive change.
5. Smart but Scattered: The Revolutionary “Executive Skills” Approach to Helping Kids Reach Their Potential by Peg Dawson
Peg Dawson’s book is rated number 1 on Amazon’s Special Education Best-Seller list, and for good reason. Her book talks about how to take a personal look at a child and discover what it is they need to reach any one of their goals. She can help teachers and parents plan ahead, help kids follow through on tasks, help they stay focused, and help them stay in control of their emotions. By teaching the child some fundamental habits of mind, he or she will be achieving greatness in no time. Dawson shows readers how some small changes can add up to some pretty big ones.
All of the books on this list will help you be a better you and a better caretaker for someone with special needs. These great books about special education will leave you inspired, educated, motivated, and enlightened.
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