Newbery awards are conferred annually on books recognized as having made the most distinguished contribution to children’s literature; these books reach a wide audience, and their depictions of characters with disabilities can influence children's perceptions and attitudes toward individuals with disabilities. Eight Newbery Medal and Honor books chosen from 2010 to 2019 were identified as portraying 11 main or supporting characters with a disability. Six disabilities were represented: emotional disturbance, deafness, specific learning disability, speech/language impairment, orthopedic impairment, and traumatic brain injury. Applying the Rating Scale for Quality Characterizations of Individuals with Disabilities in Children’s Literature, we found most of the characterizations positive in personal portrayal, social interactions, and sibling relationships. Exemplary practices were also found in these books. We encourage school professionals to select books carefully to share with their students.

Increasing numbers of students in U.S. schools are at greater risk of school failure because of social, economic, and family stress factors. Teachers can use literature as bibliotherapy for both children and adolescents to create a safe distance, allowing them to deal with sensitive issues related to these problems, as well as to teach social skills that can then help prevent school failure. In this article, the authors present a 10-step process for implementing bibliotherapy in the classroom and provide a sample of juvenile books that could be used in bibliotherapy.

Given the amount and variety of literature focused on education, teacher education, and special education, many special education teacher educators find it difficult to keep abreast of current and relevant contributions. To help teacher educators identify salient readings, four Teacher Education Division past presidents created a list of “must read” publications from the current literature. They were asked to select recent publications that have relevance to teacher education special education. In total, they selected one book, one chapter, one journal issue, and 10 journal articles. In this article, each reading is briefly summarized, along with a justification for its importance.

In the general education classroom students with learning disabilities (LD) often need academic accommodations to be successful. These accommodations are typically selected and implemented by their general education teachers, not by the students themselves. High school students with LD were taught to recognize when an accommodation was needed, select the appropriate accommodation, request the accommodation and then implement the accommodation in the general education classroom. To evaluate the effectiveness of the instruction, four students were observed in the general classroom. Results indicated that after receiving instruction students were successful in advocating for themselves in requesting accommodations. Their teachers strongly agreed that students should learn how to advocate for themselves and that the students benefited from the training. The students indicated that they were more successful in their general education classes when they requested accommodations.

Researchers suggest that video-based interventions can provide increased opportunity for students with disabilities to acquire important academic and functional skills; however, little research exists regarding video-based interventions on the academic skills of students with autism and intellectual disability. We used a multiple-baseline-across-participants design to investigate the effects of video self-modeling (VSM) on the mathematics skill acquisition of adolescents with autism. Four adolescent male students viewed videos of themselves on an iPad solving mathematical problems to estimate the amount of money used to pay for a given item and the amount to receive in change. Findings support a functional relationship between VSM and performance on math skills for each participant. Subsequently, the VSM was systematically faded during maintenance sessions, with little deterioration of skill. Follow-up data probes were interpreted to conclude that student characteristics may affect retention of skill. Implications for practice and research are discussed.

Researchers suggest that video-based interventions can provide increased opportunity for students with disabilities to acquire important academic and functional skills; however, little research exists regarding video-based interventions on the academic skills of students with autism and intellectual disability. We used a multiple-baseline-across-participants design to investigate the effects of video self-modeling (VSM) on the mathematics skill acquisition of adolescents with autism. Four adolescent male students viewed videos of themselves on an iPad solving mathematical problems to estimate the amount of money used to pay for a given item and the amount to receive in change. Findings support a functional relationship between VSM and performance on math skills for each participant. Subsequently, the VSM was systematically faded during maintenance sessions, with little deterioration of skill. Follow-up data probes were interpreted to conclude that student characteristics may affect retention of skill. Implications for practice and research are discussed.

Chapter 1: Bullying and the Opposing Power of Bystanders
Chapter 2: Sharing Books with Your Classroom: The Basics of Bibliotherapy
Chapter 3: Lesson Plans: Strengthening Classroom Bystander Support
Chapter 4: Lesson Plans: Vulnerable Classmates

Chapter 1: Historical and Legal Foundations of Family Involvement in Special Education with B. Y. Ashbaker & T. T. Dyches
Chapter 2: Historical and Current Perspectives of Family Involvement with M. T. Tannock & N. J. Carter
Chapter 3: Family Members’ Roles and Characteristics with M. T. Tannock & N. J. Carter
Chapter 4: Communicating and Collaborating with Families with W. W. Murawski & N. J. Carter
Chapter 5: Overview of Diversity among Families and Professionals
Chapter 6: Cultural Competence and Working with Families from Diverse Backgrounds
Chapter 7: Understanding the Professional Perspective with N. J. Carter
Chapter 8: Creating IEPs with Families and Strategies for Involving Students with N. J. Carter
Chapter 9: Ethical Considerations When Working with Families with J. M. Sileo
Chapter 10: Special Considerations for Birth through High School with T. Rose
Chapter 11: Special Considerations for Post-Secondary with T. Rose
Chapter 12: Family Voices

Successfully working with children with special needs is a unique challenge — but so is effectively working with their parents, siblings, and other family members. This helpful and engaging first edition text helps the reader understand every aspect of collaborating with and communicating with families of children with disabilities, from offering skills and strategies for success, to outlining the legal and ethical implications of educators’ work with special needs families.

Timely and thorough, Working With Families Of Children With Special Needs takes a close look at the individual needs of different families, including families struggling with aging special needs students, families with diverse backgrounds, and families with differing perspectives on special needs education. In addition, the text provides the reader with an array of helpful learning tools and aids.

Bullying, a serious issue in today’s schools, negatively impacts children. This article summarizes research and emphasizes the need for effective tools, such as bibliotherapy, to deter bullying. To assist professionals in selecting books for bibliotherapy, 38 bully-themed children’s K-3 picture books ranked 1- 4 by The Horn Book Guide (HBG) during January 1, 2004 through January 1, 2010 were analyzed. Comparisons were made between the selected books’ portrayals of bullying and aspects of bullying, and bully prevention described in research literature. Information was summarized, including the following details: (a) gender of bully and victim, (b) type of bullying, (c) location of bullying, (d) responses of bystanders and adults, and (e) resolution of bullying problems. Considering this descriptive information, professionals are advised to more selectively recommend books to fit the unique needs of students and encourage desired bullying resolution strategies.

Bullying, a serious issue in today’s schools, negatively impacts children. This article summarizes research and emphasizes the need for effective tools, such as bibliotherapy, to deter bullying. To assist professionals in selecting books for bibliotherapy, 38 bully-themed children’s K-3 picture books ranked 1- 4 by The Horn Book Guide (HBG) from January 1, 2004 through January 1, 2010 were analyzed. Comparisons were made between the selected books’ portrayals of bullying and aspects of bullying, and bully prevention described in research literature. Information was summarized, including the following details: (a) gender of bully and victim, (b) type of bullying, (c) location of bullying, (d) responses of bystanders and adults, and (e) resolution of bullying problems. Considering this descriptive information, professionals are advised to more selectively recommend books to fit the unique needs of students and encourage desired bullying resolution strategies.

The consequences of bullying are both widespread and severe. It disrupts learning, threatens school safety, and poses long-term emotional repercussions for bullies, victims, and bystanders. Although multiple strategies have targeted bullying, bullying must be understood within a social contextual framework beyond the bully-victim dyad. Davis and Davis (2007) emphasize the importance of focusing on the broad base of bystanders, strengthening this vast majority of students to speak up and take an active stand against bullying. To this end, bibliotherapy is recommended as a potential tool to address these factors and to create positive, supportive, and inclusive classroom environments. Although frequently used by mental health professionals as an activity aligned with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and play therapy, bibliotherapy is also recommended for teachers and parents as a teaching aid to address social skills and normal developmental challenges. Grounded in principles of CBT, bibliotherapy supports classrooms in promoting and modeling desired social interactions. In turn, the majority of children--bystanders--will be empowered to actively take a stand against bullying. Reading carefully selected bully-themed literature and participating in related discussions and activities strengthens core prosocial messages and builds classroom unity against bullying. Additionally, stories help school psychologists and teachers initiate important classroom discussions about friendship, kindness, and conflict resolution. (Contains 12 resources and 5 online resources.)

Special education faculty members at Brigham Young University voluntarily participated in a four-year professional development program centered on increasing their cultural responsiveness. The program was particularly needed at the time given the recent increased cultural and linguistic diversity (CLD) in the local schools and the university’s acquisition of a grant to support CLD teacher candidates completing the special education and English as a Second Language (ESL)/bilingual licensure programs. Overall professional development goals included preparing all special education faculty to (a) become educated in the Center for Research on Education, Diversity, and Excellence (CREDE) standards, (b) be knowledgeable about current issues in multicultural special education, (c) identify and infuse cultural competencies into courses and fieldwork, (d) be trained is ESL observation techniques, and (e) become familiar with and respond appropriately to the unique needs of CLD teacher candidates. Faculty committed to 16 hours of professional development each year. Activities included guest presentations by faculty internal and external to the university, faculty discussion groups, interviewing the CLD teacher candidates, and observing in ESL classrooms, among other activities. During the fourth year, faculty designed individual professional development plans with self-selected goals and activities. At the end of the fourth year the faculty members were interviewed regarding their perceptions of these experiences. Generally they found them to be very valuable with the teacher candidate interviews having the most impact. Additional future steps include reviewing course syllabi and observing university classrooms to ensure the knowledge gained is being implemented, followed by observing the cultural competence of teacher candidate graduates in K-12 classrooms.

Newbery books represent quality literature that has a profound social-emotional impact on its readers, yet these books have not been systematically evaluated for their portrayal of characters with disabilities. Thirty-one Newbery Award and Honor books from 1975–2009 were identified and portrayed 41 main or supporting characters with disabilities. These books were evaluated using the Rating Scale for Quality Characterizations of Individuals with Disabilities in Children’s Literature. Results indicate the representation of Newbery characters with disabilities is not proportionate to the current U.S. population of students with disabilities. Further, racial representation portrayed in these books is not representative of the students receiving special education services. Trend analyses indicate that overall the portrayal of characters with disabilities is increasingly positive. School personnel are encouraged to select appropriate books for their instructional or bibliotherapeutic purposes. Authors are encouraged to include dynamic, exemplary, and memorable characters who are representative of today’s school population of students with disabilities.

Special education faculty member (n-12) from a large Western university participated in a four-year professional development program centered on increasing their cultural responsiveness. During the fourth year the primary investigator interviewed faculty members regarding their perceptions and the impact of the program. Each interview was audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed using the inductive analysis design for qualitative research (Hatch, 2002). Faculty expressed likes and dislikes of the program and provided suggestions for future professional development. Other results that emerged included that time was a barrier, that leaving campus facilitated learning, and that collaboration enhanced learning. Faculty reported that the professional development made them self-reflect, change practice and attitudes, adjust their perceptions of diverse students, and alter professional interactions. Faculty also expressed personal conflicts as a result of these activities.

This article provides current information relevant to school social workers who serve students with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), including how OCD is defined in children and adolescents, the impact of OCD on schooling, issues in identifying students with OCD, and effective interventions. The authors offer suggestions for collaboration among school personnel and families and for linking school with home. Finally, they present recommendations for educating peers of students with OCD. (Contains 2 tables.)

Inclusion in the context of schooling is a belief that all students should be included in the general education classroom. The inclusion movement has been influenced by legal mandates, as well as social and educational reform. Proponents have based their arguments on legal, moral, educational/social, and political grounds. Opponents express concern about the impact of inclusion on teachers, students, and schooling in general. Empirical studies indicate that students with and without disabilities can benefit from inclusion and that most general educators, special educators, students with and without disabilities, and family members support inclusive practices. Inclusion may be found worldwide.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) i s a neurobiological condition affecting 1 of every 200 school-age children. OCD greatly affects students' academic, behavioral, and social functioning, and it can lead to additional problems such as depression. To effectively collaborate with other individuals providing appropriate support to students with OCD, teachers need to understand this disorder, particularly its manifestations in school settings. This article addresses typical manifestations of OCD in school settings and provides general and specific accommodations for teachers to implement in their classrooms.

This article provides current information relevant to school social workers who serve students with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), including how OCD is defined in children and adolescents, the impact of OCD on schooling, issues in identifying students with OCD, and effective interventions. The authors offer suggestions for collaboration among school personnel and families and for linking school with home. Finally, they present recommendations for educating peers of students with OCD.

Teachers were recruited from the mainland of the United States to work in rural areas in the State of Hawaii to meet the high demand for personnel. But often there is a mismatch between the culture of the island residents and that of the new teachers. To alleviate this mismatch, a workshop was developed to promote multicultural proficiency of school personnel focusing on Asian/Pacific cultures. One hundred teachers, administrators, and staff (including custodians and cafeteria workers) from four rural elementary schools participated in a three hour workshop. The workshop consisted of three activities: (a) self-awareness, (b) awareness of Asian/Pacific Island cultures and (c) instructional strategies and resources to support culturally diverse students. A mixed repeated measures design was used to make comparisons between the workshop participants' responses on pre/post administrations of the Multicultural Assessment of Proficiency (MAP) scale, a questionnaire designed and developed to measure the effects of the workshop. Results indicated that all participants improved significantly and that three factors accounted for the majority of the variance: knowledge of strategies and resources, awareness of self/others (beliefs), and willingness to take future action. Limitations, suggestions for future research, and implications for practice are discussed.

Stress and burnout contribute significantly to the shortages of school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs). At the request of the Utah State Office of Education, the researchers measured the stress levels of 97 school-based SLPs using the Speech-Language Pathologist Stress Inventory. Results indicated that participants? emotional-fatigue manifestations, instructional limitations, biobehavioral manifestations, lack of professional supports, and total stress were significantly below that of the original national sample. However, of the 48 survey items, participants? responses indicated more stress in three specific areas, namely, case load size, salary, and the use of prescription drugs. Caseload and salary have been identified in other studies as major sources of stress for SLPs. No significant differences in stress were identified with the type of school district (rural and urban), number of years? experience, or number of students served. Efforts to reduce stress levels of SLPs should be aimed at increasing supports, reducing caseloads, and increasing salaries.

The purpose of this article is to briefly describe each of the books on our top 25 list so that readers can make informed decisions when selecting books which include characters with disabilities. Included are 14 chapter and 11 picture books. Interestingly these books span a wide range of publication dates ? the oldest was first published in 1955 and the most recent in 2006. Almost all of the 13 disabilities recognized by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act are portrayed. Five of the books received the prestigious Newbery Medal or Honor award and one the Caldecott Honor. Five additional books earned either the Dolly Gray or Schneider Family Awards. These two awards specifically honor juvenile books that portray disabilities. Fourteen of our selected books did not win noteworthy awards, but deserve attention for their literary and artistic qualities, as well as their appropriate and realistic portrayals of disabilities.

Educational professionals agree that traditional preservice preparation has been inadequate in preparing educators to teach culturally and/or linguistically diverse students. Reasons for this lack of preparation are generally identified as an insufficient number of diverse teacher candidates and poor infusion of culturally competent practices across programs. Most universities and colleges have responded to these needs, but neglect the need to improve faculty members’ own cultural competence. We present the journey taken by one traditional special education teacher preparation program to increase the number of diverse candidates enrolled, infuse cultural diversity competence across the program, and improve faculty members’ sensitivity and appropriate responses toward cultural differences.

Children's literature often portrays characters with disabilities. These books may be used to promote awareness, understanding, and acceptance of those with diabilities. We provide guidelines for selecting high quality literature and present ideas for using characterizations of learning disabilities to teach students about themselves and others. Two sample lesson plans and a list of 30 recommended books are included.