Brenda Perrodin is a teacher in the Parent-Infant Program at the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center's Kendall Demonstration Elementary School (KDES), on the campus of Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. With a bachelor's degree in early childhood education and a master's degree in family-centered early education from Gallaudet…

Over the last 30 years, controversy has reigned over the rights of children with learning disabilities to be educated alongside their peers in a mainstream classroom. Whether this is called integration or inclusion has been another hotly debated discussion among professionals. There have been calls for the abolition of special schools. This paper…

This discussion is drawn from the writings of two eminent founders of strength-based approaches to troubled children and adolescents. August Aichhorn is best known for his classic book, "Wayward Youth," and Fritz Redl as co-author of "Children Who Hate". August Aichhorn and Anna Freud mentored a young educational psychologist, Fritz Redl…

While the last 10 years have seen a significant increase in research published on early intervention and autism, there is a persistent disconnect between educational research and practice. Governments have invested significant funds in autism education, and a range of approaches have been implemented in schools, but there is limited research…

The author first recognised the transformational power of education when he arrived at university. His career has included over 10 years as a mainstream principal, 7 as executive director of an agency that included being principal of a Special Assistance School, and a 5 year period in between in a leadership role in a community welfare…

While interest in the voice of children and young people has grown alongside concern for their rights and participation, for those excluded from mainstream education or with a label of behavioural, emotional and social difficulties, the issue of student voice takes on particular relevance. Yet the voices of these young people, and particularly…

The author grew up in Staunton, Illinois, a small town in the middle of the state about an hour northeast of St. Louis. Staunton is a rural community like many others in the midwest, populated by hardworking, down-to-earth people who value friends, family, and tradition. Staunton was not an easy place for someone like him to grow up and flourish.…

High school is, in many ways, an experience many would rather not relive, even in memory. As the author reflects on her experiences at the Kalamazoo Area Math and Science Center (KAMSC), she is struck by how positive her memories are. For her and many of her classmates, their educational experiences up to that point had not been especially…

The universalist argument that all children should be educated in inclusive mainstream schools, irrespective of their difficulties or disabilities, is traced to the claims (a) that special schools and disability "labels" are inherently humiliating, and (b) that no decent society tolerates inherently humiliating institutions. I ask (following…

In July 2006, the House of Commons Education and Skills Committee reported on Special Educational Needs. The report expressed concern over the Government's policy on SEN, especially as it relates to inclusion and to the confusion this has created for special schools. In this article I shall attempt to tease out what I believe to be the…

This article explores the recent policy concerning the education of disabled children and young people, and the debate of special education versus mainstream inclusion propelled by Warnock. It argues that the formal and informal practices, designed by non-disabled adults, to facilitate the inclusion of disabled students in mainstream schools may…

The history of residental programs for the blind is reviewed, and the impact of the deinstitutionalization thrust on those schools is examined. The author asserts that residential schools must re-orient themselves to serving multiply handicapped students. (CL)

This study reviewed records of several American schools for the deaf in the 19th century concerning the stated causes of deafness given by parents. The high rate of adventitious deafness is noted. Stated causes are categorized into: fevers, inflammations, medicines/poisons, trauma, heat/cold, ear problems, nervous system problems, head/neck…

A successful adult with dyslexia recounts his experiences as a child including poor school reports, emotional problems, clumsiness, as well as the help provided by a special school for boys with dyslexia. (DB)

This brief article by the school's administrator describes the program and achievements of students and faculty at the Nebraska School for the Deaf, as well as its closure in 1998. It stresses that the school was not closed because of program quality, but rather because of such factors as falling enrollment and rising per-pupil costs. (DB)