Special education is now an established part of public education in the United States--by law and by custom. However, it is still widely misunderstood and continues to be dogged by controversies related to such things as categorization, grouping, assessment, placement, funding, instruction, and a variety of legal issues. The purpose of this 13-part, 57-chapter handbook is to help profile and bring greater clarity to this sprawling and growing field. To ensure consistency across the volume, chapter authors review and integrate existing research, identify strengths and weaknesses, note gaps in the literature, and discuss implications for practice and future research. Key features include: (1) Comprehensive Coverage; (2) Issues & Trends; (3) Categorical Chapters; and (4) Expertise. This book is an appropriate reference volume for anyone (researchers, scholars, graduate students, practitioners, policy makers, and parents) interested in the state of special education today: its research base, current issues and practices, and future trends. It is also appropriate as a textbook for graduate level courses in special education. This volume contains 13 parts. Part I, Historical and Contemporary Issues in Educating Exceptional Learners, contains: (1) A History of Special Education (Michael M. Gerber); (2) Contemporary Issues (James M. Kauffman, C. Michael Nelson, Richard L. Simpson, & Devery R. Mock); (3) Statistics, Data, and Special Educational Decisions: Basic Links to Realities (James M. Kauffman & John Wills Lloyd); (4) Designing Rigorous Group Studies in Special Education: Common Understandings of Efficacy, Effectiveness, and Evidence Standards (Lana Santoro, Russell Gersten, & Rebecca A. Newman-Gonchar); and (5) Special Education and Teacher Preparation (Margo Mastropieri, Tom Scruggs, & Sara Mills). Part II, Legal Aspects of Special Education, contains: (6) The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act: The Evolution of Special Education Law (Mitchell L. Yell, Antonis Katysiannis, & M. Renee Bradley); (7) Free Appropriate Public Education (Mitchell L. Yell & Jean B. Crockett); (8) Individualized Education Programs for Children with Disabilities (Barbara D. Bateman); and (9) Least Restrictive Environment (Michael Rozalski, Jason Miller, & Angie Stewart). Part III, The General Education Context of Special Education, contains: (10) Responsiveness to Intervention Models for Reducing Reading Difficulties and Identifying Learning Disability (Rollanda E. O'Connor & Victoria Sanchez); (11) Standards-Based Reforms and Students with Disabilities (Martha L. Thurlow & Rachel F. Quenemoen); (12) Co-Teaching for Students with Disabilities: A Critical Analysis of the Empirical Literature (Bryan G. Cook, Kimberly A. McDuffie, Linda Oshita, & Sara Cothren Cook); and (13) General and Special Education Are (and Should Be) Different (Naomi Zigmond & Amanda Kloo). Part IV, Categorical Issues in Special Education, contains: (14) Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (Edward A. Polloway, James R. Patton, & Marvalin A. Nelson); (15) Learning Disabilities (Paige C. Pullen, Holly B. Lane, Kristen E. Ashworth, & Shelly P. Lovelace); (16) Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (Karen J. Rooney); (17) Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (Timothy J. Landrum); (18) Communication Disorders (Filip Loncke); (19) Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students (Jean F. Andrews, Pamela C. Shaw, & Gabriel Lomas); (20) Blind and Low Vision (George J. Zimmerman & Kim Zebehazy); (21) Traumatic Brain Injury (Renee Lajiness-O'Neill & Laszlo A. Erdodi); (22) Current Issues and Trends in the Education of Children and Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders (Maureen A. Conroy, Janine P. Stichter, & Nicholas Gage); (23) Multiple and Severe Disabilities (Susan Bruce); and (24) Special Gifts and Talents (Carolyn M. Callahan). Part V, Assessment of Students with Disabilities, contains: (25) High-Stakes Testing and Accommodations (Jennifer H. Lindstrom); and (26) Academic Progress Monitoring (Sheri Berkeley & Paul J. Riccomini). Part VI, Policy and Administration of Special Education, contains: (27) Conceptual Models for Leading and Administrating Special Education (Jean B. Crockett); (28) Fiscal Policy and Funding for Special Education (Tom Parrish & Jenifer Harr-Robins); (29) Using Professional Standards to Inform Leadership in Special Education (Mary Lynn Boscardin); and (30) Factors Influencing Special Education Teacher Quality and Effectiveness (Bonnie S. Billingsley). Part VII, Instructional Issues for Students with High Incidence Cognitive Disabilities, contains: (31) Reading (Paige C. Pullen & Deanna B. Cash); (32) Writing and Students with Disabilities (Steve Graham & Karen R. Harris); (33) The Development of Arithmetic and Word-Problem Skill Among Students with Mathematics Disability (Lynn S. Fuchs, Sarah R. Powell, Pamela M. Seethaler, Paul T. Cirino, Jack M. Fletcher, Douglas Fuchs, & Carol L. Hamlett); (34) Science and Social Studies (Tom Scruggs, Margo Mastropieri, & Lisa Marshak); (35) Physical Education (Luke E. Kelly & Martin C. Block); (36) Career and Technical Education (Maureen A. Schloss & Philip L. Gunter); and (37) Technology and Academic Instruction Considerations for Students with High-Incidence Cognitive Disabilities (Cheryl A. Wissick & J. Emmet Gardner). Part VIII, Instructional Issues for Students with Low Incidence Cognitive Disabilities, contains: (38) Educating Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities: Historical Overview and Future Projections (Fred Spooner & Fredda Brown); (39) Systematic Instruction of Students with Severe Disabilities (Erik Drasgow, Mark Wolery, James Halle, & Zahra Hajiaghamohseni); (40) Instructional Contexts (John McDonnell); (41) Access to General Education Curriculum for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities (Mike L. Wehmeyer); and (42) Preparing Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities for Life Skills (Stacy K. Dymond). Part IX, Transition of Adults with High Incidence Disabilities, contains: (43) Transition to Post Secondary Education (Joseph W. Madaus & Manju Banerjee); (44) Choice Patterns and Behaviors of Work-Bound Youth with High Incidence Disabilities (Jay W. Rojewski & Noel Gregg); and (45) Transition to Independent Living, David Scanlon (Jim Patton, & Marshall Raskind). Part X, Transition of Adults with Low Incidence Disabilities, contains: (46) Preparing Students with Low Incidence Disabilities to Work in the Community (Katherine J. Inge & M. Sherril Moon); and (47) Preparing Students with Low-Incidence Disabilities for Community Living Opportunities (Jane M. Everson & Meghan H. Trowbridge). Part XI, Parent and Family Issues in Special Education, contains: (48) Parent Organizations (H. Rutherford Turnbull, III, Karrie Shogren, & Ann P. Turnbull); (49) Resilience in Families of Children with Disabilities: Risk and Protective Factors (George Singer, Christine Maul, Mian Wang, & Brandy Ethridge); and (50) Promoting Family Outcomes in Early Intervention (Don B. Bailey, Jr., Melissa Raspa, Betsy P. Humphreys, & Ann M. Sam). Part XII, Early Identification and Intervention in Exceptionality, contains: (51) Advances in Theory, Assessment and Intervention with Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities (Carl J. Dunst); (52) Early Intervention and Prevention of Disability: Preschoolers (Kathleen Marshall, William H. Brown, Maureen A. Conroy, & Herman Knopf); (53) Frameworks for Guiding Program Focus and Practices in Early Intervention (Patricia A. Snyder, Tara W. McLaughlin, & Maria K. Denney); and (54) Early Identification and Intervention in Gifted Education: Developing Talent in Diverse Learners (Catherine M. Brighton & Jane M. Jarvis). Part XIII, Cultural and International Issues in Special Education, contains: (55) Ethnicity and Exceptionality (Dimitris Anastasiou, Ralph Gardner, III, & Domna Michail); (56) Gender and Exceptionality (Martha J. Coutinho & Donald P. Oswald); and (57) International Differences in Provision for Exceptional Learners (Dimitris Anastasiou & Clayton Keller).