How Autism Is Reshaping Special Education: The Unbundling of IDEA - Softcover

The general premise of this text is that special education in the US has outlived its current structure, is outdated in its conceptualization of categories of exceptionalities, and needs to be "unbundled." That is, special education is not a "one size fits all" system: It should be tailored to fit the needs of each individual child, whether or not the child has a disability. The true focus of the book, however, is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the growth of the behavioral analysis profession, and how behavioral analysts relate to children with autism. The authors trace the history of advocacy for children who are on the autism spectrum and the rise of Autism Speaks, a preeminent organization that fights for legislation benefiting children and adults with autism and their families. New laws in a number of states now call for insurance companies to pay for applied behavioral analysis services, and the authors stress that the need for board-certified behavioral analysts will continue to grow and that states need to be proactive in ensuring quality training programs for these in-demand practitioners. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students and practitioners. * CHOICE * An extremely comprehensive and well-rounded collection of perspectives on the complex factors that have shaped the context in which autism services are provided as well as the important issues that must be addressed in order to move the needle on improving outcomes for children with ASD and their families. -- Eric G. Kurtz, director of Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Clinical Operations, and Autism Spectrum Disorders Program, associate professor of pediatrics, University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine Mark K. Claypool and John M. McLaughlin systematically examine how the increased diagnostic rate of autism, the emergence of autism advocacy and Autism Speaks in particular, and the passage of autism insurance mandates have radically shifted the way in which our society views disability. How Autism is Reshaping Special Education makes it very clear that sweeping, meaningful policy change is imperative in the next reauthorization of IDEA. Claypool and McLaughlin make a compelling argument that IDEA must be unbundled in order to increase opportunities and outcomes for all children with disabilities. -- Sarah Trautman-Eslinger, president and founder, STE Consultants, LLC How Autism is Reshaping Special Education is a thoughtful analysis of the current `square peg, round hole' context that creates so many challenges and barriers for students with autism. It provides rational and practical suggestions that will hopefully inform change and maximize outcomes for people with autism. -- Amy K. Weinstock, director of Autism Insurance Resource Center, instructor of psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Medical School/Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center

This book explores how societal changes, the number of children with autism, and the increasingly politically aggressive positions of advocacy groups will influence the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (Idea).