Roger Pierangelo - The Special Educators Survival Guide

CONTENTS

Copyright 2004 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Published by Jossey-Bass

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Pierangelo, Roger.

The special educators survival guide / Roger Pierangelo.2nd ed.

p. cm.

Rev. ed. of: A survival kit for the special education teacher. c1994.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 307).

ISBN 0-7879-7096-4 (alk. paper)

1. Children with disabilitiesEducationHandbooks, manuals, etc. 2. Special educationHandbooks, manuals, etc. I. Pierangelo, Roger. Survival kit for the special education teacher. II. Title.

LC4015.P52 2004

371.91dc22

2003028273

I dedicate this book to my loving family: to my wife, Jackie, who has supported me in all my endeavors, and my very special children, Jacqueline and Scott; to my parents, who always believed in me and always made me feel special; to my sister, Carol, whose humor and genuine caring have always been an inspiration; and to my brother-in-law, George, for his guidance, insight, support, and dependability .

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Roger Pierangelo has over thirty years experience as a regular classroom teacher, school psychologist in the Herricks Public School system in New Hyde Park, New York, administrator of special education programs, associate professor in the Department of Special Education and Literacy at Long Island University, licensed clinical psychologist, member of committees on special education, evaluator for the New York State Education Department, director of a private clinic, diplomate fellow in forensic psychology, and consultant to numerous private and public schools and PTA and SEPTA groups.

Pierangelo earned his B.S. from St. Johns University, M.S. from Queens College, professional diploma from Queens College, Ph.D. from Yeshiva University, and diplomate fellow in forensic psychology from the International College of Professional Psychology.

He is a member of the American Psychological Association, New York State Psychological Association, Nassau County Psychological Association, New York State Union of Teachers, and Phi Delta Kappa.

Pierangelo is the author of Survival Kit for the Special Education Teacher and The Special Education Teachers Book of Lists , and coauthor of the Parents Complete Guide to Special Education, The Special Educators Complete Guide to Transition Services, and The Special Educators Guide to 109 Diagnostic Tests , all published by Prentice Hall. He is coauthor of The Special Education Yellow Pages , published by Merrill Publishing, Assessment in Special EducationA Practical Approach and Transitional Services in Special EducationA Practical Approach , published by Allyn & Bacon, The Special Educators Book of Lists , published by Jossey-Bass, coauthor of Why Your Students Do What They Doand What to Do When They Do ItGrades K5, Why Your Students Do What They Doand What to Do When They Do ItGrades 612, Creating Confident Children in the ClassroomThe Use of Positive Restructuring , and What Every Teacher Should Know About Students with Special Needs , all published by Research Press, and 301 Ways to Be a Loving Parent , published by Shapolsky Publishers.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I wish to thank Ollie Simmons, a very special person, who could put a smile on anyones face with her humor, kindness, and loving personality. I also wish to thank Helen Firestone, a truly instrumental individual in my life and a remarkably bright and energetic woman who has touched so many. Bill Smyth, an extraordinary ordinary man and a truly great person and mentor, helped form my skills. I also thank Dr. Steve Thompson of Jossey-Bass, who was very supportive and available during the writing of this book. And finally, I wish to thank my colleagues and the staff of the Graduate School of Special Education at C. W. Post College, Long Island University.

PURPOSE OF THE BOOK

This unique guide has been developed to help all teachers survive the pressures and derive greater rewards when working with exceptional children. Many texts are filled with theories, but few offer practical advice. From my twenty-eight years of teaching special educators, thirty years in psychology and education, twenty years in private practice, and seventeen years participating in committees on special education, I have come to realize the need that all teachers have for a wide variety of important and pertinent information that can be obtained at a moments notice. This book is organized to give teachers that wealth of practical advice.

Many special education teachers do not have a perspective on the entire special education process or the specific knowledge and tools required at each stage. Awareness of this global concept of special education allows teachers to fulfill the requirements in any role they may encounter.

Filled with practical tools and suggestions, the book takes special education teachers through the various stages in understanding the processes of referral, parent intakes, evaluation, interpretation, diagnosis, remediation, prescription, placement, recommendations, parent conferences, committee on special education referrals, Individualized Education Program (IEP), classroom management, curriculum, materials, and special education law.

It is the responsibility of all special education teachers to keep themselves abreast of the latest techniques, laws, tools, and evaluative measures that exist. Having one book that reviews all this necessary information can only facilitate the process of teaching exceptional children.

This book will be very useful not only for special education teachers but for regular classroom teachers, administrators, college students, and parents of exceptional children. The information it provides will answer the questions that many of these individuals have about their students, children, and educational techniques.

This book contains the most up-to-date information possible. It is a unique survival guide for special education teachers because of several features:

• The books developmental, step-by-step approach takes readers through a variety of topics and procedures necessary for a realistic, complete awareness of exceptional children.
• Written in an easy-to-read format, the book contains a wealth of tried-and-true suggestions based on the authors extensive experience.