How Autism is Reshaping Special Education

Special education in the United State is based on the concept of access—public schools are open to all children. But access is no longer a sufficient foundation. Approaches and accommodations that lead to academic success are increasingly demanded for those with learning disabilities. Functional, independent-living, and employable skills are requisite, but rare, for those with serious handicapping conditions. Since the last reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Act, four events have transpired that will have a dramatic impact on the next iteration of the federal law: the increase in the number of children diagnosed with autism, the rise of applied behavior analysis, the birth of social media, and the reality of unbundling. In How Autism Is Reshaping Special Education: The Unbundling of IDEA, Claypool and McLaughlin explore the effect of these events on a special education process burdened by regulation, where advances in the behavioral sciences and neurosciences blur the lines between education and medicine, and where social media fosters aggressive advocacy for specific disabilities.2018 International Book Awards: Finalist Education/Academic2018 Next Generation Indie Book Awards: Finalist Education/Academic (Non-Fiction)2017 Best Book Awards: Finalist Education/Academic

The general premise of this text is that special education in the US has outlived its current structure, is outdated in its conceptualization of categories of exceptionalities, and needs to be “unbundled.”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., 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., 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., 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.

Mark Claypool is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of ChanceLight Behavioral Health, Therapy and Education, the nation’s leading provider of behavior, physical, occupational and speech therapy and alternative and special education programs for children and young adults. In 2015, along with John M. McLaughlin, he published We’re In This Together: Public-Private Partnerships in Special and At-Risk Education (Rowman & Littlefield), which won an IPPY award for education commentary/theory and was an Indie finalist in the education category.John M. McLaughlin, PhD, is a school founder, professor, and researcher. McLaughlin is the author of The Last Year of the Season (North Star Press, 2014), a tale of education intrigue in fictional St. Luke, Minnesota. In 2015, along with Mark K. Claypool, he published We’re In This Together: Public-Private Partnerships in Special and At-Risk Education (Rowman & Littlefield), which won an IPPY award for education commentary/theory and was an Indie finalist in the education category.