At the time of original publication, special education in Britain was permeated by an ideology of benevolent humanitarianism and this is ostensibly the moral framework within which the professionals – teachers, educational psychologists, medical officers – operate. The author widens the debate about special education by introducing sociological perspectives and considering the structural relationships that are produced both within the system and in the wider society when part of a mass education system develops separately, as ‘special’ rather than normal. She outlines the origin and development of special education, stressing the conflicts involved and the role played by vested interests, and criticizes the current rhetoric of ‘special needs’. Among the issues and dilemmas that she identifies, the problems of selection, assessment, integration and the curriculum for special schools are discussed in details, and the position of parents, pupils and teachers within the system is examined. The author gives particular attention in a separate chapter to the problems and position of ethnic minorities.

At the time of original publication, special education in Britain was permeated by an ideology of benevolent humanitarianism and this is ostensibly the moral framework within which the professionals – teachers, educational psychologists, medical officers – operate. The author widens the debate about special education by introducing sociological perspectives and considering the structural relationships that are produced both within the system and in the wider society when part of a mass education system develops separately, as ‘special’ rather than normal. She outlines the origin and development of special education, stressing the conflicts involved and the role played by vested interests, and criticizes the current rhetoric of ‘special needs’. Among the issues and dilemmas that she identifies, the problems of selection, assessment, integration and the curriculum for special schools are discussed in details, and the position of parents, pupils and teachers within the system is examined. The author gives particular attention in a separate chapter to the problems and position of ethnic minorities.

Until this book was published, most writing on special education was about specific disabilities and how to cope with them. This book, however, considers the broader context, looking at many problems for the wider system that have arisen through integration of special education within it. The book is international and comparative in its focus and includes much North American material and work by North American researchers.

A Sociology of Special and Inclusive Education brings sociological perspectives to bear on the social, political and economic policies and practices that comprise special and inclusive education, and the education of lower attainers. Increasingly governments have accepted the premise that education should incorporate all social and ethnic groups, especially those regarded as having special educational needs, disabilities and difficulties in learning, but despite a plethora of literature on special and inclusive education world-wide, governments are still unsure of the reasons for this sector’s expansion in their national education systems. Professor Tomlinson applies critical sociological perspectives to the social processes, policies and practices that comprise special and inclusive education, particularly in England and the USA. She clearly examines the way in which people or groups exercise power and influence to shape this area of education, and discusses the conflicts of interest that arise in resulting social interactions and relationships. Key questions asked include: Why and how has a whole sector of education dealing with young people regarded as having learning difficulties, low attainments, behaviour problems or disabilities developed? How have special education programmes and resources become subsumed into variations of inclusive education? Why have ideological beliefs in hierarchies of ability, limits to learning potential and IQ as measurement continued to legitimate the treatment of young people? What happens to young people after their special, included or lower attainers' programmes, in terms of work and life chances? A Sociology of Special and Inclusive Education will be of interest to a wide range of educators, professionals, practitioners and policy-makers concerned with special, inclusive and vocational education, in addition to undergraduate, post-graduate and research students and academics.

The Politics of Autism investigates the truths and fictions of public understanding about autism, questioning apparent realities too sensitive or impolitic to challenge. Is there really more autism? How has the count expanded by diagnosing autism over other conditions? Have scientific methods in autism diagnosis gone hand-in-hand with autism increases? Are mild autism cases really a 'disorder,' rather than personality variant? Can autism be quiescent in childhood but truly first recognizable in adulthood? Why does popular media often portray people with autism as odd geniuses ignoring the kind of autism most have? Siegel tackles thorny issues and perennial questions: How do we weigh likely treatment gains with treatment costs? Why does our autism education persist in teaching academic subjects some never master? Why do we fail to plan realistically for autistic adulthood? Which parents get caught up in non-mainstream 'treatments' and fear of vaccines? Readers will see an insider's view of controversies in autism research. Siegel's views, sometimes iconoclastic, always frank and informed, challenge broad unexamined assumptions about our understanding of autism. Each chapter addresses different issues, data, and social policy recommendations. A chapter-by-chapter bibliography with URLs provides both popular media and scientific references.

In this groundbreaking volume, scholars examine the achievement/opportunity gaps from both historical and contemporary perspectives, as well as the overrepresentation of minority students in special education and the school-to-prison pipeline. Chapters also address school reform and the impact on students based on race, class, and dis/ability and the capacity of law and policy to include (and exclude).