Once you have seen an autistic child that is what you have seen ? one, unique individual. Jack E. George is a veteran Special Education teacher who has taught some of the most difficult autistic children to go through the California school systems. The Autism Handbook is a snapshot of some of the children he has worked with and is gently layered with easy to understand information on diagnosis, dealing with the American school systems and parental advice. This is a must read book for families, friends, college students, teachers, social workers or anyone struggling to understand this complicated disability.

Once you have seen an autistic child that is what you have seen - "one, unique individual." Jack E. George is a veteran Special Education teacher who has taught some of the most difficult autistic children to go through the California school systems. "The Autism Handbook" is a snapshot of some of the children he has worked with and is gently layered with easy to understand information on diagnosis, dealing with the American school systems and parental advice. This is a "must" read book for families, friends, college students, teachers, social workers or anyone struggling to understand this complicated disability. About the Author Jack E. George earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology from the University of California, Stanislaus. After graduating he began his career in education. He quickly realized how many students fell behind in the system yet were promoted year after year. He opened the first tutoring center in Stanislaus County to try and meet the needs of some of these students. After the success of the center he opened Creekside Private School for Grades K-9. This is where he began mainstreaming - placing students with various educational disabilities into a regular classroom. He went on to earn his Master of Arts Degree in Special Education from Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, California. His training also includes the specialized TEACCH program, the PECS system, ABA and others. He is currently living in Baja California, Mexico where he has started a non-profit organization to assist people with disabilities. He is also writing his next book, "The Autistic Adult Handbook."

"A collection of ten short stories that all take place in the same day about kids walking home from school"--

Children are already learning at birth, and they develop and learn at a rapid pace in their early years. This provides a critical foundation for lifelong progress, and the adults who provide for the care and the education of young children bear a great responsibility for their health, development, and learning. Despite the fact that they share the same objective - to nurture young children and secure their future success - the various practitioners who contribute to the care and the education of children from birth through age 8 are not acknowledged as a workforce unified by the common knowledge and competencies needed to do their jobs well. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 explores the science of child development, particularly looking at implications for the professionals who work with children. This report examines the current capacities and practices of the workforce, the settings in which they work, the policies and infrastructure that set qualifications and provide professional learning, and the government agencies and other funders who support and oversee these systems. This book then makes recommendations to improve the quality of professional practice and the practice environment for care and education professionals. These detailed recommendations create a blueprint for action that builds on a unifying foundation of child development and early learning, shared knowledge and competencies for care and education professionals, and principles for effective professional learning. Young children thrive and learn best when they have secure, positive relationships with adults who are knowledgeable about how to support their development and learning and are responsive to their individual progress. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 offers guidance on system changes to improve the quality of professional practice, specific actions to improve professional learning systems and workforce development, and research to continue to build the knowledge base in ways that will directly advance and inform future actions. The recommendations of this book provide an opportunity to improve the quality of the care and the education that children receive, and ultimately improve outcomes for children.

Report of the National Reading Panel : hearing before a subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations, United States Senate; One Hundred Sixth Congress, second session; special heÅ April 13, 2000; Washington, DC.