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How the Special Needs Brain Learns
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How the Special Needs Brain Learns

Third Edition


March 2016 | 296 pages | Corwin

Teaching students with learning challenges just got easier with this groundbreaking guide!

More and more students are having difficulty acquiring basic reading, writing, and computation skills. If you seek effective strategies to meet their needs, look no further! Use this updated third edition from education expert David A. Sousa to explore the causes of many common learning disorders and discover how to identify, accommodate, and motivate your students. Dr. Sousa answers your questions about common disabilities and provides the latest alternative instructional approaches to ensure mastery occurs. Discover cutting-edge brain research and innovative instructional strategies to help you:

  • Improve your understanding of the learning process 
  • Understand genetic and environmental triggers of learning problems
  • Effectively instruct students with ADHD, LD, dyslexia, writing disabilities, autism, emotional and behavioral challenges, and more 
  • Utilize assistive technologies to remove barriers to learning
  • Differentiate instruction in speech, reading, writing, and mathematics

Learn how the brain works and the practical know-how to transfer that knowledge to the classroom for the benefit of all students. This expert resource shows you how!

"By providing the specific neurological processes behind learning difficulties, Dr. Sousa gives teachers and teacher candidates a useful resource to understand and respond to challenges experienced by students with learning difficulties and special educational needs."
Gina Garner, Assistant Professor of Education, Learning Disabilities Program Director
Aquinas College


"This book provides knowledge of the neurological basis of learning without inundating the reader with complex terminology. The author arms the reader with strategies to address various disabilities and a plethora of ways to support their learning and emotional needs. The teacher-friendliness of this book makes it stand out."
Francine Del Vecchio, Associate Professor
Division of Education, Caldwell University


 
List of Strategies to Consider
 
About the Author
 
Preface to the Third Edition
 
Acknowledgments
 
Introduction
 
Chapter 1 - The Brain and Learning
 
Chapter 2 - When Learning Difficulties Arise
 
Chapter 3 - Attention Disorders
 
Chapter 4 - Speech Difficulties
 
Chapter 5 - Reading Disabilities
 
Chapter 6 - Writing Disabilities
 
Chapter 7 - Mathematical Disabilities
 
Chapter 8 - Emotional and Behavioral Disorders
 
Chapter 9 - Autism Spectrum Disorder
 
Chapter 10 - Putting It All Together
 
Glossary
 
References
 
Resources
 
Index

"How the Special Needs Brain Learns makes a distinct contribution to the field. It provides knowledge of the neurological basis of learning without inundating the reader with biological terminology. The various categories of disabilities are defined and described in terms that teachers can understand. But Dr. Sousa does not leave the reader there. He arms the reader with strategies to address various disabilities and a plethora of ways to support their learning and emotional needs. The teacher-friendliness of this book makes it stand out in its field."

Francine Del Vecchio, Ed.D., Associate Professor, Division of Education
Caldwell University

"Understanding how individuals learn…or why they may fail to learn…is an integral part of what makes teachers effective with students who have special learning needs as well as with those who don’t.  Dr. Sousa’s text provides an easy-to-read explanation of both how the brain functions and how that functioning impacts the learning process. But it doesn’t stop there. Each chapter offers practical information, suggestions, or strategies that can be used to help struggling students learn."

Dr. Nancy G. Burton, Associate Professor of Education-SPED
Concord University

"Understanding brain development is of critical importance to the field of education. Of all the books I have used, those written by David Sousa have been the most readable and understandable. The strategies included in this new edition of How the Special Needs Brain Learns can be easily carried out in the classroom. I think I have all that he has written regarding the brain."

Sharon Carter, Associate Professor
Davidson County Community College

"How the Special Needs Brain Learns, Third Edition provides key biological and neurological information for issues that I think many teachers attribute purely to attitude and will. By providing the specific neurological processes behind learning difficulties, Dr. Sousa gives teachers and teacher candidates a useful resource to understand and respond to challenges experienced by students with learning difficulties and special educational needs."

Gina Garner, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Education, Learning Disabilities Program Director
Aquinas College

"A major strength of the third edition of How the Special Needs Brain Learns is that it clearly addresses all major areas of learning in which students with disabilities experience problems. The author has done an excellent job in balancing what we know about the brain and how this can be applied in the classroom. It bridges the field of neuroscience and education well!"

Beverly Kling, Ed.D., Professor
Kean University

I liked the format and the way the information was presented.

Dr Jeanea Lambeth
Technology and Workforce Learning, Pittsburg State University
May 13, 2016

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