Recommended Reading

Learning Disabilities and Challenging Behaviors: A Guide to Intervention and Classroom Management
by Nancy Mather and Sam Goldstein
Baltimore:  Paul A. Brookes, 2001
ISBN:  1-55766-500-1

Dr. Mather, associate professor of Special Education at the University of Arizona, is a specialist in reading, writing, and learning disabilities. Dr. Goldstein, clinical neuropsychologist and school psychologist, specializes in Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder as well as general childhood development topics. In introducing their book, they write, "This is not a typical introductory textbook about learning disabilities or classroom behavior problems. Although we explain various learning and behavior problems and describe informal ways to assess these difficulties, the main focus is on identifying the developmental, learning, and behavior skills of children and the practical strategies and techniques that will be most effective for helping them to succeed in school."

The book begins with a description of their Building Blocks of Learning. (See excerpt among articles above.) It explores in detail the Foundational Blocks, including various learning, emotional, and behavior problems and the effects of school environment; the Symbolic Blocks, including how to identify and develop visual, auditory, and motor skills especially in relation to learning the language arts and math; and the Conceptual Blocks, including thinking with language, images, and strategies and their applications to learning the basic skills.

In the book you will find many examples from real classrooms, samples of students' work, and specific strategies that have been useful in helping students to overcome difficulties. There is also a useful diagnostic questionnaire to assess student competence in the Building Blocks, as well as an excellent list of other resources. We highly recommend this book for Inclusive classrooms as well as for any teacher who deals with a diversity of students could that be most of us?

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This information is provided by:
Office of State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Special Education
P O Box 47200
Olympia, WA 98504-7200
(360) 725-6088
Fax (360)586-1631
E-mail: dgill@ospi.wednet.edu