Educational Infrastructures and Engines of Change

Just as physical infrastructures represent supports for our transportation and

communication systems, the educational infrastructure (such as schools, courts,
and the legal system) represents supports for the educational service delivery
that we hope to provide. The infrastructure in education is only partly formed,
and its needs will be a topic in many chapters. For the fi rst time, we have also
included discussion of the four engines of change; legislation, court decisions,
administrative rules, and professional initiatives as a way of showing how we can
move forward as a fi eld.
Genetic-Environmental Interaction
The newest information from the rapidly expanding fi eld of genetics, following
the Human Genome Project, has many potential applications to children with
exceptionalities and these are highlighted in individual chapters.
Ecology of the Child
We pay attention to the cultural context in which the exceptional child lives.
So family, peers, culture, and community play a continuing role regardless of
the specifi c children under discussion. The ecology of the child is one of the elements
that can be productively changed to aid the adaptation of the child with
special needs.

What’s New In the Twelfth Edition?

As stated above, this new edition represents a thorough and substantial revision.
We have updated the text with hundreds of new references and sources of
information. In addition to the key themes listed above, we have expanded our
discussion of the continued disproportionate representation of children from
culturally and linguistically diverse and economically disadvantaged families.
We have also provided more information on how professionals and families can
work together to meet the child’s needs.
Expanded and Improved Text Features
We have tried to make the twelfth edition more “user-friendly” for both instructors
and students. To this end, we have incorporated the following new and
improved pedagogical features in each chapter:
• Focus Questions begin each chapter and preview key chapter topics
• Key words are bold within the text, listed at the end of each chapter,
and included in the glossary at the end of the book.
• HM Video Case Boxes (New!) are incorporated within each text chapter.
Each video case box highlights a relevant HM Video Case that can
be viewed on the student website, and includes refl ective content for
students. These video case boxes can be used to spark discussions about
critical issues that are covered in the chapter.