Supporting English Learners with Exceptional Needs

Educators working with English learners face challenges beyond teaching academic content in languages new to the students. The added layer of problem-solving for students who may have exceptional needs and providing the appropriate support can be a complex process that involves careful decision making. This book provides a discussion of strengths-based and deficit-based mindsets, collaborative problem-solving, and universal supports for curriculum access. Discover the importance of problem-solving processes at all levels, inclusive approaches to education, and a commitment to appropriate special education identification. Each chapter includes vignettes, discussion of key concepts, practical approaches and strategies, and reflection or discussion questions. Explore the topics of a strengths-based approach to considering English learners, their abilities, and needs; policies that affect English learners and how they intersect in day-to-day practice; structures present in responsive, culturally sustaining schools and classrooms; targeted supports and response-to-intervention practices for English learners with academic or behavioral needs; recommended assessment and identification practices for English learners; and more!

Patricia Rice Doran is an Associate Professor of Special Education at Towson University, where her research and teaching focus on supporting English learners with and without disabilities, inclusive practice, and collaborative problem-solving practices for diverse learners. She lives outside Baltimore, Maryland with her family. Dr. Amy K. Noggle currently serves as Coordinator of the Early Childhood/Special Education program at Towson University. For a decade, she taught early childhood special education in a metropolitan Maryland school district. Her research interests include father involvement, policy issues, and the inclusion of CLD families in special education processes. Her work has been published in the Early Childhood Education Journal and Young Exceptional Children.