- Email: [email protected]
Encyclopedia of special education
Book and Test Reviews
95
with a myriad of methodological problems and this chapter addressed many of these issues. Section VI deals with “Developmental Issues” and is comprised of only one Chapter (19) by Fletcher, Miner, and Ewing-Cobbs. This excellent chapter reviews the importance of understanding the timing of brain injury as it occurs in the context of emergent developmental stages. As Fletcher et al. state “ . . . recovery of function is an issue involving not only sparing and restoration of various behaviors, but also the complex issues of how growth and development proceed in an abnormal brain” (p. 289). Disturbance in memory function is the ubiquitous post traumatic symptom with all types of brain injury. Thus, it is only fitting that an entire section (Section VII) is devoted to “Memory Disturbance.” Baddeley et al. (Chapter 20) provide a thorough review of memory dysfunction in general with specific attention to the most common deficits typically associated with CHI. This is followed by a Chapter (21) by Corkin et al. that reviews research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Clinical Research Center Data Bank on the head injury survivors from the Korean Conflict. Their research suggests that penetrating injuries may have a more substantial effect on memory. This section on memory disorders concludes with two chapters by Crovitz (22) and Tulving (23) dealing with methodological issues. The last section (Section VIII) deals with “Attention After Head Injury” and focuses on advances in measurement of attention and integration of experimental models of attentional mechanisms with attentional deficits associated with TBI. Gronwall (Chapter 24) reviews her important research in this area. The Chapters by Buchtel (Chapter 25) and Papanicolaou (Chapter 26) briefly review attention and vigilance from behavioral and electrophysiological indices. The two concluding chapters of this section and the book deal with theoretical concepts of selective attention (Chapter 27 by Posner) and different dimensions of attention (Chapter 28 by Zomeren and Brouwer). This is an excellent text and essential reading for the researcher and clinician who deals with traumatic brain injury. It is very readable and well edited. This text can be highly recommended.
Erin D. Bigler Austin Neurological Clinic and University of Texas at Austin
Encyclopedia of Special Education, by Cecil R. Reynolds
and Lester Mann (Eds.).
New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1987. 1793 pp., $250.00.* The Encyclopedia of Special Education is a 3 volume reference set concerned with a broad range of issues relative to special education. The publication of such a compendium reflects the expansion of a field from the early attempts to meet the needs of a few children, to a discipline concerned with a wide range of disorders and
*Editorial
decisions
on this paper were made by the Edltor-in-Chief.
96
Book and Test Reviews
professional approaches. In light of the interaction between special education and related professions, an edition such as the Encyclopedia has the potential of providing a reference base for both the educational community and professionals in areas of psychology, medicine, health care, social work, and the law. Indeed, special education is not a single discipline and as such concerns itself with issues which cross traditional professional lines. Clearly, this is true in areas such as neuropsychology. The tacit assumption here being that neuropsychology could, or should, have an impact on the underpinnings of special education. Essentially the Encyclopedia of Special Education is an achievement which should serve as a ready reference for those in disciplines co-lateral to special education, including neuropsychology. With few exceptions, the coverage of neuropsychological issues, in these volumes, is broad-ranged and representative of the basic and clinical research in the field. The present review focuses both on the coverage of neuropsychology and the value the encyclopedia holds for the neuropsychologist in matters pertinent to special education. In keeping with its encyclopedic approach, the over two thousand entries are organized alphabetically. With the use of accompanying cross-references, subjects are found with reasonable ease. As explained in the preface there is also a conceptual grouping of seven major topics: (1) Biographies; (2) Educational and psychological tests; (3) Interventions and service delivery; (4) Handicapping conditions; (5) Related services; (6) Legal issues; and, (7) Miscellaneous entries. In addition, there are entries on various institutes, journals, and associations which are of interest in special education. In general, organization of the Encyclopedia works well for the reader with a general interest in the area. The direct manner of simply alphabetizing, as opposed to chapters conceptually organized, would appear to be of high utility to those professionals referencing topics outside their specialty. This organization allows one to focus on a subject without the need of indexes. It is quite reasonable to expect that an encyclopedia will not be all things to all people. By its nature such a reference book is expected to provide terse yet comprehensive coverage over a broad area. Within the field of neuropsychology, we find entries which represent the interplay of neuropsychology with the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of the special child. Included as part of the various articles in the field of neuropsychology are topics concerned with Neuropsychological Abnormalities, Attention-Deficit Disorder, Brain Damage, Brain Tumors, Cerebellar Disorders, Cognitive Retraining, Dyslexia, Dysphasia, Head Injury, Hydrocephalus, Left-Brain, Right Brain, and a variety of specific neuropsychological disorders. In most cases, the authors chosen to review these topics are recognizable authorities. An example of the format and depth of entry in the field of neuropsychology is demonstrated in the review of “left-brain, right-brain functions.” This is an area with which special educators are presently over-whelmed. As the author (Telzrow, p. 944) of the article points out, many inappropriate and frivolous treatment strategies are being presented to special educators in the name neuropsychology. Such applications are often naively offered without an empirical foundation. Although the scope of the article is impressive, it would have been helpful to offer some insight into remediation. This would have been particularly opportune in light of the author’s distinguished background in the area. This may be more a criticism of the space available
Book and Test Reviews
97
and the encyclopedia’s format which limits coverage, rather than the presentation itself. One objective of such an edited volume is to provide a gamut of topics. However, this format imposes a practical limitation on contributions. For example, in a section on learning disability subtypes, issues are presented with a focus on a specific literature base. Unfortunately the author (Lackaye, p. 939), while discussing many of the psychometric issues underlying various subtypes, failed to review the plausible etiological hypotheses from the available research. Subtyping in the field of learning disabilities does not just rely upon psychometric measures, but can also be seen to consider the underlying neuropsychological functions for which a significant body of literature exists. Fortunately, the Editors have included additional references with which such topics might be followed up. The article overviewing childhood head injury (Long, p. 762), demonstrates a concise, yet reasonable attempt at broad coverage of high utility to practitioners. This piece portrays the use of the Encyclopedia as a readable “desk reference.” The author examined the incidence, characteristics, and prognosis of childhood head injury with an excellent summary. The recommended guidelines for dealing with head injured children are pertinent and succinct. A review representing more extensive coverage than many of other neuropsychology articles, is that on brain damage. Particular attention is given to the issues of early brain damage versus that occurring later in life. A confused topic in the literature, (Long, p. 238) points out, that not all childhood brain damage is benefited by neural plasticity, even in the early stages of life. In fact, many of the predictors of recovery for head injury in children are those similar for adults, (i.e., nature, location, degree of injury, sex, and demographic factors). Such being the case the author provides a survey of diagnostic issues useful with children. The article also represents an attempt to include those issues which represent the best practices in the field of remediation. In this regard, Long reviews issues relative to strength and deficit intervention models, most often the applied remedial procedures of choice in dealing with brain damage. Further, the author goes on to outline some of the cognitive and behavioral implications of brain damage with special focus on educational remediation. Representative of the broad range of issues in neuropsychology, a discussion of specific brain disorders is offered in this 3 volume set. However, in some cases, it would seem to have been better to have considered such disorders individually. For instance, three examples of childhood demyelinating leukodystrophies (i.e., Krabbe’s disease, Grienfield’s disease, and Alexander’s disease) might have been better treated as childhood diseases, rather than being included with adult degenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s, Pick’s, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob’s disease. This would have allowed a more cohesive discussion directed more to the concerns of special education. Fortunately, the melding of child and adult disorders is not a frequent occurrence in the Encyclopedia. In discussing child neuropsychology in the context of various childhood issues, it would be remiss to leave out an overview of maturation and stages of neurological growth. A review of that which the author (Sautter, p. 243) refers to as ‘brain growth periodization’ is included in the encyclopedia. Indeed, neuropsychological developments have clear diagnostic and remedial implications for instructional program-
98
Book and Test Reviews
ming with special children. It seems that a half page does not begin to address the concerns of the special educator. Clearly, an understanding of neurological growth, and its concomitant intellectual functions, is fundamental to understanding of many remedial programming issues. In fact, the Encyclopedia might have taken some advantage of the opportunity to offer an overview of how neuro-development sets the upper limits for remediation. An example of a realistic approach might have been to include information on various remedial reading techniques which might be appropriate for intervention, given a child’s stage of development. The educational system seeks direction in such matters of instruction, some of which might have come from such an article in the Encyclopedia. In another area of neuropsychological coverage important for special education, several sections are devoted to past and present terms with questionable validity (e.g., neurolinguistics, patterning, minimal brain dysfunction (MBD), developmental delay, etc.). While some would dispute the value of including items without clear scientific merit, it is a credit to the editors that they have included such items which, if for no other reason, offer a perspective to special education. Perhaps because neuropsychology has biological and medical underpinnings it is susceptible to providing support for unsubstantiated theories. Ignoring past attempts at theorizing would perhaps serve notice as to their lack of credibility; however, by including such topics as neurolinguistics, Doman-Delacato’s treatment methods of the readingdisabled, and oft-used phrases such as minimal brain dysfunction, we are offered examples of our historical false starts. Indeed, this historical perspective gives the adventurous novice a caution for interpretative claims of the day. Such caution is particularly necessary in the field of special education where hope for a panacea frequently outweighs empirical support. Some areas of neuropsychological research are notable by their absence. This is certainly the case with respect to brain electrical activity mapping (BEAM). A reasonably new non-invasive technique yet one which should have an impact on the diagnostic scheme of brain behavior. Also, various “cognitive” approaches are mentioned (e.g., cognitive behavior therapy, cognitive development, cognitive retraining, cognitive styles, etc.). However, there was no mention of on-going research efforts to merge cognitive research and neuropsychology, which probably deserves some consideration. Another concern in reviewing the Encyclopedia is its value as a reference to special education for related professionals. The Encyclopedia would seem to offer the neuropsychologist a ready reference. For instance, an entry on Adaptive Physical Education (Burke, p. 33) which overviews this programming for children with various physical disabilities, would be of value to the neuropsychologist making recommendations to the schools. For the neuropsychologist to work successfully with the school-aged child, an awareness of institutional programs available in the public schools is an asset. Such an awareness is a genuine concern, given the varied needs of special children. There is a present-day attempt, within the context of programming for special children in schools, to program their instructional needs within the limits of their perceived ability; the neuropsychologist will want to explore such programming potential in this regard. It would seem, therefore, that the Encyclopedia offers the practicing neuropsychologist a basis for school consultation and the recommendation of remedial programs.
Book and Test Reviews
99
In sum, the Encyclopedia provides a reasonable survey of topics in special education for which a neuropsychologist would find of interest. Given the breadth of the 3 volume set, it is a resource of some value for both the special educator and neuropsychologist. Unfortunately, the price of producing such a set will limit those who eventually purchase it. Perhaps it is economically best suited for reference libraries or for those in settings where a number of clinicians might access it. The articles tend to be well written by authors respected both in the field of special education and neuropsychology. Clearly, it is rare to have so many noted authorities as part of one piece of work.
Brandon Davis Neuropsychology Laboratory Ball State University
95
with a myriad of methodological problems and this chapter addressed many of these issues. Section VI deals with “Developmental Issues” and is comprised of only one Chapter (19) by Fletcher, Miner, and Ewing-Cobbs. This excellent chapter reviews the importance of understanding the timing of brain injury as it occurs in the context of emergent developmental stages. As Fletcher et al. state “ . . . recovery of function is an issue involving not only sparing and restoration of various behaviors, but also the complex issues of how growth and development proceed in an abnormal brain” (p. 289). Disturbance in memory function is the ubiquitous post traumatic symptom with all types of brain injury. Thus, it is only fitting that an entire section (Section VII) is devoted to “Memory Disturbance.” Baddeley et al. (Chapter 20) provide a thorough review of memory dysfunction in general with specific attention to the most common deficits typically associated with CHI. This is followed by a Chapter (21) by Corkin et al. that reviews research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Clinical Research Center Data Bank on the head injury survivors from the Korean Conflict. Their research suggests that penetrating injuries may have a more substantial effect on memory. This section on memory disorders concludes with two chapters by Crovitz (22) and Tulving (23) dealing with methodological issues. The last section (Section VIII) deals with “Attention After Head Injury” and focuses on advances in measurement of attention and integration of experimental models of attentional mechanisms with attentional deficits associated with TBI. Gronwall (Chapter 24) reviews her important research in this area. The Chapters by Buchtel (Chapter 25) and Papanicolaou (Chapter 26) briefly review attention and vigilance from behavioral and electrophysiological indices. The two concluding chapters of this section and the book deal with theoretical concepts of selective attention (Chapter 27 by Posner) and different dimensions of attention (Chapter 28 by Zomeren and Brouwer). This is an excellent text and essential reading for the researcher and clinician who deals with traumatic brain injury. It is very readable and well edited. This text can be highly recommended.
Erin D. Bigler Austin Neurological Clinic and University of Texas at Austin
Encyclopedia of Special Education, by Cecil R. Reynolds
and Lester Mann (Eds.).
New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1987. 1793 pp., $250.00.* The Encyclopedia of Special Education is a 3 volume reference set concerned with a broad range of issues relative to special education. The publication of such a compendium reflects the expansion of a field from the early attempts to meet the needs of a few children, to a discipline concerned with a wide range of disorders and
*Editorial
decisions
on this paper were made by the Edltor-in-Chief.
96
Book and Test Reviews
professional approaches. In light of the interaction between special education and related professions, an edition such as the Encyclopedia has the potential of providing a reference base for both the educational community and professionals in areas of psychology, medicine, health care, social work, and the law. Indeed, special education is not a single discipline and as such concerns itself with issues which cross traditional professional lines. Clearly, this is true in areas such as neuropsychology. The tacit assumption here being that neuropsychology could, or should, have an impact on the underpinnings of special education. Essentially the Encyclopedia of Special Education is an achievement which should serve as a ready reference for those in disciplines co-lateral to special education, including neuropsychology. With few exceptions, the coverage of neuropsychological issues, in these volumes, is broad-ranged and representative of the basic and clinical research in the field. The present review focuses both on the coverage of neuropsychology and the value the encyclopedia holds for the neuropsychologist in matters pertinent to special education. In keeping with its encyclopedic approach, the over two thousand entries are organized alphabetically. With the use of accompanying cross-references, subjects are found with reasonable ease. As explained in the preface there is also a conceptual grouping of seven major topics: (1) Biographies; (2) Educational and psychological tests; (3) Interventions and service delivery; (4) Handicapping conditions; (5) Related services; (6) Legal issues; and, (7) Miscellaneous entries. In addition, there are entries on various institutes, journals, and associations which are of interest in special education. In general, organization of the Encyclopedia works well for the reader with a general interest in the area. The direct manner of simply alphabetizing, as opposed to chapters conceptually organized, would appear to be of high utility to those professionals referencing topics outside their specialty. This organization allows one to focus on a subject without the need of indexes. It is quite reasonable to expect that an encyclopedia will not be all things to all people. By its nature such a reference book is expected to provide terse yet comprehensive coverage over a broad area. Within the field of neuropsychology, we find entries which represent the interplay of neuropsychology with the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of the special child. Included as part of the various articles in the field of neuropsychology are topics concerned with Neuropsychological Abnormalities, Attention-Deficit Disorder, Brain Damage, Brain Tumors, Cerebellar Disorders, Cognitive Retraining, Dyslexia, Dysphasia, Head Injury, Hydrocephalus, Left-Brain, Right Brain, and a variety of specific neuropsychological disorders. In most cases, the authors chosen to review these topics are recognizable authorities. An example of the format and depth of entry in the field of neuropsychology is demonstrated in the review of “left-brain, right-brain functions.” This is an area with which special educators are presently over-whelmed. As the author (Telzrow, p. 944) of the article points out, many inappropriate and frivolous treatment strategies are being presented to special educators in the name neuropsychology. Such applications are often naively offered without an empirical foundation. Although the scope of the article is impressive, it would have been helpful to offer some insight into remediation. This would have been particularly opportune in light of the author’s distinguished background in the area. This may be more a criticism of the space available
Book and Test Reviews
97
and the encyclopedia’s format which limits coverage, rather than the presentation itself. One objective of such an edited volume is to provide a gamut of topics. However, this format imposes a practical limitation on contributions. For example, in a section on learning disability subtypes, issues are presented with a focus on a specific literature base. Unfortunately the author (Lackaye, p. 939), while discussing many of the psychometric issues underlying various subtypes, failed to review the plausible etiological hypotheses from the available research. Subtyping in the field of learning disabilities does not just rely upon psychometric measures, but can also be seen to consider the underlying neuropsychological functions for which a significant body of literature exists. Fortunately, the Editors have included additional references with which such topics might be followed up. The article overviewing childhood head injury (Long, p. 762), demonstrates a concise, yet reasonable attempt at broad coverage of high utility to practitioners. This piece portrays the use of the Encyclopedia as a readable “desk reference.” The author examined the incidence, characteristics, and prognosis of childhood head injury with an excellent summary. The recommended guidelines for dealing with head injured children are pertinent and succinct. A review representing more extensive coverage than many of other neuropsychology articles, is that on brain damage. Particular attention is given to the issues of early brain damage versus that occurring later in life. A confused topic in the literature, (Long, p. 238) points out, that not all childhood brain damage is benefited by neural plasticity, even in the early stages of life. In fact, many of the predictors of recovery for head injury in children are those similar for adults, (i.e., nature, location, degree of injury, sex, and demographic factors). Such being the case the author provides a survey of diagnostic issues useful with children. The article also represents an attempt to include those issues which represent the best practices in the field of remediation. In this regard, Long reviews issues relative to strength and deficit intervention models, most often the applied remedial procedures of choice in dealing with brain damage. Further, the author goes on to outline some of the cognitive and behavioral implications of brain damage with special focus on educational remediation. Representative of the broad range of issues in neuropsychology, a discussion of specific brain disorders is offered in this 3 volume set. However, in some cases, it would seem to have been better to have considered such disorders individually. For instance, three examples of childhood demyelinating leukodystrophies (i.e., Krabbe’s disease, Grienfield’s disease, and Alexander’s disease) might have been better treated as childhood diseases, rather than being included with adult degenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s, Pick’s, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob’s disease. This would have allowed a more cohesive discussion directed more to the concerns of special education. Fortunately, the melding of child and adult disorders is not a frequent occurrence in the Encyclopedia. In discussing child neuropsychology in the context of various childhood issues, it would be remiss to leave out an overview of maturation and stages of neurological growth. A review of that which the author (Sautter, p. 243) refers to as ‘brain growth periodization’ is included in the encyclopedia. Indeed, neuropsychological developments have clear diagnostic and remedial implications for instructional program-
98
Book and Test Reviews
ming with special children. It seems that a half page does not begin to address the concerns of the special educator. Clearly, an understanding of neurological growth, and its concomitant intellectual functions, is fundamental to understanding of many remedial programming issues. In fact, the Encyclopedia might have taken some advantage of the opportunity to offer an overview of how neuro-development sets the upper limits for remediation. An example of a realistic approach might have been to include information on various remedial reading techniques which might be appropriate for intervention, given a child’s stage of development. The educational system seeks direction in such matters of instruction, some of which might have come from such an article in the Encyclopedia. In another area of neuropsychological coverage important for special education, several sections are devoted to past and present terms with questionable validity (e.g., neurolinguistics, patterning, minimal brain dysfunction (MBD), developmental delay, etc.). While some would dispute the value of including items without clear scientific merit, it is a credit to the editors that they have included such items which, if for no other reason, offer a perspective to special education. Perhaps because neuropsychology has biological and medical underpinnings it is susceptible to providing support for unsubstantiated theories. Ignoring past attempts at theorizing would perhaps serve notice as to their lack of credibility; however, by including such topics as neurolinguistics, Doman-Delacato’s treatment methods of the readingdisabled, and oft-used phrases such as minimal brain dysfunction, we are offered examples of our historical false starts. Indeed, this historical perspective gives the adventurous novice a caution for interpretative claims of the day. Such caution is particularly necessary in the field of special education where hope for a panacea frequently outweighs empirical support. Some areas of neuropsychological research are notable by their absence. This is certainly the case with respect to brain electrical activity mapping (BEAM). A reasonably new non-invasive technique yet one which should have an impact on the diagnostic scheme of brain behavior. Also, various “cognitive” approaches are mentioned (e.g., cognitive behavior therapy, cognitive development, cognitive retraining, cognitive styles, etc.). However, there was no mention of on-going research efforts to merge cognitive research and neuropsychology, which probably deserves some consideration. Another concern in reviewing the Encyclopedia is its value as a reference to special education for related professionals. The Encyclopedia would seem to offer the neuropsychologist a ready reference. For instance, an entry on Adaptive Physical Education (Burke, p. 33) which overviews this programming for children with various physical disabilities, would be of value to the neuropsychologist making recommendations to the schools. For the neuropsychologist to work successfully with the school-aged child, an awareness of institutional programs available in the public schools is an asset. Such an awareness is a genuine concern, given the varied needs of special children. There is a present-day attempt, within the context of programming for special children in schools, to program their instructional needs within the limits of their perceived ability; the neuropsychologist will want to explore such programming potential in this regard. It would seem, therefore, that the Encyclopedia offers the practicing neuropsychologist a basis for school consultation and the recommendation of remedial programs.
Book and Test Reviews
99
In sum, the Encyclopedia provides a reasonable survey of topics in special education for which a neuropsychologist would find of interest. Given the breadth of the 3 volume set, it is a resource of some value for both the special educator and neuropsychologist. Unfortunately, the price of producing such a set will limit those who eventually purchase it. Perhaps it is economically best suited for reference libraries or for those in settings where a number of clinicians might access it. The articles tend to be well written by authors respected both in the field of special education and neuropsychology. Clearly, it is rare to have so many noted authorities as part of one piece of work.
Brandon Davis Neuropsychology Laboratory Ball State University