Library guides: Special needs education: Reference sources

Reference sources

To check a definition, clarify unfamiliar words, gather background information on your topic, and/or develop your understanding of its terminology, an excellent place to start is to use an authoritative online or hard copy dictionary or encyclopedia.

Encyclopedia of special education, Volume 1 : A reference for the education of children, adolescents, and adults disabilities and other exceptional individuals
The only comprehensive reference devoted to special education the highly acclaimed Encyclopedia of Special Education addresses issues of importance ranging from theory to practice and is a critical reference for researchers as well as those working in the special education field.
Handbook of autism and pervasive developmental disorders
Includes assessment, interventions, public policy perspectives, international perspectives and personal perspectives.
International Encyclopedia of Education by Rob Tierney (Editor-In-Chief); Fazal Rizvi (Editor-In-Chief); Kadriye Ercikan (Editor-In-Chief)
International Encyclopedia of Education, Fourth Edition updates readers on emerging interests and developments in the field. The book presents comprehensive reviews of research in various areas, but also includes illustrations/examples from regions, nations, locations--situated and contrastive (i.e., rather than exemplars serving transferability rather than generalizability avoiding standardization and homogenizations). In so doing, this encyclopedia can serve topic-specific purposes as well as be enlisted in a fashion which binds together separate entries. Sections provide comprehensive reviews and the state of research, theory and practice in a fashion that is both historic and developmental.
The SAGE Handbook of autism and education
Education is an important aspect of the environmental influences on autism and effective education can have a significant effect on outcome for those on the autism spectrum. This handbook is a definitive resource for reflective practitioners and researchers who wish to know and understand current views of the nature of autism and best practice in educational support. It explores the key concepts, debates and research areas in the field.
The SAGE Handbook of Special Education
In recent years there has been increasingly vigorous debate about the nature and purpose of special education, and what might be considered the appropriate responses to pupils who experience difficulties in learning. This Handbook brings together the most up to date knowledge of this area and will serve as the major source book of authoritative information and ideas about current and future directions for special education.

Macquarie Dictionary Online
The Macquarie Dictionary & Thesaurus Online features easy, comprehensive and interactive searching of over 121,000 headwords and phrases and over 210,000 definitions, with the ability to search either the dictionary, thesaurus or both.
Oxford Reference
Oxford Reference is the home of Oxford’s quality reference publishing, bringing together over 2 million entries, many of which are illustrated, into a single cross-searchable resource. Newly relaunched with a brand new look and feel, and specifically designed to meet the needs and expectations of reference users, Oxford Reference provides quality, up-to-date reference content at the click of a button. Made up of two main collections, both fully integrated and cross-searchable, Oxford Reference couples Oxford’s trusted A-Z reference material with an intuitive design to deliver a discoverable, up-to-date, and expanding reference resource.