This 184-page book addresses issues and describes strategies for maximizing the science learning of students with disabilities.

The purpose of this book is to help teachers understand how they can help students with disabilities to reach their potential. The intended audience is K-12 science teachers who teach students with disabilities. The book would also be appropriate for use with pre-service science teachers.

Science Success for Students with Disabilities provides alternative strategies for teaching science to students with disabilities to accommodate their needs. Classroom-tested strategies presented in the book assist teachers in planning inclusive instruction, recognizing and dealing with barriers to effective teaching, and utilizing technology to minimize barriers to learning. The book describes changes that teachers can make to accommodate disabled students with impairments of vision, speech or hearing, as well as those with physical, emotional, or learning disabilities.

This guide was written as a result of two studies funded by the National Science Foundation. The first study, Research to Identify Critical Factors Contributing to Entry and Advancement in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Fields by Disabled Persons, revealed the crucial role that science teachers play in encouraging young people with disabilities to pursue higher education and careers in science. The second study focused specifically on developing instructional materials that would be useful to science teachers as they encounter intellectually-able students with disabilities in regular classes.

Part A effectively describes and justifies the need to recognize potential in students with disabilities and to accommodate their learning needs. The remaining text is dedicated to practical considerations in planning and managing the teaching and learning process for students with disabilities. The author intersperses occasional theoretical and anecdotal information in support of the ideas or methods discussed. The appropriate grade span for recommended strategies is indicated, and the variety of activities and specific types of disabilities in which alternative strategies are likely to be useful are conveniently listed in a table, which greatly enhances the publication's utility as a reference for lesson planning.

Science Success for Students with Disabilities is user-friendly and well organized. The discussions are attuned to hands-on instruction and considerations of the instructional environment appropriate for effective science teaching. Sensitivity to the nature of science and science inquiry is reflected throughout the document. The book advocates approaches to science instruction that are recognized as effective for all students, but are particularly important when striving for educational equity for students with disabilities: hands-on and multi-sensory approaches; use of cooperative learning strategies; and taking an interdisciplinary approach that integrates reading, writing, and mathematics.

Reviewers noted that this book could best be used in professional development as a key text to prepare pre-service or in-service teachers to work with students with special needs. It would also serve teachers well as a reference for science lesson planning, in conjunction with other materials to focus on science content and pedagogy. These combined materials would enable teachers to enhance their backgrounds in science content and teaching methods as they learn about alternative strategies for removing learning impediments for students with disabilities. Teachers could also consider such strategies in the context of specific curricula used in their classrooms.

None.