Holistic Special Education

Parents and professionals working with special needs children are often faced with difficult decisions about the best ways to educate such children. This book presents a case for holistic special education as practiced by Camphill villages and schools. Camphill's holistic approach embraces education and therapy in a number of different forms, including all aspects of care--from nutrition and daily skills to bedtime routines--as well as craft work and medical treatment. It emphasizes the importance of the creative arts alongside core aspects of curriculum such as literacy and math. Camphill philosophy holds that the relationship between the child and the adult coworker should be one of mutual teaching and learning. It recognizes parents, not as recipients of a service, but as equal and active partners, while striving to develop the physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of a child. Written by people who are actively involved in holistic special education on a daily basis, this is an honest and informative manual that will be valued by parents and professionals alike.