Best Special Education Books of 2025

Wilson Cook Avatar
Wilson Cook
Last Updated: Apr 26, 2023

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Special Education Books provide valuable resources for educators and parents of children with special needs. These books cover a wide range of topics, including teaching strategies, behavior management, and understanding specific disabilities such as autism and dyslexia. They offer practical advice and support for those working with individuals who require special education services. These books are written by experts in the field and are designed to be accessible and user-friendly. Whether you are a teacher, parent, or caregiver, Special Education Books can help you better understand and support the needs of those with special needs.

At a Glance: Our Top Picks

Smart but Scattered: The Revolutionary "Executive Skills" Approach to Helping Kids Reach Their Potential Cover#TOP 1
Smart but Scattered: The Revolutionary "Executive Skills" Approach to Helping Kids Reach Their Potential
ftb score rating icon9.8
Applied Behavior Analysis Cover#TOP 2
Applied Behavior Analysis
ftb score rating icon9.7
Taking Charge of ADHD: The Complete, Authoritative Guide for Parents Cover#TOP 3
Taking Charge of ADHD: The Complete, Authoritative Guide for Parents
ftb score rating icon9.5

Top 10 Special Education Books

Smart but Scattered: The Revolutionary "Executive Skills" Approach to Helping Kids Reach Their Potential

Peg Dawson
Richard Guare
Guilford Press
Jan 2, 2009
Smart but Scattered: The Revolutionary "Executive Skills" Approach to Helping Kids Reach Their Potential Cover
Smart but Scattered: The Revolutionary "Executive Skills" Approach to Helping Kids Reach Their Potential
ftb score rating icon9.8
FTB Score

Smart but Scattered: The Revolutionary "Executive Skills" Approach to Helping Kids Reach Their Potential is a comprehensive guide to help parents and teachers manage children's executive skills. The book offers easy-to-follow steps to identify a child's strengths and weaknesses, use activities and techniques to boost specific skills, and problem-solve daily routines. The book is filled with real-world examples and solutions, making it an easy and accessible read. This book is a great resource for parents of children who are struggling with executive skills and provides practical and detailed advice. Overall, it offers hope for children who are struggling and empowers parents to make small changes that can lead to big improvements.

Cooper, John
Heron, Timothy
Heward, William
Pearson
Jul 25, 2019
Applied Behavior Analysis Cover
Applied Behavior Analysis
ftb score rating icon9.7
FTB Score

Applied Behavior Analysis is a comprehensive guide to the principles and procedures for changing and analyzing socially important behavior. The 3rd edition includes updates on topics such as negative reinforcement, motivation, and ethics. It also features two new chapters on Equivalence-based Instruction and Engineering Emergent Learning with Nonequivalence Relations. The book is connected to the BCBA® and BCABA® Behavior Analyst Task List, 5th Edition. This is an essential resource for anyone interested in the field of behavior analysis and is recommended for both professionals and students.

Taking Charge of ADHD: The Complete, Authoritative Guide for Parents

Barkley, Russell A.
The Guilford Press
Jun 12, 2020
Taking Charge of ADHD: The Complete, Authoritative Guide for Parents Cover
Taking Charge of ADHD: The Complete, Authoritative Guide for Parents
ftb score rating icon9.5
FTB Score

The fourth edition of "Taking Charge of ADHD: The Complete, Authoritative Guide for Parents" by Russell A. Barkley is a must-have resource for parents of children with ADHD. The book provides the latest information and resources on the disorder, including a proven eight-step behavior management plan, tips for building academic and social skills, and advice on how to work with school and healthcare professionals. The book also includes a new chapter on health risks associated with ADHD and practical tools for parents. Dr. Barkley's compassionate approach and wealth of experience make this book a valuable guide for parents.

Birsh Ed.D., Judith R.
Carreker M.Ed. Ph.D., Suzanne
Moats Ed.D., Louisa Cook
White Ed.D. CALT-QI BCET, Nancy Cushen
Neuhaus Ph.D., Graham
Beckwith Ed.D., Marilyn C.
DeVito M.A., Carolyn
Trabucco, Gloria
Berninger Ph.D., Virginia W.
Hess Psy.D., Larry E.
Duffy M.S. Ed., Betsy
Schedler Ph.D., Jean Freyer
Uscianowski M.S., Colleen
Brookes Publishing
Aug 21, 2018
Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills Cover
Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills
ftb score rating icon9.3
FTB Score

The fourth edition of "Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills" is a comprehensive guide for educators to improve students' language skills and academic outcomes from elementary to high school. The book covers the systems and structures of the English language, Structured Literacy Instruction, and practical strategies for language and literacy instruction. With new chapters on pre-kindergarten literacy, executive function, and math learning disabilities, the content aligns with the 2018 IDA Knowledge and Practice Standards for Teachers of Reading. The book is an essential reference and professional development resource that prepares educators to be thoughtful, skilled, and compassionate teachers of reading and language arts.

Smart but Scattered Teens: The "Executive Skills" Program for Helping Teens Reach Their Potential

Guare, Richard
Dawson, Peg
Guare, Colin
The Guilford Press
Dec 17, 2012
Smart but Scattered Teens: The "Executive Skills" Program for Helping Teens Reach Their Potential Cover
Smart but Scattered Teens: The "Executive Skills" Program for Helping Teens Reach Their Potential
ftb score rating icon9.3
FTB Score

The book "Smart but Scattered Teens: The 'Executive Skills' Program for Helping Teens Reach Their Potential" provides a science-based program for parents of "smart but scattered" teens to help them grow into a self-sufficient, responsible adult. The authors, Richard Guare, Peg Dawson, and Colin Guare, offer step-by-step strategies to help teens get organized, stay focused, control impulses, and emotions. The book is filled with helpful worksheets and forms that can be downloaded and printed. It is an absolute must-read for parents who want to help their teens reach their full potential, and the strategies provided in the book are sure to make your relationship with your teen stronger.

The Reading Comprehension Blueprint: Helping Students Make Meaning from Text

Hennessy M.Ed., Nancy
Moats Ed.D., Louisa Cook
Brookes Publishing
Aug 24, 2020
The Reading Comprehension Blueprint: Helping Students Make Meaning from Text Cover
The Reading Comprehension Blueprint: Helping Students Make Meaning from Text
ftb score rating icon9.1
FTB Score

The Reading Comprehension Blueprint is an essential professional resource for K-8 teachers who want to deliver structured comprehension instruction in their classrooms. Authored by Nancy Hennessy, former IDA President, the book offers a clear blueprint for understanding the complexities of reading comprehension and delivering evidence-based instruction to help students construct meaning from challenging texts. The book is a must-have for in-service educators and an ideal supplement to pair with core literacy textbooks. It provides teachers with a complete framework for organizing instruction, practical guidance and tools for planning their units and lessons, and assessing student progress. Overall, it is an outstanding resource for teachers who want to help every student become a proficient reader.

Explicit Instruction: Effective and Efficient Teaching (What Works for Special-Needs Learners)

Anita L. Archer
Charles A. Hughes
The Guilford Press
Nov 9, 2010
Explicit Instruction: Effective and Efficient Teaching (What Works for Special-Needs Learners) Cover
Explicit Instruction: Effective and Efficient Teaching (What Works for Special-Needs Learners)
ftb score rating icon8.9
FTB Score

This book, Explicit Instruction: Effective and Efficient Teaching, is a highly practical and accessible resource for special and general education teachers looking to implement explicit instruction in any grade level or content area. The authors provide clear guidelines for identifying key concepts, designing and delivering effective lessons, and giving students opportunities to practice and master new material. The inclusion of sample lesson plans, lively examples, and reproducible checklists and teacher worksheets make this book an invaluable tool for teachers. The availability of video clips demonstrating the approach in real classrooms on the authors' website is an added bonus. Overall, this book is a valuable resource for all teachers looking to improve their teaching skills.

#TOP 8

Behavior Solutions: Teaching Academic and Social Skills Through RTI at Work (A guide to closing the systemic behavior gap through collaborative PLC and RTI processes)

John Hannigan
Jessica Djabrayan Hannigan
Mike Mattos
Austin Buffum
Solution Tree Press
Oct 14, 2020
Behavior Solutions: Teaching Academic and Social Skills Through RTI at Work (A guide to closing the systemic behavior gap through collaborative PLC and RTI processes) Cover
Behavior Solutions: Teaching Academic and Social Skills Through RTI at Work (A guide to closing the systemic behavior gap through collaborative PLC and RTI processes)
ftb score rating icon8.9
FTB Score

Behavior Solutions by Solution Tree is an essential resource for educators who want to close the systemic behavior gap in their schools or districts. The book provides a practical guide to implementing a three-tiered system of supports that is collaborative, research-based, and effective. Readers will learn how to use the PLC at Work® and RTI at Work processes to foster social-emotional learning and support students' behavioral success. The book includes real-world examples and case studies of schools that have implemented effective multitiered systems of behavior supports. Overall, this book is a valuable tool for educators who want to improve the social-emotional well-being of their students.

Fostering Resilient Learners: Strategies for Creating a Trauma-Sensitive Classroom

Souers, Kristin
Hall, Pete
ASCD
Jan 26, 2016
Fostering Resilient Learners: Strategies for Creating a Trauma-Sensitive Classroom Cover
Fostering Resilient Learners: Strategies for Creating a Trauma-Sensitive Classroom
ftb score rating icon8.9
FTB Score

This book, Fostering Resilient Learners: Strategies for Creating a Trauma-Sensitive Classroom, explores the impact of childhood trauma on learning and teaching. The authors, a mental health therapist and a veteran principal, offer proven strategies to help educators build strong relationships, create a safe space, and adopt a strengths-based approach to enable students to learn at high levels. Each chapter includes questions and exercises to encourage reflection and extension of the ideas in the book. Overall, this is an essential guide for educators seeking solutions to the impact of trauma in the classroom and building relationships that allow students to thrive and learn at high levels.

Barkley, Russell A.
The Guilford Press
Oct 11, 2020
12 Principles for Raising a Child with ADHD Cover
12 Principles for Raising a Child with ADHD
ftb score rating icon8.8
FTB Score

The 12 Principles for Raising a Child with ADHD is a concise guide that outlines key parenting principles for dealing with common behavioral, emotional, and school challenges faced by children with ADHD. The book emphasizes the importance of cultivating a mindset of acceptance and compassion while understanding the executive function deficits of ADHD. It is filled with practical suggestions and quick-reference lists and tips, making it the perfect book for parents who need extra support. Overall, the book offers realistic, concrete approaches for the challenging process of raising a child with ADHD and is highly recommended for parents seeking to better understand their child and help them develop the skills to be successful in life.

Buying Guide Image

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What are the 5 big ideas in special education?

Big Ideas in Special Education: Specially Designed Instruction, High-Leverage Practices, Explicit Instruction, and Intensive Instruction. Home.Big Ideas in Special Education: Specially Designed Instruction, High-Leverage Practices, Explicit Instruction, and Intensive Instruction.

Editor's Notes

During our special education book research, we found 1,200+ special education book products and shortlisted 10 quality products. We collected and analyzed 18,508 customer reviews through our big data system to write the special education books list. We found that most customers choose special education books with an average price of $26.21.

Written by
Wilson Cook Avatar

Wilson Cook is a talented writer who has an MFA in creative writing from Williams College and has published more than 50 books acquired by hundreds of thousands of people from various countries by now. He is an inveterate reading lover as he has read a vast amount of books since childhood.