by Vivian Dunstan

Inclusive Education for the 21st Century : Theory, Policy and Practice

Inclusive Education for the 21st Century : Theory, Policy and Practice

Placing a student on the autism spectrum in a busy classroom with a pair of noise-cancelling headphones and an aide to deal with the inevitable meltdowns is often done in the name of ‘inclusion’, but this is integration and not inclusive. How can teachers and schools create genuinely inclusive classrooms that meet the needs of every student?

Research evidence indicates the strategies that make schools inclusive for students with disability benefit all students. Yet many schools are still operating under twentieth-century models that disadvantage students, especially those with disability.

Inclusive Education for the 21st Century provides a rigorous overview of the foundational principles of inclusive education, and the barriers to access and participation. It explores evidence-based strategies to support diverse learners, including specific changes in curriculum, pedagogy and assessment practices, and the use of data. It addresses the needs of children with physical, sensory and intellectual disabilities, as well as those with complex learning profiles, including mental health issues.

With chapters from leading experts from Australia and the UK, Inclusive Education for the 21st Century addresses common issues in both primary and secondary schools. Underpinned throughout by research evidence, it is designed to assist educators to develop the deep knowledge required to make inclusive education a reality in all schools.

 by Vivian Dunstan

Children’s Health A-Z

Children’s Health A-Z

Paediatrician and mother of two Dr Leila Masson combines traditional medical know-how with practical advice to help your child get better and stay well. The A to Z of symptoms cover the common health problems children and their families encounter and is set out in an easy-to-follow format with questions to ask and ways to care for your child, including when to seek the help and advice of a health professional. She also discusses the basics of children’s health and how parents can support their children’s wellbeing through providing optimum nutrition, sleep, outdoor play and a healthy home environment.Throughout the book, and in the ready reference section at the end, there is useful information on how to take your child’s temperature, how to help them to take medicines, how to get children to drink more water, allergy testing, relaxation exercises and more. All this is extensively indexed and cross-referenced so that you have the trusted knowledge you need at your fingertips.

 by Vivian Dunstan

ADHD: The Facts

ADHD: The Facts

ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) is now recognized as one of the most common causes of learning and behavioural difficulties in school-aged children. Symptoms may include poor concentration, forgetfulness, poor organization, impulsivity, restlessness, poor social skills, learning difficulties, low self-esteem, and defiant behaviour. Despite growing awareness of ADHD among parents and health professionals, it is still widely misunderstood.

This second edition of ADHD: The Facts provides information on how ADHD is diagnosed, on conventional medical and alternative therapies, and on ways of helping children to improve their own behaviour, self-esteem, and academic results. Written by an experienced paedtiatrician, this book features practical advice to help parents understand their child’s difficulties and how to overcome them. With detailed explanations of the cause of ADHD, its nature, and the treatments of the condition
that have proved effective over time, this new edition includes developments in the understanding of conditions that often co-exist with it, as well as the problems experienced by adults with ADHD.

ADHD: The Facts will be of invaluable assistance to parents of children with ADHD and to teachers, psychologists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, and doctors wanting an authoritative, up-to-date, and practical review of the condition.

 by Vivian Dunstan

Lost and Found : Helping Behaviorally Challenging Students (and, While You’re At It, All the Others)

Lost and Found : Helping Behaviorally Challenging Students (and, While You’re At It, All the Others)

Implement a more constructive approach to difficult students Lost and Found is a follow-up to Dr. Ross Greene’s landmark works, The Explosive Child and Lost at School, providing educators with highly practical, explicit guidance on implementing his Collaborative & Proactive Solutions (CPS) Problem Solving model with behaviorally-challenging students.

While the first two books described Dr. Greene’s positive, constructive approach and described implementation on a macro level, this useful guide provides the details of hands-on CPS implementation by those who interact with these children every day. Readers will learn how to incorporate students’ input in understanding the factors making it difficult for them to meet expectations and in generating mutually satisfactory solutions. Specific strategies, sample dialogues, and time-tested advice help educators implement these techniques immediately. The groundbreaking CPS approach has been a revelation for parents and educators of behaviorally-challenging children. This book gives educators the concrete guidance they need to immediately begin working more effectively with these students.

* Implement CPS one-on-one or with an entire class * Work collaboratively with students to solve problems * Study sample dialogues of CPS in action * Change the way difficult students are treated The discipline systems used in K-12 schools are obsolete, and aren’t working for the kids to whom they’re most often applied those with behavioral challenges. Lost and Found provides a roadmap to a different paradigm, helping educators radically transform the way they go about helping their most challenging students.

 by Vivian Dunstan

All Dogs Have ADHD

All Dogs Have ADHD

All Dogs Have ADHD takes an inspiring and affectionate look at Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), using images and ideas from the canine world to explore a variety of traits that will be instantly recognisable to those who are familiar with ADHD.

Following the style of the award-winning All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome, charming colour photographs of dogs bring to life familiar ADHD characteristics such as being restless and excitable, getting easily distracted, and acting on impulse.

This delightful book combines humour with understanding to reflect the difficulties and joys of raising a child with ADHD and celebrates what it means to be considered `different’. This absorbing and enjoyable book takes a refreshing approach to understanding ADHD.

 by Vivian Dunstan

PEERS (R) for Young Adults : Social Skills Training for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Other Social Challenges

PEERS (R) for Young Adults : Social Skills Training for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Other Social Challenges

PEERS (R) for Young Adults presents the first evidence-based group treatment program for young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder, as well as other neurodevelopmental disorders and social challenges. Inside, readers will find a critical step forward in the dissemination of effective behavioral interventions for young adults in the form of 16 engaging group session outlines that are both user-friendly and backed by empirical research. Each session is accompanied by homework assignments and practice suggestions designed to reinforce the group’s understanding of the skills learned during each meeting. This practical resource will prove to be an invaluable reference for any clinician or educator working with this population.

 by Vivian Dunstan

Our Stolen Future

Our Stolen Future : Are We Threatening Our Fertility, Intelligence, And Survival? A Scientific Detective Story

A critically important book that forces us to ask new questions about the synthetic chemicals that we have spread across this earth.”–former vice president Al Gore, author of An Inconvenient Truth

Our Stolen Future examines the ways that certain synthetic chemicals interfere with hormonal messages involved in the control of growth and development, especially in the fetus. The developing fetus uses these natural hormonal messages, which come from both from its own hormone system and from its mother, to guide development. They influence virtually all of the growing individual’s characteristics, from determining its sex to controlling the numbers of toes and fingers to shaping intricate details of brain structure. Scientific research over the last 50 years has revealed that this hormonal control of development is vulnerable to disruption by synthetic chemicals. Through a variety of mechanisms, hormone-disrupting chemicals (also known as endocrine disrupting chemicals or endocrine disruptors) interfere with the natural messages and alter the course of development, with potential effects on virtually all aspects of bodily function. Our Stolen Future explores the scientific discovery of endocrine disruption. The investigation begins with wildlife, as it was in animals that the first hints of widespread endocrine disruption appeared. The book then examines a series of experiments examining endocrine disruption of animals in the laboratory which show conclusively that fetal exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals can wreak life-long damage. These experiments also reveal some of the biological processes by which these chemicals have their effects, and that endocrine disruption effects can be caused by exposure to infinitesimally small amounts of contaminant. Moving from animals to people, Our Stolen Future summarizes a series of well-studied examples where people have been affected by endocrine disrupting chemicals, most notably the synthetic hormone dietheylstilbestrol (DES), to which several million women were exposed through misguided medical attempts to manage difficult pregnancies in the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s. Our Stolen Future then asks a broader, more difficult and more controversial set of questions. Given what is known from wildlife and laboratory studies, and from examples of well-studied human exposure, and given that exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals in the real world is widespread at levels comparable to those sufficient to cause animal harm, what effects should health scientists be looking for in people in general? Effects to be expected include declines in fertility and other impacts on the reproductive system of both men and women, impairments in disease resistance, and erosions in intelligence.

 

 by Vivian Dunstan

Healthy Home Happy Family

In the past 30 years, new cancer diagnoses almost tripled, hospital admissions for life-threatening allergic reactions have increased fourfold, breast cancer has doubled, male sperm count has halved, the age of puberty is declining, and learning and behavioural disorders in children have skyrocketed.

Could these conditions be linked to our homes? YES!

About the Author

Healthy Home Expert, Nicole Bijlsma is a building biologist, bestselling author, PhD candidate and CEO of the Australian College of Environmental Studies (RTO 21740) which she established in 1999 to educate people about the health hazards in the built environment. Nicole is a former naturopath and acupuncturist, has lectured at tertiary institutions for 30 years, has published in peer reviewed journals, has written extensively for Body+Soul newspaper (Herald Sun), is regularly consulted by the media to discuss mould, electromagnetic fields and toxic chemicals, and lectures in Australia and abroad about environmental health issues.

Nicole has conducted almost 30 interviews on every major television network (Sunrise, TODAY show, 7PM Project, Channel 7 news, The Circle etc) in addition to numerous radio interviews (ABC etc). For more details about her media profile, click HERE. Nicole and her husband Mark manufacture the Abode cleaning product and Its Your Body personal care range which was developed for people with skin and chemical sensitivities.