Intended for pre and inservice training of regular and special education teachers, the textbook offers a mainstream approach to educating handicapped and gifted students. The first two chapters give an historical overview of the development of special education and discuss some of the major conceptual shifts that seem to be inherent in the mainstreaming movement. Chapter 3 focuses on assessment of both programs and students, and chapter 4 considers how student and program assessments can be matched to provide individualized programs for each exceptional student with particular emphasis on the parents' role in the planning process. Seven chapters provide information on the state of the art in the following areas: giftedness and talents, mental retardation, learning disabilities and behavior disorders, physical and health impairments, speech problems, hearing impairments, and visual impairments. Additional chapters cover emerging trends in school personnel roles and instructional procedures; emerging programs relating to early childhood education, child neglect and abuse, drug handicapped learners, and school age parents; and present problems and issues that appear to hold strong portents for the future development of public school operations. For each issue considered, the authors contrast the prevailing practices with preferred approaches. Each of the 14 chapters begins with suggestions for students and instructor on how to develop the topic into a learning unit with additional resources and activities. Appended are the names and addresses of organizations agencies concerned with exceptional persons and information on teacher training materials. (SBH)