This book provides strategies for helping atypical students deal with the crises of disruption, disaster, and death. The importance of collaborative networks between school and community agencies in addressing crises is stressed throughout the book. Chapter 1 notes the relationship between crises and special education and the need to utilize a variety of intervention models. Chapter 2 focuses on disruption, both violent and nonviolent. It considers the impact of disruption on students with exceptionalities and some specific intervention strategies. Chapter 3 explores the impact of disaster on students with exceptionalities and intervention techniques. Particular attention is given to post-traumatic stress disorder. Chapter 4, which addresses death-related crises, presents a developmental understanding of death and discusses age-specific reactions to death, the impact of death-related crises on students with exceptionalities, and intervention strategies. The final chapter is on the preparation of general and special educators for crises. Each chapter includes a section addressing the needs of learners with exceptionalities and a list of discussion questions intended to help practitioners apply, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate the ideas in the text. (Contains approximately 100 references.) (DB)