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Brookes Publishing

An independent publishing company founded in 1978, Brookes has been the premier publisher of practical, research-based resources that support children’s healthy development and boost the learning and success of all people, with and without disabilities. We’ve been with you every step of the way, partnering with experts in the field to bring you cutting-edge research and real-world strategies that support diverse learners from birth to adulthood.

As we celebrate more than four decades of Brookes history and look ahead to our future, we’re honoring our past with this timeline of highlights. Take a journey through key events, titles, and milestones in Brookes history—starting with some of our most exciting recent developments.

1986-1996

The field of early intervention arrives—and we’re there from the start

Twinkle-eyed baby sits on rug amid a pile of colorful toys and blocks

In 1986, the new law PL 99-457 establishes Part C and mandates Part B, Section 619 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This legislation creates the Infant and Toddlers with Disabilities Program, provides new funding for children with disabilities from birth through age two, and incentivizes states to make services available at age three years.

To help professionals working in the emerging field of early intervention, we publish groundbreaking curricula like the Carolina Curriculum, AEPS®, and the play-based TPBA/I, plus influential early books like Guralnick’s Effectiveness of Early Intervention and Odom & Karnes’s Early Intervention for Infants and Children with Handicaps. We work with forward-thinking experts focused on authentic assessment in natural environments.

1979-1989

Brookes shapes professional development for a generation of clinicians and educators

Children with Handicaps A Medical Primer

We establish ourselves as one of the only publishers to meet the learning needs of professionals preparing to work with children and adults with disabilities. Early bestsellers include Sailor et al.’s Methods of Instruction for Severely Handicapped Students, Horner et al.’s Education of Learners with Severe Handicaps, Evans & Meyer’s An Educative Approach to Behavior Problems, Batshaw et al.’s Children with Disabilities, and Ford et al.’s Syracuse Curriculum guide. Some of these books have had tremendous staying power—the Syracuse Curriculum influenced the education of children with disabilities for decades, and Children with Disabilities is now in its seventh edition!

1979

We publish our first books

We publish our first books

Brookes Publishing makes our official debut with Bender & Bender’s Disadvantaged Preschool Children: A Source Book for Teachers. We’re one of the first publishers to develop books that prepare teachers and other professionals to work effectively with children with disabilities.

Another key early title— Burgdorf’s The Legal Rights of Handicapped Persons—makes a 1,100-page legal casebook affordable to special educators, empowering them to advocate for the students and families they serve.

1975

Education for All Handicapped Children Act (PL 94-142) signed into law

Education for All Handicapped Children Act (PL 94-142) signed into law

New law PL-142 requires that every child, regardless of disability, receive a free appropriate public education. Educators across the country have a new goal set before them: reaching, teaching, and including students with disabilities in their classrooms. The founders of Brookes recognize a growing need for resources on teaching all learners, no matter how severe their disability. A new publishing company is born—and Brookes begins a legacy that’s endured for four decades and counting!