Salamanca Statement and IDEA 2004: possibilities of practice for inclusive education

This article offers a comparative analysis of the Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act, within a critically discursive framework. The author creates the notion of possibilities of practice, and analyses each policy document as to how these are created, by means of interdiscursive, intertextual and recontextual analyses. In turn, the author demonstrates how each policy differs in the textual dimensions that represent themes of social representation/construction, such as: how pupils are constructed; how schooling is constructed; how inclusion/exclusion is constructed; how teacher preparation is constructed; and how resource allocation is constructed (or constricted). Finally, the author discusses the policy that best allows for possibilities of practice that promote the inclusion of ALL children.     

Educating students with FASD: linking policy,research and practice

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD ) is a prevalent neurodevelopmental disability with significant implications for learning and behaviour. International research suggests that the prevalence of FASD in school‐aged children is 2.3–6.3%. In this paper, we address the questions: (1) what is FASD ; (2) what is the prevalence of FASD in schools; (3) what is the impact of FASD ; and (4) why develop special FASD education strategies and programmes? We summarise the 18‐year history of W innipeg S chool D ivision's development of its FASD P rogramme of services, describe the specialised FASD classrooms and then present the results from a consensus‐generating workshop comprised of 36 FASD education professionals, with over 209 years of collective FASD education programme experience, who were asked to identify and reach consensus on best strategies and lessons learned in FASD education programmes. We then suggest that effectively educating children with FASD is critical to get right if positive educational outcomes are to be realised.     

A critical consideration of the changing conditions of schooling for students with disabilities in Greece and the fragility of international in local contexts

ABSTRACT

The Salamanca Statement is held as a high-water mark in the history of the global development of inclusive education. It represented agreements bringing together representatives from 92 governments and 25 international organisations to advocate for a more inclusive education for students with disabilities. Since 1994 the Salamanca Statement has been referred to by international education organisations, national education jurisdictions, and disability advocacy organisations as a foundation for progressing inclusive education. In this respect the Salamanca Statement has been important for the inclusive education and Education for All [UNESCO 1998. From Special Needs Education to Education for All: Discussion Paper for the International Consultative Forum on Education for All. Paris: UNESCO] movements. However, international agreements and conventions are fragile in the face of local contingencies and become difficult to apply. We examine the case of inclusive education in Greece to reflect on this complex relationship between international aspirations and the real politic of individual nation states. Greece, like other nations, has embraced the discourse of inclusive education and its successive governments can demonstrate policy activity and public expenditure on the education of disabled students. This is remarkable in a climate of ‘crisis’ and ‘austerity’ where the only investment in the teaching workforce is in the area of inclusive education. However, is Greek education more inclusive in practice as well as rhetoric?     

High ability students with coexisting disabilities: Implications for school psychological practice

School psychologists are well-positioned to change the educational landscape for twice-exceptional students, or those who possess high ability in one or more talent domains along with one or more disabilities. Better understanding of the nuanced cognitive and psychosocial assessment patterns within this population may increase well-needed participation in gifted education opportunities and the likelihood of receiving accommodations, as well as decrease missed diagnoses. Based on our review of the empirical literature within domains of twice-exceptionality (e.g., attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, and specific learning disability), we provide recommendations for how school psychologists can interpret formative and summative assessments taken by twice-exceptional students and subsequently help design educational plans that will meet their unique needs.     

Education for children with a chronic health condition: an evidence‐informed approach to policy and practice decision making

Children managing chronic health conditions face many obstacles which can impede their learning during periods of hospitalisation. In one particular hospital, a team of educators deemed it necessary to take a personalised learning approach in order to maintain students’ educational progress, namely making use of individual learning plans (ILPs). This team adopted an evidence‐informed practice (EIP) approach to the issue in order to persuade administrators of the need for change. The successful implementation of the EIP approach led to the inclusion of the ILP form in patients’ medical records, which is thought to be a first for Australia. Although EIP is regarded highly by practitioners and policy makers, there can be difficulties when implementing this approach. This study aims to identify the enabling features that permit EIP to be successfully implemented and to examine the ways in which EIP can lead to improved practice.     

Research Training Needs of Scientist‐Practitioners: Implications for Counselor Education

Counselors (N = 911) reported the research skills needed for practice and subsequent research training needs. Findings indicate that counselors have a high need for research skills at work, but training needs differ significantly by counselor type. Recommendations include increasing emphasis on single‐case design, survey design, and widely available data analysis tools.     

Evaluating the readiness of special education doctoral students to apply the standards of evidence‐based practice to single‐case research

How well doctoral students in special education are prepared to evaluate research as evidence‐based practice (EBP) is likely to impact their careers, as well as the teachers they will train. In developing a method for evaluating the readiness of small cohort groups of doctoral students to apply a research‐based model of EBP, an instrument and procedure were refined in a pilot evaluation and implemented within a multiple baseline design across participants. Participants’ independent and instrument‐guided performance in rating published research was compared to the ratings of two experts in single‐case research design, yielding proportions of agreement across evaluation conditions. Results indicated group readiness to independently conduct the EBP evaluation and individual differences in readiness indicating the need for remediation.     

Classwide peer tutoring for elementary and high school students at risk: listening to students’ voices

Teaching has become a very challenging profession with the requirements to provide appropriate individualised instruction in large and diverse classes. Problem behaviours displayed by students with special needs exacerbate the difficulties. This is especially true and intense in physical education, where students are exposed to extreme emotional situations under physical demands. Classwide peer tutoring (CWPT) is an evidence‐based teaching strategy that involves programmed interactions between peers and holds promise for the education of students at risk who display antisocial behaviours. This article discusses the implementation and modification of CWPT in third and eighth grades in a K‐12 inner‐city charter school in the USA, directed towards students who have special educational and social needs. First, the two CWPT applications are described. Second, authors share the students’ reactions to the pedagogy. Third, based on students’ responses and the teacher's accumulated experience delivering CWPT, the article discusses how to tailor CWPT better to each of the grade levels.     

Ensuring inclusive environments for students with disabilities: school leaders play a linchpin role

ABSTRACT

Inclusion refers to the practice of educating students with disabilities in the general education setting. This concept stems from the seminal United States Congressional legislation PL 94-142, and its subsequent reauthorised amendments, which mandate that students with disabilities be educated in the general education setting with their ‘non-disabled’ peers to the maximum extent possible. IDEIA’s legal mandates underscore the stark reality of discrimination and exclusion faced by individuals with disabilities within schools and society. Although progress has been made in advancing equity agendas of access and academic achievement, few would deny that significant work remains. If all individuals, including those with disabilities are to achieve their birthright of full integration into society, schools must reflect integration at all levels. This article provides a historical perspective on the inclusion movement, discusses the role school leaders play in ensuring inclusive environments and concludes with recommendations for future school leaders and teachers.     

Voices from Spanish students with disabilities: willpower and effort to survive university

This article analyses the university experiences of 44 students with disabilities. The voices of Spanish students describe the reasons that lead them to choose a given university degree, their transition in the university, the perception they have of themselves as students and how they evaluate their academic results. This study was done with the biographical-narrative methodology using several different data collection techniques, such as narrative interviews, lifelines and photographs. Data analysis was based on an inductive coding system. The results of this study have enabled us to conclude that most of the students chose their degree course because they had a vocation for it, although their disability also influenced their decision. Some students had such a hard time during their first year that they had to change their course of studies. They thought they had to make a stronger effort than the rest of their fellow students, defined themselves as fighters and survivors, and valued this willpower as their main personal asset, above the outcome achieved.     

Teaching science skills and knowledge to students with developmental disabilities: A systematic review

A comprehensive review of the literature was conducted to identify current practice on teaching science to students with intellectual disability (ID) and/or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in relation to two review questions—students' science outcomes and students' and teachers' experiences of the interventions. Six databases related to education, psychology, and science were systematically searched. A detailed protocol can be viewed on PROSPERO (registration number: CRD42017057323). Thirty studies were identified that reported on science interventions and 20 on student/teacher experiences of the interventions. The majority of the studies targeted science vocabulary and concepts. Other targets included inquiry skills and comprehension skills. The majority of the interventions used components of systematic instruction (n = 23). Five studies focused on self-directed learning and two on comprehension-based instruction. Students and teachers reported positive experiences of the interventions. The findings suggest that components of systematic instruction in particular might be effective in teaching science content to students with ID and/or ASD. Further research is needed to explore the effectiveness of identified interventions on teaching more complex science skills and with students with severe disabilities. Some limitations related to the search strategy are highlighted.     

Addressing escape‐maintained behavior for students with developmental disabilities: A systematic review of school‐based interventions

Students with developmental disabilities have been found to exhibit higher rates of problem behavior in the classroom than their typically developing peers. Effectively addressing these students’ behavior concerns requires the identification of interventions that can be implemented in an educational setting. Furthermore, matching intervention strategies to the function of a student's problem behavior may increase its effectiveness. There are data to suggest that students with disabilities exhibit escape‐maintained problem behavior in the classroom twice as frequently as problem behavior maintained by other consequences such as attention or access to tangibles. Thus, the purpose of this systematic review was to identify school‐based intervention strategies that have been used to reduce the disruptive behavior of students with developmental disabilities. In total, 12 articles met search criteria, with escape extinction, curricular modification, and noncontingent escape serving as the most frequently employed intervention strategies. Limitations and future directions are discussed.     

Policy–practice gap in participation of students with disabilities in the education and training programme of Ethiopia: policy content analysis

This study explores the extent to which the issue of special educational and training needs for persons with disabilities is addressed in the education and training policy of Ethiopia, with a specific focus on technical and vocational education and training (TVET). Focus group discussions and interviews were used to assess the content of the policy and related strategic documents, as well as legal frameworks and implementation instruments, in terms of the principle of inclusion. A pair of focus group discussions involved 22 members of the management and governance of four networks and eight indigenous, disability‐focused, non‐governmental organisations. Moreover, 14 high‐profile experts from the ministry were interviewed. Most participants agreed that the issue of disability was not addressed appropriately in issues of strategy and prioritisation. Six recommendations are presented for enhancing the inclusion of individuals with disabilities in education and vocational training.     

Attributional patterns towards students with and without learning disabilities: a comparison of pre- and in-service teachers in China

This study aims to investigate the differences of attributional responses to students with and without learning disabilities (LD) between pre- and in-service teachers in mainland China. A total of 204 teachers (101 pre-service and 103 in-service teachers) were surveyed using vignettes and Likert scale questions to ascertain their responses to students with and without LD. Drawing from Weiner’s attributional theory, teachers’ feedback, frustration, sympathy and expectation were measured. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was executed to compare pre-service and in-service teacher responses regarding students with and without LD. The findings showed that pre-service teachers experienced significantly lower frustration than in-service teachers to students with and without LD. Moreover, the teachers gave more positive feedback but felt less sympathy to students with LD who exerted high effort. These findings implied that pre-service tended to foster a more positive attribution style. Implications and recommendations for research and practice are also presented.     

Bad,mad and sad: developing a methodology of inclusion and a pedagogy for researching students with intellectual disabilities

A critical question for me as a teacher/researcher in the field of inclusive education is how to reposition children with moderate and severe intellectual disabilities as participants rather than subjects in the debate. In this paper, I develop a methodology of inclusion that comprises an ethics of consent and a pedagogy for research participation that is an opportunity not only to teach, but also to create a new discursive space for six children to speak. The discussion explores a range of methodological and interpretive strategies for including children with significant intellectual disabilities in research: issues of informed consent, the negotiation of power relations and the ways in which this innovative pedagogy can be empowering beyond the research situation. The use of this methodology has provocative implications concerning what might be learned about forging a link between the struggle for change and educational policy/practice if other researchers worked towards creating spaces for these most marginalized children to speak.

Inclusive education is about responding to diversity; it is about listening to unfamiliar voices, being open, empowering members and about celebrating ‘difference’ in dignified ways.     

Science of Learning: Evidence‐Based Teaching in the Clinical Supervision Classroom

Although clinical supervision is widely viewed as an educational process, counseling doctoral students may lack relevant background in pedagogy. In response to calls to incorporate learning theories and principles into supervision instruction, 7 evidence‐based science of learning principles as well as examples from 1 doctoral supervision course are described.     

Using narrated literacy‐based behavioural interventions to decrease episodes of physical aggression in elementary students with disabilities

This study was designed to examine the effects of literacy‐based behavioural interventions (Bucholz et al., 2008) to decrease acts of physical aggression with kindergarten and first grade students. The study used a multiple baseline design across three participants. The results showed a decrease in acts of physical aggression by students with significant developmental delays and autism spectrum disorders as a result of the literacy‐based behavioural interventions (LBBI).     

School‐to‐work transition services for students with disabilities in Malaysia: organisations' views on policy and practices

Transition services are required by law for students with disabilities in many developed countries. In Malaysia, however, there is still no specific legislation mandating that school‐to‐work transition planning and services be provided to students with disabilities. This study investigated the state of the transition services provided by educational organisations to students with disabilities in Malaysia. A mixed method research design, which utilises both quantitative and qualitative research techniques, was employed to obtain information from 23 government organisations and NGOs involved in the education and training of students with disabilities. This study found that the organisations surveyed were aware of the lack of transition support and call attention to the importance of instituting a national policy on school‐to‐work transition services and supported employment systems for students with disabilities. The legislative and educational implications for Malaysia are discussed.