A comparison of social skills in Turkish children with visual impairments,children with intellectual impairments and typically developing children

The purpose of this study was to compare the social skills of five groups of children: children with visual impairments attending inclusive education schools, children with visual impairments attending schools for the blind, children with intellectual impairments attending inclusive education schools, children with intellectual impairments attending segregated special education schools, and typically developing children. A hundred and sixty-nine children aged from 7 to 12 participated in the study. The children's social skills were rated by their teachers on the Social Skills Rating System (SSRS) – Turkish Form. The results suggested significant group differences between children attending inclusive education schools and children attending special education schools. Analysis of the findings indicated that children with visual impairments and children with intellectual impairments had poorer social skills than typically developing children; however children with visual impairments and children with intellectual impairments attending inclusive education schools had higher social skills than children attending segregated special education schools. The findings of the study were discussed and suggestions for future research were provided.     

Getting In and Getting On? The Experiences of Young People with Visual Impairments and Hearing Impairments in Third-level Education

Young disabled people continue to be under-represented throughout further and higher education settings. Drawing on Pierre Bourdieu’s social theory of habitus, capital and field, this paper explores the practices of domination and oppression that have made it difficult for young people with visual impairments and hearing impairments to participate in third-level education on the same basis as non-disabled people. Twenty young people with hearing impairments and visual impairments were interviewed about their educational experiences. In addition, 31 interviews were conducted with third-level education providers, policy-makers and non-governmental organisations. This article has two aims: firstly, to critically examine the experiences of young people with hearing impairments and visual impairments in accessing and engaging with support provisions in further and higher education settings; and secondly, to identify and explore the diversity of ways in which these young people have managed and responded to the practices they have encountered. This article emphasises the journey from ability to dis-ability that young people with hearing and visual impairments experience in their quest for educational achievement. The ambiguities of “inclusion”, “widening participation” and “support” are highlighted and critiqued for their extensive failure to challenge taken-for-granted discourses.     

Early childhood education of children with specific language impairments

Early intervention for children with specific language impairment by teachers with experience in supporting their needs is critical to language acquisition. In Western Australia this small number of children are catered for in designated settings with specialised teachers. The length of time that these children are able to access intensive instruction may be shortening and therefore the potential effect on their learning is crucial. Teachers from five Language Development Centres were asked to respond to a range of issues associated with these children's ability to cope with the proposed early re-entry into the mainstream classroom. A total of 120 responses were received from teachers, speech therapists and educational assistants who highlighted the specialist skill set required to teach students with specific language impairments. Discussion focuses on the perceived ability of mainstream teachers to provide appropriate support for children with specific language impairments in the early years.     

‘THOMAS’ Training: An early years intervention for children with an autistic spectrum disorder (ASD)

The ‘THOMAS’ course (The Hampshire Outline for Meeting the needs of under fives on the Autistic Spectrum) is a four‐day training programme to enhance the learning of young children with impairments in social understanding, communication and play by increasing the use of appropriate interventions. It has been supporting families and professionals in the early years settings for over five years and feedback has been exceptionally positive. This article reviews the extent to which training skills have been embedded in the long‐term. Results indicate that the training is still as effective a year on, with many techniques, including visual structure and behaviour management, seen as highly effective interventions. Furthermore, there is an indication that course participants may experience an increase in confidence that enables them to become more independent and generate their own solutions as skills and knowledge become embedded over time.     

The Effects of Verbal Mediation Training on the Problem‐Solving Skills of Children with Partial Sight and Children without Visual Impairments

Thirty children with partial sight and 30 children with unimpaired sight aged between 8 and 12 years were randomly assigned to either verbal mediation or visual mediation training regimes. Participants were asked to complete four variations of the Tower of Hanoi puzzle and success on the task was judged on the basis of the number of moves and time taken to complete the puzzles. Children with visual impairments had some difficulty in adjusting to the requirements of the problem‐solving tasks. However, on the final and most difficult of the tasks (a four‐disc problem), the children with impaired sight performed very much like participants without visual impairments. The effect of verbal mediation training was superior to that of visual mediation training in the final trials of the four‐disc problem‐solving period for both children with partial sight and children without visual impairments.     

How do Objects become Objects of Reference?A Review of the Literature on Objects of Reference and a Proposed Model for the Use of Objects in Communication

Keith Park, a teacher of children with visual impairments and learning disabilities, provides an analytical review of the literature on objects of reference in order to formulate a model of object use in communication. Peirce's (1932) three categories of sign (index, icon and symbol) are suggested as a method of providing a developmental framework for the use of objects of reference.     

New Orleans Early Intervention Study of Children with Visual Impairments

There is widespread agreement that early intervention for children with visual impairments and their families is important and beneficial. However, few con- trolled prospective studies of the effectiveness of various types of early intervention have been completed with these children. This randomized study evaluated the immediate and long-term effects of a comprehensive, weekly homebased intervention for infants and toddlers with visual impairments, compared with a low-intensity treatment through parent group meetings offered approximately 12 times per year. In annual assessments conducted for t h e years after the intervention was begun, there were negligible statistically significant or practical differences between groups based on a variety of measures of child and family functioning. In light of the cost-effectiveness analyses reported, questions are raised about the type of early intervention that should be provided to children with visual impairments.     

New Orleans Early Intervention Study of Children with Visual Impairments

There is widespread agreement that early intervention for children with visual impairments and their families is important and beneficial. However, few con- trolled prospective studies of the effectiveness of various types of early intervention have been completed with these children. This randomized study evaluated the immediate and long-term effects of a comprehensive, weekly homebased intervention for infants and toddlers with visual impairments, compared with a low-intensity treatment through parent group meetings offered approximately 12 times per year. In annual assessments conducted for t h e years after the intervention was begun, there were negligible statistically significant or practical differences between groups based on a variety of measures of child and family functioning. In light of the cost-effectiveness analyses reported, questions are raised about the type of early intervention that should be provided to children with visual impairments.     

视障人员考试平台开发及其学生试用探究

为有效解决视障教育师生在学习评价与反馈上遇到的困难,在现代特殊教育观念指导下,运用缺陷补偿原理,开发了“新特视障人员考试平台”。该平台全面考虑视障学生考试工作的实际情况,为视障教育学生、教师和管理人员量身设计,使盲生、低视生和视觉正常生同试卷同场考试成为可能。研究者组织肓生试用了该平台并进行了问卷调查,在统计分析基础上得出如下结论:1、系统的功能和操作方式,较好满足了盲生和低视力学生的不同需求;2、两次试用后,所有学生都接受并喜欢这种通过计算机平台进行考试的方式。     

Family literacy as a third space between home and school: some case studies of practice

In this article, the relationship between literacy practices and spatiality is explored in the context of family literacy. The article draws on fieldwork in family literacy classrooms as part of two evaluations in Croydon and Derbyshire of family learning provision. Methods of evaluation included classroom observations in rural and suburban locations. In addition, teachers and parents were interviewed. In this instance, family learning included literacy and language activities with parents and children in school and nursery settings. These were learning spaces where parents and children collaborated on joint projects including book making, storytelling, the making of visual artefacts and reading and writing activities. The research revealed how family literacy classrooms could be understood as ‘third spaces’, between home and school, offering parents and children discursive opportunities drawing on both domains.     

Developing Braille Reading Skills

Nick Bozic, RNIB research fellow, and Steve McCall, lecturer in education (visual impairment), both at Birmingham University, review the software that can be used with microcomputers in order to support the teaching of braille reading skills to blind children. They confine their analysis to software for microcomputers commonly used by children with visual impairments: BBC, Nimbus, PC and Archimedes machines.     

Visual discrimination of letter-like forms and its relationship to achievement over time in children with learning disabilities

The purpose of this study was to better understand whether visual discrimination abilities are related to reading intelligence and other achievement areas in children with learning disabilities and normally achieving children. Children with visual discrimination problems were identified using the Gibson letter-like visual discrimination task. This task was given to a large sample of children with learning disabilities as well as a sample of normally achieving children. All children were followed throughout elementary school. Results indicated that children with learning disabilities who had visual discrimination problems at 6 or 7 years of age performed more poorly in reading and general achievement over the elementary school years in comparison to the other children with learning disabilities and compared to normally achieving children. Discussion centers around the importance of this skill for reading.     

Learning through action: Parallel learning processes in children and adults

Experiential learning has become an essential part of many educational settings from infancy through adulthood. While the effectiveness of active learning has been evaluated in youth and adult settings, few known studies have compared the learning processes of children and adults within the same project. This article contrasts the active learning processes of children and adults by chronicling a service learning project in the United States in which 19 university students implemented an anti-bias curriculum with 112 young children. Findings are interpreted in relation to David Kolb's model of experiential learning. Implications for classroom practice and theory are discussed.     

Exploring Daily Physical Activity and Nutrition Patterns in Early Learning Settings: Snapshots of Young Children in Head Start,Primary, and After-School Settings

The purpose of this research project was to gain a greater understanding of daily routines of 4–7 year olds regarding physical activity and nutrition practices in typical early learning environments. The settings selected for this observational study included Head Start, primary, and after-school learning environments in a city in the southeast. Specifically, this exploratory study focused on the research question: What are typical daily physical activity and nutrition patterns in community-based early learning settings for young children 4–7 years of age in the United States? Two overarching themes were identified through data analysis: restriction of activity and restriction of physical movement. Results indicated that children in elementary school settings had fewer opportunities for indoor and outdoor physical activity than children in other settings and that children seek to be physically active and will do so when given the opportunity. Increasing time for both structured and unstructured physical activity and play for children ages 4–7 in early learning settings was recommended by the researchers.     

A Methodological Case Study with Mobile Eye-Tracking of Child Interaction in a Science Museum

The field of instructional design and technology (IDT) aims to understand the interactions occurring among people and learning resources during educational experiences to inform design. This article illustrates the utility of mobile eye-tracking for research with children as a tool for IDT researchers and practitioners. Mobile eye-tracking can collect precise information concerning the learners’ visual attention and interactions in authentic environments, unlike traditional eye-tracking using a laboratory or stationary computer. Mobile eye-tracking also can be used effectively in out-of-school settings where learners walk around and interact with diverse resources. By presenting a qualitative interaction analysis, we illuminate how mobile eye-tracking supports investigating explorations in a hands-on museum. The analysis shows patterns of visual and bodily interactions with exhibits and with family members. Implications include how mobile eye-tracking can contribute to a researcher’s understanding of the child’s idiosyncratic viewpoint to examine in detail learners’ interactions and educational resources’ affordances at various educational settings.     

Inclusion of primary school children with hearing impairments in Zimbabwe

Abstract

The focus of this study was to explore the opinions, knowledge and requirements of regular primary school teachers who taught in schools where children with hearing impairments were included. A questionnaire which covered the four aspects, was used to collect data on a sample of 104 regular school teachers. Results indicate that teachers who taught these children had more knowledge about hearing impairment than those who did not. The majority of teachers expressed a positive attitude towards inclusion and there was no difference in the opinions of teachers concerning inclusion. On seeking teachers' views on their requirements when helping children with hearing impairments, seminars and short courses, full-time in-service training, sign language and equipment were the four major factors suggested. The implementation of the results was discussed in relation to the INSET requirements of teachers and the education of the children with hearing impairments in included settings.     

Detection of deficits in temporal pattern discrimination using the seashore rhythm test in young children with reading impairments

A deficiency in temporal pattern discrimination frequently is a distinguishing characteristic of children with dyslexia or learning disabilities (LD). We studied the feasibility of using the Seashore Rhythm Test, a subtest of the Halstead-Reitan neurological assessment battery (Halstead, 1947), with young children to discriminate children with reading impairments from age-matched controls reading at a normal level, in an effort to develop tools to determine readiness to read in young school-age children. Major considerations in test selection were ease of administration and wide use and acceptance. Fifty-nine children in Grades 1 through 3 were administered a battery of tests during the last 3 weeks of the school year by blinded experimenters. Tests administered included the Seashore Rhythm Test, Benton Visual Retention Test, Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, Blau Torque Test, and the Rod and Frame Test. Children with reading impairments (n = 24) in all age groups were found to exhibit a marked deficit in the ability to discriminate patterned pairs of tones on the Seashore Rhythm Test compared to controls (n = 26). These children also exhibited deficits in right-left orientation, as indicated by their poor performance on the Blau Torque Test. Performance on the Seashore and the Blau by a group of children diagnosed as learning disabled (n = 9) was similar to the group with reading impairments. No significant differences between controls and children with reading impairments or LD were observed in Rod and Frame or Benton performance. The results suggest that the Seashore Rhythm Test may prove to be a useful tool to detect young children who will later show signs of reading impairment.     

Visualizing Without Vision at the Microscale: Students With Visual Impairments Explore Cells With Touch

Science instruction is typically highly dependent on visual representations of scientific concepts that are communicated through textbooks, teacher presentations, and computer-based multimedia materials. Little is known about how students with visual impairments access and interpret these types of visually-dependent instructional materials. This study explored the efficacy of new haptic (simulated tactile feedback and kinesthetics) instructional technology for teaching cell morphology and function to middle and high school students with visual impairments. The study examined students’ prior experiences learning about the cell and cell functions in classroom instruction, as well as how haptic feedback technology impacted students’ awareness of the 3-D nature of an animal cell, the morphology and function of cell organelles, and students’ interest in the haptic technology as an instructional tool. Twenty-one students with visual impairment participated in the study. Students explored a tactile model of the cell with a haptic point probe that allowed them to feel the cell and its organelles. Results showed that students made significant gains in their ability to identify cell organelles and found the technology to be highly interesting as an instructional tool. The need for additional adaptive technology for students with visual impairments is discussed.This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Numbers 0354578 and 0411656     

Learning while playing: Children's Forest School experiences in the UK

Children's outdoor play is declining, despite clear links between play, learning and development. Alternative learning initiatives which provide children with a diversity of play opportunities, including the chance to play outdoors, are therefore needed. One such programme, Forest School, is increasing in popularity in the UK and internationally, yet little is understood about its impact on children's learning, or how alternative approaches are informing learning in mainstream settings. This novel study examined primary school children's experiences of engaging in a Forest School programme in relation to this intersection between formal and informal approaches to learning. It explored how children interpret their experiences when faced with a fusion of learning environments and critically evaluates the benefits children realise, when asked to reflect on their learning engagement in both classroom and outdoor settings. Interviews were conducted with 33 children from two mainstream primary schools in England who had recently completed a 6-week Forest School programme. A rigorous phenomenological thematic analysis revealed three inter-related themes: a break from routine; learning through play; collaboration and teamwork. The findings suggest that the blending of Forest School with mainstream settings contributes to children's social, cognitive, emotional and physical skill development through experiential learning using play. These findings are significant because they not only emphasise the values of social constructivist play-pedagogy which underpin Forest School practice, but also highlight the need for primary schools to consider learning outside of the classroom as an effective pedagogy.     

Screening for Asperger syndrome in school‐age children: issues and instruments

Many children with Asperger syndrome are not identified prior to school entry, and difficulties associated with the condition may only become evident when a child enters school. Failure to identify children with the syndrome may lead to increased risk for psychopathology, and lack of understanding of the reasons for social and communicative impairments, and the display of atypical behaviours. Therefore, there is a great need for effective screening instruments to be used with at risk children. This article reviews a number of screening instruments for Asperger syndrome and higher functioning autism spectrum disorders, and highlights the need for surveillance for the conditions among professionals who work in educational settings.