DEFENDING RIGHTS IN (SPECIAL) EDUCATION

The state's commitment to educating all children can be framed as a matter of human capital development, or the economic benefits accrued to individuals and society as a result of educational attainment; it can be framed as a matter of capabilities, or the development of functionings that enable human flourishing; and it can be framed as a matter of rights. In this essay Sigal Ben‐Porath considers the relative merits of the three approaches, elaborating the implications each of these different frameworks has for the education of children with disabilities. While the capabilities approach, which arises from and relates to the rights approach, is sensitive to the needs of individuals with disabilities (more than the human capital approach is, in any case), Ben‐Porath concludes that a rights framework can best express through educational policy the state's commitment to the education of all children, regardless of ability.     

Making Special Education Compulsory and Inclusive in China

This paper presents a review of recent developments in special education in China. A major change was made by redefining special education as an integral part of compulsory education and by making the education system more inclusive. Government intervention, through legislation and regulation, as well as other effective approaches, was adopted to improve educational services. The results were evident both in the implementation of classroom integration and in the increase in numbers of children enrolled in schools. China's experience may have some value to other less developed countries who seek alternatives to provide better educational services for children with disabilities.     

The standards agenda: reflections of a special educational needs co‐ordinator

This study is a life history account of Bev, a special educational needs co‐ordinator who works in a primary school in England. The research examines how, within Bev's experiences, the discourses of integration and inclusion have affected learners with special educational needs. Additionally, the study examines the impact of the ‘performativity’ agenda on a mainstream school with a high proportion of learners with special educational needs. The account illustrates how, in Bev's experiences, inclusion operates within a powerful othering framework which marginalises children with special educational needs and their teachers. Additionally, the account raises questions about the risks of choosing to work in schools with high proportions of children with special educational needs within a discourse of performativity. It raises questions about whether the inclusion agenda has resulted in limited forms of inclusion and whether it was easier to meet children's holistic needs under the integration agenda.     

Some Questions (and a Few Answers) About Y&ooline;dai Mnemonics: A Reply to Kilpatrick,Pressley and Levin

Lev Vygotsky's contribution to defectology became a significant part of his overall theoretical legacy. Within his general theory of child development, he created a comprehensive and practically oriented paradigm of educating children with special needs. This article discusses the following topics' relevance to contemporary special education and school/educational psychology: Vygotsky's views on the nature of handicapping conditions in children, the principles of psychoeducational evaluation of the disabled, and the issue of the compensation and education of children with sensory and cognitive impairments.     

Inclusive special education: development of a new theory for the education of children with special educational needs and disabilities

Inclusive education and special education are based on different philosophies and provide alternative views of education for children with special educational needs and disabilities. They are increasingly regarded as diametrically opposed in their approaches. This article presents a theory of inclusive special education that comprises a synthesis of the philosophy, values and practices of inclusive education with the interventions, strategies and procedures of special education. Development of inclusive special education aims to provide a vision and guidelines for policies, procedures and teaching strategies that will facilitate the provision of effective education for all children with special educational needs and disabilities.     

Defying the Stereotypes of Special Education: Home School Students

This article discusses cases from my 9-year longitudinal study of 100 home school students. The article focuses on students who have been identified as exhibiting learning disabilities and giftedness. There has been widespread concern that parents who are not trained in special education cannot adequately teach children with special needs. This article chronicles the academic development of 6 special education students and examines their parents' educational backgrounds and pedagogical approaches. I conclude that these students have not followed the expected patterns for students with their classifications and they have not been taught with the same assumptions and techniques used by special educators. These cases raise serious questions about the stereotypes that influence current practices in special education.     

Struggling in the Mainstream: The case of Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, children with special needs who are studying in mainstream schools are struggling for integration amidst the competitive and elitist culture of the educational environment. The purpose of the present study is to examine the accounts of parents of students with special needs and their children's experiences, and also to compare the integration experiences of children with different types of special needs in mainstream schools. Data was collected through a structured questionnaire, of which 515 valid examples were returned and analysed. Academic requirements were found to be a great burden to children and parents. Children with intellectual impairment, autism, and hyperactivity encountered more problems in peer relationships. These results suggest there is a need to devise target-specific strategies and supportive measures for children with different types of special needs.     

Models and Morals: Meanings underpinning the scientific study of special educational needs

This paper discusses and evaluates four different approaches used by the writer and several other researchers to study special educational needs. The first approach, the Difference Model, is seen as poorly suited to addressing both a continuum of special educational needs and motivational issues integral to these needs. The second approach, the Developmental Model, discusses work within a Vygotskian paradigm, and offers important information on the human mediation needed to enhance learning. The third approach, the Ecological Model, highlights contextual factors and the child's perspective, as expounded within Bronfenbrenner's theory. It encourages an understanding of the wider cultural and socio-economic factors impinging on special educational needs. Finally, the fourth approach, the Discursive Model, emphasises a collaborative development of meanings and is valuable in the adoption of a partnership approach towards special educational needs. The evaluation of these differing approaches suggests the wisdom of adopting a multiple approach to the study of special educational needs.     

Classification of children with learning problems and the establishment of special classes in Delaware from the 1930s to the mid-1940s

ABSTRACT

This study focuses on J. E. Wallace Wallin, who recognised the rights of children with disabilities to receive an education, and who tackled the scientific classification of children and the provision of special classes in the state of Delaware from the 1930s to the middle of the 1940s. This study intends to clarify how Wallin recognised and classified children who exhibited learning problems, and how he provided an educational environment for them. Wallin advocated the democratic philosophy of providing differentiated education based on the individual differences among children. He classified children with learning problems as “mentally deficient”, “backward”, and “special subject-matter disabilities”. He also recommended special educational treatment in not only special classes but also regular classes. He insisted that regular class teachers and special class teachers share the responsibility of educating children with disabilities. However, in addition to tailoring education based on the diversity exhibited by children with learning problems, it is essential to tailor it for disabled children in public school special classes established in their communities. In terms of both human and material resources, it was difficult to address learning problems suitably in regular classes while improving the quality and quantity of education in special classes.     

Creative methods developed to facilitate the voices of children and young people with complex needs about their education: A systematic review and conceptual analysis of voice

A range of methods has been applied in research to enable children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities to share their views about educational experiences. However, methods tend to be targeted at older children and those who can communicate verbally and so there remains an important gap in knowledge about the methods used to support children with complex needs to share their views. This systematic literature review addresses this gap by exploring the creative methods that have been developed and used to facilitate the voices of children and young people with complex needs about their educational experiences and preferences. Additionally, methods were analysed conceptually in relation to Lundy's (2007)framework of Space, Voice, Audience and Influence to examine where, how and whose voices are heard, and what happens as a result. Fourteen qualitative papers published between 2003 and 2021 were included and synthesised according to PRISMA guidelines. Findings emphasize how it is possible to access the views of children and young people with complex needs using multi-modal, flexible approaches that require spending time with children, families, and practitioners to co-construct knowledge. The importance of a toolbox approach to enabling voice and participation challenges more orthodox and standardised methods of data collection. However, more needs to be done to ensure that children's views are acted upon, given due weight, and influence change.     

“Strong,Independent, Able to Learn More …”: Inclusion and the construction of school students in Iceland as diagnosable subjects

This paper deals with the way the vision of including children with special educational needs into their home school, constituted for instance in UNESCO's The Salamanca Statement and Framework on Special Needs Education, has merged with other contemporary discourses (ideas and practices) in Icelandic education. In particular, the paper focuses on the historical conjuncture of inclusion politics, individualism, a technological approach to education, and market ideology and practices in Icelandic education. These approaches are analysed as discursive patterns of legitimating principles functioning in Icelandic education at the beginning of the twenty-first century.     

Rights-Based Education for South Asian Sponsored Wives in International Arranged Marriages

The Family Class Category of Canada’s Immigration Policy exists with the key objective of family unification. Among Canada’s second largest immigrant group, the South Asians, the cultural practice of arranged marriage is applied across international borders, leading to spousal sponsorship. Existing research on South Asian sponsored wives suggests that they tend to misunderstand their rights as sponsored persons, as well as the rights and limitations of their sponsors. Misunderstandings may lead women to passively respond to sponsor-imposed barriers to integration. This paper builds a case for educating South Asian women about their sponsorship rights to assist them in recognizing and responding to rights violations. The paper presents an educational framework that would respond to their unique needs and vulnerabilities.     

The impact of screening and advice on inattentive,hyperactive and impulsive children

ABSTRACT

This short report is about the experiences, views and perspectives of eight parents whose children experience difficulties in learning or have disabilities. These parents have been involved in or innovated parent groups around England. Their views are presented in the light of education policy which relates to school choice and to children and young people with statements of their ‘special educational needs’. These parents’ perspectives on integration emerged as one of the main themes from the interview data     

Meeting the needs of children with specific speech and language difficulties

Clinical and diagnostic approaches to special educational needs do not translate easily into educational models. In some cases, these approaches can serve to limit understanding of children's wider needs. Children with specific speech and language difficulties (SSLD) are a case in point. Clear criteria exist for identification, but identification mechanisms may not relate to the child's wider educational needs. This paper addresses the ways that children with SSLD present in mainstream educational settings. The study aimed to identify all Year 3 children with SSLD in two English local education authorities. One hundred and thirty-three children (95 boys and 37 girls were identified). Sixty-five per cent of the children were in mainstream schools, 14.3 per cent in mainstream schools with designated units and the remainder in special schools. Half were at stage 5 of the Code of Practice, with most of the remaining participants at stage 3. Children experienced a wide range of difficulties, in addition to their primary speech and language problems. Patterns of difficulties varied across children, and associations existed between particular forms of language problems and learning and relationship problems. Professionals (teachers, educational psychologists and speech and language therapists) varied in their understanding of the children's needs. The data highlight the range and diversity of the needs of children with specific speech and language difficulties and the need for a multi-professional approach to these children. It is argued that ‘best practice’ for these children must consider the impact of speech and language problems on children's access to the curriculum and their social and behavioural needs. Narrow diagnostic models do not provide the appropriate information to inform educational practice and support inclusive policies.     

Understanding the causal mechanisms of visual processing problems: A possible biochemical basis for Irlen syndrome?

Abstract

When LOTE (Languages Other Than English) was first introduced into the primary school curriculum during the 1980s and 1990s, there was debate within some school communities concerning the inclusion of children with special educational needs in the language program. Some educators were unsure about whether or not children with special educational needs included in regular classrooms would derive any benefit from the study of a second language. However, since the introduction of LOTE, many children with mild disabilities’ have participated in LOTE activities in the primary school and indications are that most of these children have gained from the experience. However, any decision regarding a student's participation in the language program should be made only after consultation with all parties involved and should ideally be accompanied by the provision of adequate support for both the child and the language teacher.     

Democratic reform and the emergence of special needs education in Lithuania

Lithuanian educators began working towards the transformation of their educational system in the late 1980s. The movement away from centralized control and an education based on Soviet ideology was central to the Democracy movement in this country and other former Soviet republics. This paper demonstrates the ways in which the movement towards a democratic system built on contemporary Lithuanian values, beliefs and culture has included concerns for the education of children with special needs. By tracing Lithuanian cultural and historic traditions related to the education and care of individuals with disabilities, before, during and after the Soviet period of Soviet occupation, the authors demonstrate the relationship between social-historic contexts and the development of inclusive schools, i.e. general education settings that serve all children. The current status of education for children with special needs is discussed. This discussion includes current legislation and professional preparation, as well as identifying barriers to democratic reform and the creation of an inclusive educational system.     

浅谈智障儿童感觉统合训练的实效性

随着社会的发展,对于特殊儿童的关注度不断提高,越来越重视特殊儿童教育。智障儿童是特殊的儿童群体之一,由于大脑出现器质性的损伤,大脑发展不全,在认知、心理、运动以及社会交往中都存在一定的障碍,从而影响儿童之后的健康成长。而这些障碍其实可以通过采用不同的感觉统合训练加以改善,帮助儿童过上正常的生活。本文就感觉统合训练对智障儿童的实效性影响以及应用策略进行分析。     

INCLUSIVE AND SPECIAL EDUCATION: Inclusive and special education in the English educational system: historical perspectives,recent developments and future challenges

Special education in England has over the past 25 years been subject to rapid development, not least in relation to the emergence of inclusive education. Alan Hodkinson of the Faculty of Education, Community and Leisure, John Moore's University, critically examines the development of inclusion in England and the barriers that can stall the development of this important educational and societal initiative. He discusses the journey towards inclusion from educational segregation to integration and describes the current Government stance on this important subject. Alan Hodkinson suggests that many of the barriers to effective inclusion are in practice located within the loci of Government, local authorities as well as that of schools. He concludes that it is now time to develop a new vision for the education of children with special educational needs and disabilities that is supported by straightforward, co‐ordinated and well‐resourced policies. If educational policy is to achieve an inclusive consciousness, it must ensure that the views of children, their families and educational professionals are listened to, and that inclusion is by the choice of the pupils and their parents and not by compulsion.     

Let the children have their say: children with special educational needs and their experiences of Physical Education – a review

This paper reviews literature examining the perspectives of children with special educational needs related to their experiences of Physical Education (PE). The extent to which literature addresses inclusion in PE was determined and emerging themes arising from consultation with children with special educational needs regarding PE were examined. Qualitative studies, concentrating on consultation with special educational needs children, were reviewed and six key themes were identified: children's experiences of PE; their experiences of PE teachers; discrimination by others; feelings of self‐doubt; barriers to inclusion; and empowerment and consultation. Findings indicate children with special educational needs enjoy PE when fully included; however, participation is restricted by discrimination, limited teacher training and material barriers to inclusion. Consequently, teacher training in special educational needs and the education of non‐disabled children about special educational needs requires extensive consideration.     

Hearing children's voices in the early years

In this article Hannah Mortimer explores how even very young children can be consulted and included when planning for their education and needs. This allows early years practitioners to ensure that the children they support have equal opportunities, feel involved and successful in their learning and play, and are given activities and interventions to suit their interests and strengths. Various approaches are described here for including young children with special educational needs (SEN) and other disabilities in their foundation stage education. These include observation and interpretation, talk‐through approaches, play‐based assessment and intervention, use of art‐work, role play and stories, welcome profiles and personal records, increasing all children's awareness of SEN and developing inclusive and enjoyable approaches for everybody.