COMMENTARY ON NIND AND KELLETT 2002

This study had three objectives. One was to compare the needs, resources and supports perceived as available and needed by 32 parents of children with mild to moderate intellectual impairments, educated in self-contained special education classes (SCS), and 46 parents of children with general special needs educated in regular classes. A second objective was to compare these perceptions to the rated degree of pupil impairment. The third objective was to examine the applicability of two surveys. Results revealed that parents perceived strong informational needs regardless of educational setting, though the parents of children in the SCS group expressed stronger informational needs. Parents of children in the SCS group tended to be more satisfied with their relationship with schools than parents in the comparison group. Child impairments in the areas of social skills, behaviour, communication, and thinking and reasoning were highly correlated with parental needs and parental perception of school supports and resources. Factors influencing parental self-efficacy are discussed and recommendations are made for enhancing parental involvement in the child's education. Suggestions are also made for utilizing information derived from this study when planning the implementation of inclusive schools.     

Social skills interventions across school settings: Case study reviews of students with mild disabilities

This study investigates the efficacy of a social skills training program with seven mildly handicapped students across three school settings: regular classroom, special education resource room, and recess. It was found that social skills training generated improvement on both pre-post measures and behavior ratings. Improvements were maintained 2 weeks after treatment was discontinued for seven students. All students' performance generalized from resource room to regular classroom settings; only four students' performance generalized to the recess setting.     

Fostering Social Participation in Inclusive Classrooms of Students who are Deaf

ABSTRACT

Research indicates that children with hearing impairment are at higher risk regarding their social participation in school compared to their hearing peers. The purpose of this study was to investigate the social participation of 7th Grade students with hearing impairment in inclusive classrooms. Data from 62 7th Grade students across three classrooms and teachers were collected via paper-and-pencil questionnaires and from regular and special needs teachers via interviews. Results from the single case studies in three classrooms indicate that students with hearing impairment feel less socially integrated and less accepted by their peers. They do, however, interact more with other students with special needs and most students with hearing impairment have friends in their class. Teachers evaluated social integration, acceptance, interaction and friendships of their students with hearing impairment as average or as above average. The teachers’ evaluations only partly correspond to the self-perceptions of the students. Factors that either promote or hinder participation on an institutional, teacher, teaching and student level were exposed, which may have important practice and policy implications.     

Country Briefing: Special education in Denmark

Denmark is a country with a relatively high expenditure on education, and was one of the first countries in the Integration movement. Now the country is including all but 1.25 per cent of all pupils in a comprehensive school. The 1.25 per cent are attending special schools or special classes. To make this possible, 13 per cent of all students in regular schools on a yearly basis receive special needs education support as a supplement to regular education. Special education within the regular school system has existed for 99 years, and special teacher training has a 66-year history, originating in training of speech therapists. At present, the prevalence of special needs education is between 25 and 35 per cent, and this gives rise to questions about the relation between special needs education and differentiation of instruction which, in turn, has implications for training of teachers in special needs education.     

Contacts with classmates: the social position of pupils with Down's syndrome in Dutch mainstream education

ABSTRACT

An important aspect of integrating special needs pupils in mainstream education is social integration. Parents of Down's syndrome children and their teachers in regular education regard contact with peers as of utmost importance for these children's development. Until recently, there was little research in The Netherlands on social contact between mainstream Down's syndrome children and their classmates. The study addresses the number and type of contacts in the regular classroom and the position occupied by the pupils involved within their peer group in regular education.     

Discrepancies in judging social inclusion and bullying of pupils with behaviour problems

This study focuses on the social position and the degree of being bullied of pupils with behaviour problems fully included in regular education and on their teachers’ assessments on social integration and bullying. The study sample consisted of 25 9–12‐year‐old pupils with behaviour problems and their peers without special needs participating in full‐time regular education in the north of The Netherlands. Data gathering was performed using pupil and teacher questionnaires and a sociometric test. Results indicate that compared to their peers without special educational needs (SEN), the pupils with behaviour problems in this study were included less socially. The study further shows that about half the teachers participating in the study have a too positive view on the social position of these pupils. These teachers tend to seriously underestimate both the frequency with which pupils are being bullied and the frequency with which these pupils actively bully their peers.     

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.     

Regular primary schoolteachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education: a review of the literature

Teachers are seen as key persons to implement inclusive education. Positive attitudes are therefore argued as playing a considerable role in implementing this educational change successfully. The aim of this study is to examine what attitudes teachers hold towards inclusive education, which variables are related to their attitudes and if these affect the social participation of pupils with special needs in regular schools. A review of 26 studies revealed that the majority of teachers hold neutral or negative attitudes towards the inclusion of pupils with special needs in regular primary education. No studies reported clear positive results. Several variables are found which relate to teachers’ attitudes, such as training, experience with inclusive education and pupils’ type of disability. No conclusion could be drawn regarding the effects of teachers’ attitudes on the social participation of pupils with special needs.     

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.     

Attitudes of parents towards inclusive education: a review of the literature

The aim of this study is to review literature about parents’ attitudes towards inclusive education. Special attention is paid to parents’ attitudes and to the effect of these on the social participation of children with special needs in regular schools. A review of the literature resulted in 10 studies showing that the majority of parents hold positive attitudes. However, parents of children with special needs reported various concerns, including the availability of services in regular schools and individualised instruction. Several variables were found which relate to parents’ attitudes, such as social‐economic status, education level, experience with inclusion and type of disability. No studies examined the effects of parental attitudes on the social participation of children with special needs. The importance of positive parental attitudes is elaborated in the discussion.     

A Case Study of An Inclusive Early Childhood Setting

Research findings: This ethnographic case study examines one inclusive early childhood setting during the four week Extended School Year (ESY) session. It focuses on the participation of children with special needs, including their interactions with peers, caregivers, and the environment. Non-participant observations were conducted within the inclusive setting in which the children's behaviors and interactions were looked at and analyzed. An interview with the Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) teacher was also conducted and analyzed. Results indicated that children with special needs regularly modeled and imitated behaviors, words, and skills of their typically developing peers, as well as those of their more advanced peers with special needs, and the teachers; individualized interventions were regularly conducted by the ECSE teacher within the general activities of the inclusive setting; and collaboration took place between the ECSE and regular early childhood teachers through joint planning of the activities and schedule, as well as providing general support to one another. Practice: Implications for effective inclusive practices are drawn. Rather than simply placing children with special needs in a class full of typically developing children, and stopping there, several elements must be provided: (a) opportunities must be available for free choice and peer interactions; (b) appropriate interventions must be conducted within the natural environment; and (c) collaboration must take place between the Early Childhood Educators and Early Childhood Special Educators.     

A Case Study of An Inclusive Early Childhood Setting

Research findings: This ethnographic case study examines one inclusive early childhood setting during the four week Extended School Year (ESY) session. It focuses on the participation of children with special needs, including their interactions with peers, caregivers, and the environment. Non-participant observations were conducted within the inclusive setting in which the children's behaviors and interactions were looked at and analyzed. An interview with the Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) teacher was also conducted and analyzed. Results indicated that children with special needs regularly modeled and imitated behaviors, words, and skills of their typically developing peers, as well as those of their more advanced peers with special needs, and the teachers; individualized interventions were regularly conducted by the ECSE teacher within the general activities of the inclusive setting; and collaboration took place between the ECSE and regular early childhood teachers through joint planning of the activities and schedule, as well as providing general support to one another. Practice: Implications for effective inclusive practices are drawn. Rather than simply placing children with special needs in a class full of typically developing children, and stopping there, several elements must be provided: (a) opportunities must be available for free choice and peer interactions; (b) appropriate interventions must be conducted within the natural environment; and (c) collaboration must take place between the Early Childhood Educators and Early Childhood Special Educators.     

再论融合教育:普小教师眼中的"随班就读"

在中国 ,融合教育的主要安置形式是随班就读。本文使用开放式问卷 ,录音采访了大连市 1 1所普通小学的 2 3位班主任教师。研究的结果表明 :(一 )大连市的普小教师对特殊儿童随班就读基本上持接受态度 ,集中有近一半多的教师认为要视学生的残疾种类合程度来确定特殊儿童是否随班就读。(二 )在多数普小教师看来 ,特殊儿童与正常儿童之间的交往势必交顺利的 ,特殊儿童的社会融合经常出现在课外活动、集体活动、游戏的场合 ,而在课堂学习的情况下较难产生。 (三 )从社会融合的可利用资源中 ,社区、学校、家庭之间的相互支持、协作的桥梁并未建立起来。 (四 )普小教师对随班就读工作的建议是希望得到特殊教育知识的培训。     

特殊儿童家庭亲职教育需求的调查研究

本文以105名特殊儿童家长为调查对象,研究了他们的亲职教育需求状况,以及亲职教育需求的影响因素,结果显示:特殊儿童家庭亲职教育需求是迫切的、广泛的,其中,家长最需要的是社会资源方面的讯息;影响特殊儿童家庭亲职教育需求的因素较多,包括家长性别、家庭所在地、家庭经济收入、儿童年级水平、儿童残疾类型、残疾程度等,其中家庭经济...     

试论大特殊教育观

本文从我国社会基础,特殊教育发展趋势,特殊教育与普通教育关系,服务对象概念的变化,特殊教育安置形式和实践特征等方面阐述了大特殊教育的观念,宏观地勾画了我国特殊教育发展的新前景     

Local education authorities’ approaches to provision for children with specific speech and language difficulties in England and Wales

Children with specific speech and language difficulties (SSLD) pose a challenge to the education system as a result of their language needs and associated educational and social‐behavioural difficulties. Local education authorities (LEAs) in England and Wales have developed language units to meet their needs but previous research has indicated this provision was inadequate. The development of inclusion raises questions regarding this type of provision, compared with full inclusion into mainstream schools. The present study reports on a national survey of LEAs in England and Wales (97 respondents, 49.5% response rate) and interviews with 37 LEA special educational needs managers. Provision varied by age group with designated specialist provision more prevalent at key stages 1 and 2 (age 5–11 years), and relatively little at key stages 3 and 4 (11–16). LEAs’ decision‐making regarding provision varied, influenced by the lack of common criteria, which was highlighted by the difficulties in distinguishing children with SSLD from those with autistic spectrum disorder. There were also difficulties translating policies into practice, including the shortage of speech and language therapists. The implications of the study are discussed with reference to inclusion.     

The Effect of Cooperative Groups on Regular Class Spelling Achievement of Special Needs Learners

This study examined the utility of cooperative groups as a technology for mainstreaming academically deficit students in a regular fourth grade classroom. Twenty‐seven students (mean age 8.6 years), including five targeted special needs learners, took a weekly spelling test of 20 words chosen from the fourth grade reader. A return to baseline research design indicated that cooperative groups promoted higher academic mastery among those with special needs and regular education learners when compared with two types of individualistic techniques. Results support the use of cooperative groups as a technique for academic as well as social mainstreaming in the regular classroom.     

Spatial density as a setting event for the social interaction of preschool children

The effects of spatial density as a setting event on the social interaction of preschool children were examined in this review. A specific interest was the potential application of this setting event to children with special needs in inclusive settings. Twelve studies were examined revealing a range of methodological and technical difficulties in the extant research. Several studies reported significant effects, but results were inconsistent and very limited research examining students with special needs is available. Several suggestions for future research are offered including conduct of studies in typical preschool settings with representative group sizes, study of children with special needs, and use of research designs that allow idiosyncratic responses to interventions to be considered. Despite considerable recent interest and research on setting events, the body of research on spatial density is dated and methodologically problematic. It is suggested that renewed interest in this class of setting events might be appropriate.