Family Needs,and Self-Efficacy During a Child's Social Support Transition to School

The needs of families of young children with handicaps were examined in relationship to the transition from an early intervention/preschool program to school placements. The results showed that needs became less pronounced during and after a transition compared to the time period during which transition planning occurred, and that the self-efficacy of the parents during and following transitions was positively influenced by social support and the interaction between transition time and social support. The implications of the findings for promoting effective transitions are discussed, especially the importance of identifying and responding to both child- and family-level needs if broad-based social influences are to be assured as a result of transition activities.     

Family Needs, and Self-Efficacy During a Child's Social Support Transition to School

The needs of families of young children with handicaps were examined in relationship to the transition from an early intervention/preschool program to school placements. The results showed that needs became less pronounced during and after a transition compared to the time period during which transition planning occurred, and that the self-efficacy of the parents during and following transitions was positively influenced by social support and the interaction between transition time and social support. The implications of the findings for promoting effective transitions are discussed, especially the importance of identifying and responding to both child- and family-level needs if broad-based social influences are to be assured as a result of transition activities.     

In Transition: Experiences of Parents of Children with Special Needs at School Entry

Pre-school children with special needs face a complex transition to school, requiring additional administrative, social and educational support. In this study, parents of 40 children with special needs reported on the transition to school experience of their 4–6-year-old child. They completed a measure of impact of the child’s disability on their family and an assessment of the quality of services experienced. Individual, semi-structured interviews contextualized these evaluations. Twenty children (pre-transition) were in preschool; 20 had already started school (post). Post-transition parents reported less average disability impact on family, generally lower perception of quality of care than pre-transition ones, and long waiting periods for school-based support. Most parents, however, reported satisfactory linkages between prior-to-school services and school. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that, despite the current climate of support for early child development, barriers for satisfactory transition to school still exist, and are largely due to low effectiveness of existing policies.     

Transition to School: Developmental Trajectories and School Experiences

Because of the premium now placed on a formal education as well as the changing demographics of American society, school failure is now more costly than ever. Given that academic difficulties experienced by children are traceable to problems in underachievement that begin during the first years of early schooling, a thorough understanding of the transition-to-school process is needed. We suggest two principal assumptions in examining this transition-to-kindergarten period. First, multiple risk factors associated with certain child, family, and child care characteristics are expected to predict early school experience, both in and out of the classroom, and, thereby, social and academic success and failure in the early school years. Secondly, it is expected that day-to-day experiences in the classroom and on the playground will exacerbate or mitigate risk, resulting in some children performing better than would otherwise be expected and others functioning worse than anticipated. Thus, a critically important problem involves the identification of child, family, child care, and schooling factors and processes which account for risk being realized or not realized with regard to subsequent academic and school performance.     

Transition to School: Developmental Trajectories and School Experiences

Because of the premium now placed on a formal education as well as the changing demographics of American society, school failure is now more costly than ever. Given that academic difficulties experienced by children are traceable to problems in underachievement that begin during the first years of early schooling, a thorough understanding of the transition-to-school process is needed. We suggest two principal assumptions in examining this transition-to-kindergarten period. First, multiple risk factors associated with certain child, family, and child care characteristics are expected to predict early school experience, both in and out of the classroom, and, thereby, social and academic success and failure in the early school years. Secondly, it is expected that day-to-day experiences in the classroom and on the playground will exacerbate or mitigate risk, resulting in some children performing better than would otherwise be expected and others functioning worse than anticipated. Thus, a critically important problem involves the identification of child, family, child care, and schooling factors and processes which account for risk being realized or not realized with regard to subsequent academic and school performance.     

从特殊教育到全纳教育:特殊需要儿童学习支持模型与实践的转型

《萨拉曼卡宣言》呼吁让有特殊需要的儿童有机会进入普通学校学习,这种全纳教育的成功有赖于普通学校为特殊需要儿童提供的学习支持.本文首先通过梳理文献论述从特殊教育到全纳教育的转型,进而回顾学习支持主体,主要包括主流教师、学习支持教师、助教、学习支持顾问等及其之间的合作.然后通过介绍学习支持的模型包括医学取向、全纳取向和服务连续体的模型,以及综合的生态系统交互模型,进而回顾了英国、美国和南非等国学习支持的不同实践,最后本文基于国外模型与实践为我国学校学习支持的师资配置、模型实践和研究提出了建议,包括教师的职前教育和职后培训,以及全校推进模式的学习支持等.     

Family Routines and School Readiness During the Transition to Kindergarten

Research Findings: Using data from 3,250 participants in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort, we used structural equation modeling to investigate whether family routines (e.g., bedtime routine, reading routine) established in preschool predict children’s school readiness (i.e., academic skills, social-emotional skills, and physical health) in kindergarten, a foundational year for establishing children’s academic trajectories. Analyses revealed that higher levels of routines in preschool were associated with greater declines in teacher-reported conduct problems and hyperactive/inattentive behavior and greater gains in prosocial behaviors from preschool to kindergarten. Higher routines also predicted greater gains in both reading and mathematics scores as well as greater improvements in physical health. Telling stories appears to be the most salient routine for children’s social-emotional outcomes, whereas bedtime routines most strongly predicts differences in children’s academic skills and health outcomes. Practice or Policy: The results suggest that family routines may be an important tool for preparing and supporting children and parents for the kindergarten transition even before school entry.     

Support Needs of Expectant Mothers and Fathers: A Qualitative Study

The aim of this study was to describe expectant mothers’ and fathers’ perceived needs of support during pregnancy. Twenty-two women and 10 men were interviewed in four focus groups and 13 individual interviews. Systematic text condensation was performed to analyze the data. Parents described not only a broad spectrum of social support needs but also needs of psychological and physical support. They also requested to share their experiences with others. The foci of care and parents’ needs of support are more harmonized with medical support than with psychological and emotional support. Mothers’ needs were predominately addressed in the health services, but fathers often felt “invisible.” Antenatal services may need to offer more customized individual support and emphasize peer support in groups; the challenge is to involve both parents through communication and encouragement so they can support each other.     

Experiences of Counselor Education Doctoral Student Mothers With Young Children

We explored the mothering experiences of 11 counselor education doctoral student mothers who have at least one young child under the age of 5. Six themes emerged from the study, including ambivalence, increased use of coping mechanisms, striving for balance, “superwoman syndrome,” indistinguishable roles, and leading by example.     

Assessing the Support Needs of Children with a Disability in Regular Classes

This paper reports the development of an instrument to assess the support needs of students with a disability in regular classes. The instrument was developed by a University-based research team on behalf of the New South Wales Department of Education and Training, and was used as the basis for providing funding support for over 12,000 students in the year 2000. The developmental process was robust in that it was based on three types of information: assessment approaches being used in other locations; expert judgement by Departmental officers; and statistical analyses of data obtained using an initial form of the instrument. Statistical analysis was based on a final form of the instrument consisting of 11 focus areas structured into three domains - physical needs, learning needs, and social needs of students. These domains had good construct and face validities and high score reliabilities.     

特殊儿童家庭社会支持情况调查报告

对221户特殊儿童家长问卷的调查显示,特殊儿童家庭面临的三大困难是:经济困难、康复和特殊教育知识缺乏以及时间和精力不足。特殊儿童家庭实际获得的社会支持很少。一方面,社会现有资源未得到合理利用;另一方面,各系统层面所提供的支持未能很好满足特殊儿童家庭的需要,特别是支持源与被支持者之间的沟通渠道不通畅。     

Impact of a Temporary Food Shortage on Children and Their Mothers

Kenya experienced a severe drought and temporary food shortage during a study on mild malnutrition. Effects of the temporary food shortage on energy intake, weight, and behaviors were evaluated in schoolchildren and in toddlers and their mothers. Schoolchildren were seriously affected, showing significant declines in their energy intake, age-corrected weight, activity on the playground, and classroom attention. Toddlers appear to have been somewhat protected since their energy intake, weight, and play and language behaviors were stable. Maternal caregiving of toddlers declined for the group as a whole, but individually those mothers who maintained family food levels delegated responsibility for toddlers to other caregivers. While the food shortage affected poorer families more than those of higher SES, declines in the behaviors of schoolchildren occurred regardless of SES and previous level of nutrition, suggesting that food shortages can have behavioral consequences for schoolchildren in all communities.     

Stress and Social Support in Fathers and Mothers of Young Children with and without Disabilities

This study compared perceived stress and social support in fathers and mothers of children with and without disabilities. The sample consisted of 15 families with special needs children and 15 with children with no known handicapping conditions. The Parent Stress Index and a parental questionnaire were used. Findings indicated higher perceived stress in families with special needs children. Within these families no significant differences were found between fathers' and mothers' perceived stress. Significant negative correlations were found between families' stress and support received from fiends and relatives. Negative correlations were found for mothers' stress in Child Domain and support from the community. Implications include planning for active engagement of fathers in all areas of service delivery in early intervention programs, including encouragement for more participation in programming; opening a direct line of communication through designing tailored workshops, support groups and counseling; recognizing fathers' strengths beyond their traditional roles; and viewing them as an additional emotional source of support for mothers.     

Home and School Support for Gifted Children

GIFTED EDUCATION programs typically underrepresent children from minority ethnic and low income backgrounds. In this study, uncommon screening measures were used to identify an equity sample of 68 potentially gifted youngsters in the United States who would participate in a summer institute. The instruction offered these preschool and primary grade students was complimented by a learning component for their parents. A common and differentiated curriculum was developed for Anglo and Hispanic parents based on their expressed expectations regarding child development. Findings show that schools can serve communities better when opportunities for growth are provided to parents as well as their children.     

Stress and Social Support in Fathers and Mothers of Young Children with and without Disabilities

This study compared perceived stress and social support in fathers and mothers of children with and without disabilities. The sample consisted of 15 families with special needs children and 15 with children with no known handicapping conditions. The Parent Stress Index and a parental questionnaire were used. Findings indicated higher perceived stress in families with special needs children. Within these families no significant differences were found between fathers' and mothers' perceived stress. Significant negative correlations were found between families' stress and support received from fiends and relatives. Negative correlations were found for mothers' stress in Child Domain and support from the community. Implications include planning for active engagement of fathers in all areas of service delivery in early intervention programs, including encouragement for more participation in programming; opening a direct line of communication through designing tailored workshops, support groups and counseling; recognizing fathers' strengths beyond their traditional roles; and viewing them as an additional emotional source of support for mothers.     

Parental Involvement as a Protective Factor During the Transition to High School

ABSTRACT

The authors investigated whether student-perceived parental involvement predicts improvement in academic, behavioral, and relational outcomes for low-achieving adolescents. With a sample of 59 racially diverse 9th-grade students, the authors measured 3 dimensions of parental involvement: direct participation, academic encouragement, and expectations for grades and attainment. Analyses revealed associations between 2 types of parental involvement and outcomes, which held after considering student gender and race. Students whose parents had higher expectations about grades and attainment had higher grade point averages and were rated as more academically engaged by their teachers. Students who reported that their parents were more academically encouraging experienced more care from their teachers. Results suggest certain types of parental involvement may be more effective than others in supporting low-achieving adolescents’ school performance.