Academic Outcomes for Children Born Preterm: A Summary and Call for Research

The developmental outcomes for children born preterm have been examined by many, with results unequivocally indicating that children born preterm tend to have poorer cognitive outcomes and more developmental difficulties. Less attention has been paid to academic outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to review the academic skills assessment of children born preterm, examine the methodologies used to ascertain skill deficits, and identify essential directions for future research. Overwhelmingly the results of studies of academic skills indicate that children born preterm function lower than their full term peers. The methodological flaws with existing studies that impede broad conclusions about specific skill deficits will be discussed. It is critical that future research examine the academic skill deficits contributing to disability status so that effective early intervention strategies may be developed and implemented.     

Cognitive Development Trajectories of Very Preterm and Typically Developing Children

Cognitive impairment is common among children born very preterm (VPT), yet little is known about how this risk changes over time. To examine this issue, a regional cohort of 110 VPT (≤ 32 weeks gestation) and 113 full‐term (FT) born children was prospectively assessed at ages 4, 6, 9, and 12 years using the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence–Revised and then Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, 4th ed. At all ages, VPT children obtained lower scores than their FT born peers (p < .001). Growth curve modeling revealed stable cognitive trajectories across both groups. Neonatal white matter abnormalities and family socioeconomic adversity additively predicted cognitive risk. Despite some intraindividual variability, cognitive functioning of typically developing and high‐risk VPT children was stable and influenced by early neurological development and family rearing context.     

Children with Special Educational Needs: Parents' Knowledge of Procedures and Provisions

The author carried out an investigation in Sheffield in 1989, when he was a student nurse (RNMH). He addressed a questionnaire to parents of children with learning difficulties, concerning their knowledge of the procedures for issuing statements of special educational needs, their communications with teachers and other professionals and their attitudes towards integration in mainstream schools.     

Research Supplement: Integrated Nurseries for Children with Special Educational Needs

The authors are educational psychologists in the Sheffield school psychological service. Geoff Lindsay also teaches at Sheffield University. They describe three pre-school units for children with special educational needs and consider problems for integrating such children into the mainstream.     

有特殊教育需要幼儿随班就读研究报告

随着教育事业的发展,有特殊教育需要幼儿的入园人数已显著增长, 学前随班就读的一体化教育体制已成必须。虹口区十二所幼儿园就普通幼 儿园随班就读的管理、师资建设、评估与安置、教育策略等方面进行了随班就 读的教学实践研究,对幼儿园中如何进行特殊儿童的教育进行了探索,并讨 论了学前随班就读成功的原因以及所存在的问题。     

Stress, Burnout and Workload in Teachers of Children with Special Educational Needs

Whilst stress in teaching has received much attention in recent years, for teachers of children with special educational needs (SEN) specific stress-related research is relatively rare. This study sought to address this issue by investigating stress, burnout and workload in teachers of children with special educational needs. A postal questionnaire was sent to 56 ordinary schools and eight schools for children with moderate learning difficulties (MLD), eight for children with severe learning difficulties (SLD) and eight for children with emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBD). The schools were situated in inner city, urban and rural areas in the south-east of England. A total of 221 teachers responded. Results indicated that, whilst generalised claims for burnout may not be justified, within all three special school settings there was evidence of a high level of emotional exhaustion as measured by the education version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). In addition, all groups were subject to long hours of work, and work overload was high for ordinary school SEN teachers and teachers working in MLD and SLD settings. Reference to sources of intense stress indicated some differences according to setting but generally implicated workload and challenging behaviour. The conclusions are that further research into stress and burnout of SEN teachers is required if effective coping and preventative strategies are to be designed.     

Computer Use with Children with Special Educational Needs in Primary Schools

The use of computers to enhance the learning of children with special educational needs has many advocates. Such children in mainstream schools, however, may be failing to obtain the full benefits of computer aided learning through limited resources and lack of teacher expertise. After a period of advisory work in this field, Bill Goler is now teaching in a special school for pupils with moderate learning difficulties. His article is based on a dissertation for the Master's degree at Manchester University.     

Reviewing the Teaching and Learning of Children with Special Educational Needs: Enabling Whole School Responsibility

Neil Morris, Learning Support Co-ordinator, and Phil Parker, Learning Support Manger, at Colmers Farm School, use 'The four Ps of policy' (Palmer, Redfern & Smith, 1994) to review their own practice in the development of the monitoring and evaluation measures of their school's SEN (Special Educational Needs) provision. They outline their commitment to inclusive education, and analyse the ways in which the strategy of 'Subject Department SEN Reviews' focuses upon teaching and learning styles.     

How Early Childhood Teachers Perceive the Educational Needs of Military Dependent Children

Military dependent children remain a largely unexplored subject, particularly in early childhood education. In an effort to fill the gap in the current literature, this research study focuses on how early childhood teachers perceive the educational needs of military dependent children. Previous research in the areas of geographic mobility, parental separation, and socioemotional needs are reviewed and used as a platform for this study. The study includes a survey developed by the researcher used in conjunction with Teacher Observation of Classroom Adaptation—Checklist to further examine the needs of these children from the perceptions of their teachers. The results of the study demonstrate that while early childhood teachers do not perceive a significant difference between military and nonmilitary dependent children in the socioemotional domains of prosocial behavior, concentration, and disruptive behavior, they do believe there is a difference related to stability. Additionally, early childhood teachers noted a negative socioemotional and academic impact related to parental separation and a negative academic impact related to geographic mobility. Teachers’ responses indicated mixed beliefs about the social impact of frequent relocations.     

美国流动儿童教育“综合需求评估”项目述评

近年来,美国在提升流动儿童教育质量方面积累了丰富的经验,完备的流动儿童教育综合需求评估体系是其重要成果之一.为全面了解流动儿童的教育需求,提升相关教育援助的适切性,美国组建了集评估专家、学科教育专家、流动教育工作者、流动儿童父母等多方利益相关者为一体的多层次评估团队,构建了基于流动儿童独特性的评估内容框架,提出了评估实...     

关于自闭症谱系障碍儿童家庭教养需求的调查研究

本研究采用问卷调查的研究方法,对不同情境变量下(家长的年龄、自闭症谱系障碍儿童的年龄、家庭月收入等)自闭症谱系障碍儿童家庭教养需求进行了对比分析。结果表明:(1)自闭症谱系障碍儿童家庭的教养需求非常强烈,需求程度由强到弱排列分别为:知识与信息需要、社会资源需要、心理与情绪需要。(2)自闭症谱系障碍儿童家庭的需求在一定程度上受到情境变量的影响,其中不同月消费自闭症谱系障碍儿童家庭的教养需求存在显著差异,但是独生与非独生子女、不同年龄段自闭症谱系障碍儿童、不同年龄段自闭症谱系障碍儿童家长、不同月收入家庭的教养需求虽存在一定差别,但不构成显著差异。     

Promoting Interaction among Children with Special Educational Needs in an Integrated Nursery

The author teaches at the Kingsley Special School, Kettering. She gives an account of systematic observations undertaken to improve the integration of four young children with special educational needs in a nursery department. The field work forms part of her studies for the degree of MA (Special Needs) at Leicester.     

Use of the Touch Sensitive Screen with Children who have Special Educational Needs

This article is based on the dissertation for the degree of B. Ed (Honours) awarded by Birmingham University in July 1987 to the author when she was a student at Westhill College Birmingham. Beverley Elf is now teaching at Mandeville School, Ealing.     

Educational Media and Human Needs

Through the years since the overhead projector became a popular aid for the teacher we have been presented with a wide variety of models. This variety has been wide in terms of country of origin, type of manufacturing company, standard of performance, standard of construction, and price. We have had some projectors which are very good, and some which are bad.     

Pragmatism, Ideology and Educational Change: The Case of Special Educational Needs

A major theme of recent debate and policy development in the area of special education is that of inclusion: the placement of all pupils in mainstream schools and the development of curriculum and pedagogy to meet the needs of all. Analysis of national statistical data shows some movement in this direction, but of a slow and very uneven kind. An exploration of the concepts of pragmatism to describe an important aspect of LEA decision making and of ideology to describe an important aspect of pressures for inclusion helps to explain this pattern of development. The paper concludes that both approaches require further systematic empirical data on the outcomes of different patterns of educational provision.     

Handicapped Children of Preschool‐ and School‐age in New Zealand: Special Educational Needs and Available Services

Very little research has been undertaken to date into the epidemiology of handicaps in New Zealand children of preschool and school age. Overseas prevalence estimates suggest that in this country only a small proportion of children within each category, apart from visual handicap, are receiving special educational provisions. While not necessarily an undesirable state of affairs, several studies conducted as part of Project MASE indicate that many handicapped children in regular classes whom teachers and parents believe require special educational services are not being referred for, and thus do not receive such provision. Possible reasons for non‐referral and strategies for locating such children during the preschool and school years are considered, and the need for greatly expanded research attention to the progress and adjustment of the majority of handicapped children who remain in regular classes is underlined.     

Social and Educational Disadvantage: Reconnecting Special Needs Education

Alan Dyson, Professor of Special Needs Education at the University of Newcastle on Tyne (in BJSE 's 'The New Professors' series) argues that special needs education has, at a time when there are concerns over falling standards in education generally, lost sight of the relationship between children's difficulties in school and wider patterns of socio-economic disadvantage and inequality, and suggests that special needs education in the late 1990s is incapable of addressing basic failings and inequities in our education system and within society as a whole.