Implementation of Educational Provision for Children with Severe to Profound Intellectual Disability in the Western Cape: From Rights to Reality

Children with severe to profound intellectual disability have been excluded from education on the basis that their impairment makes them ‘ineducable’. The Western Cape Forum for Intellectual Disability challenged this notion through litigation against the South African Government. The ensuing judgement asserts the right to education of these children and outlines action steps for government to this end. We describe the actions taken by the Western Cape Education Department in responding to the requirements of the court by means of a document review. We then reflect on the implementation process, highlighting key learning points of relevance for others engaged in implementation. We note critical factors to be considered for the child, their families, special care centres, and the broader educational and legal systems. We conclude by outlining important considerations for the inclusion of these children within the education system in South Africa.     

弱智儿童适应性教育再思考

适应是弱智儿童成长发展的基本形式和趋势。适应力决定了弱智儿童真实生活的水平与质量。本文以新的适应观“适应是弱智儿童与环境双方的改变、调适”为主导 ,论及弱智儿童适应过程、特点。明晰弱智儿童适应性教育诊断 ,适应性养成教育的思路。启发对障碍、对环境建构的理解     

Assessing Early Language Development in Children with Vision Disability and Motor Disability

This article describes a method for identifying test items as disability neutral for children with vision and motor disabilities. Graduate students rated 130 items of the Preschool Language Scale and obtained inter‐rater correlation coefficients of 0.58 for ratings of items as disability neutral for children with vision disability, and 0.77 for ratings of items as disability neutral for children with motor disability. These ratings were used to create three item sets considered disability neutral for children with vision disability, motor disability, or both disabilities. Two methods for scoring the item sets were identified: scoring each set as a partially administered developmental test, or computing standard scores based upon pro‐rated raw score totals. The pro‐rated raw score method generated standard scores that were significantly inflated and therefore less useful for the assessment purposes than the ratio quotient method. This research provides a test accommodation technique for assessing children with multiple disabilities.     

Parenting a Child with a Learning Disability: A Qualitative Approach

The present study describes experiences associated with parenting children diagnosed with learning disabilities. Parents whose children were diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, dyslexia/language problems, and Asperger syndrome, related to poor performance at school, took part in the study. A qualitative study design was implemented, using three focus groups. The data obtained were analysed following an inductive thematic approach. Five major themes were identified: parenting emotions, diagnosis and cause, daily experiences, social relationships and concerns about the future. The parents in this study experienced a range of emotions, and assigned different explanations to the learning disability, depending on the diagnosis (attention, verbal or non-verbal). Daily experience, both at home and at school, was influenced by the child’s specific impairment. All parents, independently of the diagnosis, believe a central role is played by social relationships and expressed concerns about their child’s future development. Emotional interventions targeting these parents should take these considerations into account and address the specific type of learning disability.     

学习障碍儿童的干预研究述评

学习障碍是一个比较新的、越来越受到关注的领域。近年来,我国开始重视学习障碍儿童的干预训练,从单一的采用某种干预模式到综合利用多种干预技术,在全纳中重视个别化教育的指导,加强学校教育和家庭教育的配合,对学习障碍儿童的干预训练提出了一些以后发展的方向。     

Word Recognition and the Nature of Reading Difficulty in Children with An Intellectual Disability: A Review

IT HAS OFTEN been assumed that, given appropriate instruction, children with intellectual disability can reach a level of achievement in reading commensurate with their level of mental development. This paper reviews evidence to the contrary, with particular reference to the skills required for word recognition. Similarities between specific reading disability and reading difficulty in children of low intelligence are noted, especially in deficits in short‐term memory. Much of the research with children with an intellectual disability has focussed on the teaching of sight‐word recognition; however, studies of decoding skills indicate that ability to acquire and use a knowledge of spelling patterns is a major problem underlying difficulty in independent word recognition by these children. Efforts to teach these children more efficient decoding skills have met with only limited success.     

Living with Children with an Intellectual Disability: Parents Construct their Reality

This paper reports a study that adopted an interpretivist paradigm as a basis for parents and researchers to co‐create a discourse that outlines life experiences as they relate to parenting a child with an intellectual disability. Repertory grid methodology was employed to inform the process of discourse development. A model of the five interrelated systems of events or issues that impinge upon the perceptions of parents of children with an intellectual disability is proposed. In addition, details about the group's perceptions of those environmental events or issues that are pertinent to living with and caring for a child with an intellectual disability are reported.     

Increasing the Involvement of People with an Intellectual Disability in Choice Making Situations: A Practical Approach

This paper describes a participant observation approach to exploring choice making by people with an intellectual disability in three different home settings‐‐a private family home, a community group home and an independent living situation. It identifies some of the factors which affect choice making, including experience at making choices, routines, the role of support people, and communication. The paper illustrates these factors with examples from the different settings. Finally, it provides practical suggestions for service providers to increase the involvement of people with an intellectual disability in choice making situations.     

近年来我国学习不良儿童研究综述

本文叙述了我国近年来有关学习不良研究的主要特点和主要研究领域,包括诊断、鉴别以及成因等方面的成果,在此基础上提出了未来研究要解决的问题.     

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.     

Memory Profile of Children with Nonverbal Learning Disability

The aim of this study was to compare visual and verbal memory in children with nonverbal learning disability (NLD) using the Children's Memory Scale and to identify the profile of strengths and weaknesses in visual memory abilities. Performance was significantly lower on measures of visual than verbal memory, indicating that children with NLD have deficits in visual memory despite adequate verbal memory. A unique pattern of performance emerged for the visual but not the verbal subtests. Performance on the Faces Immediate subtest was well below average, although other measures of visual memory were within the average range. Hence, it appears that children with NLD have a specific deficit on immediate memory for faces. This facial memory deficit may be linked to a deficit in right hemisphere functioning, which has already been implicated in facial processing and may also be linked with other disorders (e.g., autism spectrum disorder) in which similar facial processing deficits have been documented. More research is needed to further understand the visual memory profile of children with NLD and to inform instruction and remediation.     

Ethical Reasoning Used by Teachers of Children with Severe and Profound Intellectual Disabilities: A preliminary investigation

In a study of the ethical reasoning of teachers of children with severe and profound intellectual disabilities, the authors report on their findings from interviews with, and classroom observations of, five teachers of children in segregated classrooms. The teachers' responses to four ethical dilemmas were discussed and analysed for the types of reasoning that they used and for the presence of four principles often cited in normative ethics: justice, respect for autonomy, beneficence, and non-maleficence. Interview data also suggested the presence of some distinctive elements in the ethical discussion of the participants. The authors found that teachers gave almost exclusive consideration to individual student interests in their discussions of the dilemmas. Although justice played a significant role in their validation of their decisions, the governing principle in their argument seemed to be beneficence. Moral impasses have frequently arisen in discussions of the ethics of decisions regarding persons with severe and profound intellectual disabilities. The findings of this study are presented as an empirical contribution to that debate and as a mandate for further discussion.     

关于培智学校教师对目前课程态度的相关研究

为了解培智学校教师对目前课程的看法 ,本研究对培智学校教师进行了调查、分析。结果表明 ,培智学校教师对课程内容、课程设置、教学效果多方面不满意 ,希望课程改革 ,但又安于现状。因此 ,在培智学校课程改革中有必要让教师参与其中 ,要充分发挥教师的主动性和创造性。     

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...     

Psychoeducational Support for Parents of Children with Intellectual Disability: An Outcome Study

The pressures frequently encountered by the parents of children with chronic conditions and the concomitant impact on family life have been well‐documented. Family‐focussed interventions have been advocated to address parents’ difficulties. The present evaluation study was undertaken to ascertain long‐term outcomes of the psychoeducational support program, Caring for Parent Caregivers. The aim of the program is to empower the individual and thereby strengthen family resources. Quantitative and qualitative analytical procedures, which included the written evaluations of treatment subjects, were employed to examine program effectiveness. For the fathers and mothers of children with disabilities, psychological health and well‐being was assessed on the General Health Questionnaire, using a pretest and follow‐up control group design. Results showed a statistically significant difference between groups, 12 months after treatment, with program participants displaying less emotional distress than control group subjects. The positive direction of behavioural and attitudinal outcomes, which emerged from evaluation of the small group intervention, were similar for both mothers and fathers. Overall satisfaction with the program was very high, with useful recommendations for program development and for future research and practice being identified.     

Examination of a Scale Assessing Attitudes towards Individuals with Intellectual Disability in China

This study examined the applicability of the four-factor structure of the short form of the Community Living Attitudes Scale-Intellectual Disability¹¹ We chose to use the term “intellectual disability” to replace the term “mental retardation” in the original CLAS-MR scale to conform with the terminology in current usage. (CLAS-ID) in China, using a sample of 325 Chinese community members. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the original structure of the short form of the CLAS-ID did not adequately fit the data from the current sample. Most items of the Exclusion and Similarity subscales were retained while items on the Empowerment and Sheltering subscales were removed. Chinese community members held generally positive attitudes towards people with intellectual disability. However, a measurement tool originating from the Chinese context is needed to provide a better understanding of attitudes towards individuals with intellectual disability in mainland China.     

浅析对学习障碍儿童的全纳性教学

学习障碍儿童成为一个显著的特殊的庞大的研究群体,在全纳教育理念下审视这一被研究群体. 可从教师、学生、教学策略三个方面对学习障碍儿童进行全纳性教学,以促进学习障碍儿童平衡发展.     

Changes that Occur in Families as Children with Intellectual Disability Grow Up

The effect on families and the changes that occur in relation to a child with disability or independently are considered through the life span. The recent advances in prenatal screening, special care baby units and genetic counselling may increase fear of disability and have not decreased the incidence. As the rest of the family grow older, the disabled child goes through school years, faces adult life, often with disappointments, and remains having special needs and specific vulnerability until old age.     

Assessing Coping Behavior in Children with Learning Disabilities

This article describes the Coping Inventory, an observation instrument based on Lois Murphy's longitudinal study of children's coping behavior. The inventory is used to assess forty‐eight coping behaviors and to develop a profile which generates goals and objectives in a child's Individualized Educational Plan aimed at increasing coping competence. Examples and supportive technical data are given.     

Parents with Intellectual Disability Learning to Parent: the role of experience and informal learning

Parenthood for people with intellectual disability remains controversial. This is so despite current concern about the participation of people with intellectual disability in socially valued roles. Formal parent training is frequently presumed necessary to teach competent parenting. Effective programs require specific skill assessment followed by performance‐based training. Training needs to include modelling, practice, and feedback and to occur in situations where the skill is needed. The role of the informal and naturally occurring context of parenting‐‐the context of everyday family life‐‐has been overlooked. Drawing on an ethnographic study of family life with six parent couples, two central themes on the role of informal learning and experience in parenting are reported. Several ways in which service providers can take account of the experiential nature of learning about parenting are proposed.