Friendships in Children with Developmental Disabilities

Studies of friendships in children with developmental disabilities have evolved primarily from the research on children with typical development. As a result, the theories, definitions, and difficulties in measuring friendship have also been carried over to the research on children with developmental disabilities. Children with developmental disabilities, however, present unique issues that warrant consideration. Special consideration should be given to measurement issues, developmental level, the etiology or type of disability of the child, the experience and context of the child with the disability, and individual characteristics. Given these considerations, we make some suggestions for the study of friendships in atypical children.     

Factors Related to the Expression of Typical and Atypical Repetitive Movements of Young Children with Intellectual Disability

One striking aspect of the behaviour of some young children with developmental disabilities is their engagement in stereotyped, repetitive movements which appear to lack adaptive significance and are perceived as aberrant. These behaviours have received a significant amount of attention by researchers, particularly in relation to their remediation. Repetitive movements are not always aberrant and occur during typical child development. This article reviews research describing developmentally typical and atypical repetitive motor movements of children with and without a disability. Additionally, findings from a regression analysis describing factors associated with the expression of developmentally typical and atypical motor behaviours of young children with developmental disabilities are reported. Findings are discussed in light of previous research.     

Vignettes from Sesame Street: Preschooler's Ideas about Children with Down Syndrome and Physical Disability

The results of previous research suggest that while preschool children have a beginning understanding of disabilities that involve the use of adaptive equipment, they have little awareness of disabilities such as Down syndrome which have less overt distinguishing characteristics. In this study, videotaped segments from the children's television show, Sesame Street, were used to explore children's ideas about Down syndrome and physical disability. Participants included 41 preschool children. While a majority of participating children were aware that each child in the videotapes had some difficulties performing age-appropriate tasks, children had significantly fewer ideas about why the child with Down syndrome had this difficulty. Significantly more thought that the child with Down syndrome could do more “if he tried really hard” when compared with the child with a physical disability. These results are discussed in terms of children's developing understanding of disabilities and implications for using media to teach preschoolers about people with disabilities.     

Vignettes from Sesame Street: Preschooler's Ideas about Children with Down Syndrome and Physical Disability

The results of previous research suggest that while preschool children have a beginning understanding of disabilities that involve the use of adaptive equipment, they have little awareness of disabilities such as Down syndrome which have less overt distinguishing characteristics. In this study, videotaped segments from the children's television show, Sesame Street, were used to explore children's ideas about Down syndrome and physical disability. Participants included 41 preschool children. While a majority of participating children were aware that each child in the videotapes had some difficulties performing age-appropriate tasks, children had significantly fewer ideas about why the child with Down syndrome had this difficulty. Significantly more thought that the child with Down syndrome could do more "if he tried really hard" when compared with the child with a physical disability. These results are discussed in terms of children's developing understanding of disabilities and implications for using media to teach preschoolers about people with disabilities.     

Mothers’ Experiences of Children in the Autistic Spectrum in Greece: Narratives of Development,Education and Disability Across their Blogs

Autism occupies a prominent place in scientific research both as a medical and as a socio-cultural phenomenon. Autism is studied as a disorder and a diagnostic label, as an experience of people with autism, their parents and their supporters, and finally as a disability related to stigma and rejection. The purpose of this article is to describe the posted experiences on personal blogs of five mothers who have school-aged children in the autistic spectrum in Greece. The qualitative method of content analysis is used for analysing the personal narratives across their blogs because this method focuses on describing and understanding the presented experiences and acknowledges the central role of the researcher in describing and signifying the issues discussed. The results of the content analysis show that the mothers seem to view autism through a developmental perspective and as they lead efforts for their child’s developmental timeline they are worried about their child’s developmental course and tend to experience high levels of anxiety, depression and burnout. The mothers act as practical scientists and co-therapists, taking an active role in educating and raising their children, finding a school and selecting appropriate interventions. The mothers struggle to obtain quality in education and services, while faced with the absence of technical infrastructure and understaffing in schools, lack of funding, covert or overt practices of acceptance and rejection of people with disabilities in the educational system, the attitudes and ignorance of some educators, and the high cost of private services. These mothers, at first, view autism as a tragedy and within their social environment they face covert or overt rejection since their children are stigmatised as “abnormal”. Later on, the mothers accept their child’s disability as a prerequisite for gaining a new life experience. It seems that the mothers have a mixed perception of disability, which sometimes tends to be closer to the medical model, sometimes to the hybrid model, while other times to the social model of disability.     

Acceptance of Disability and Hwa-Byung among Korean Mothers of Children with Developmental Disabilities

This study examined how child problem behaviour could be related to maternal Hwa-Byung (HB; Korean culture syndrome, meaning ‘anger illness’) among Korean mothers of children with developmental disabilities. Acceptance of disabilities and parenting stress were tested as mediators for the relationship between child problem behaviour and maternal HB. The results indicated that child problem behaviour alone (e.g. self-injurious and aggressive behaviours, yelling/screaming, and crying) were not related to maternal HB. Instead, child problem behaviour was not directly associated with maternal HB, but indirectly related to maternal HB through decreased acceptance of disability and increased parenting stress. The findings of the study support the importance of Acceptance and Commitment therapy and parenting stress intervention to prevent and treat HB among Korean mothers of children with developmental disabilities.     

Defining and Assessing Quality in Early Intervention Programs for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities and their Families: Challenges and Unresolved Issues

Historically, child care quality research has focused primarily on typically developing children cared for in center-based programs. Findings from this research suggests that variations in quality of care have an effect on children's well-being and developmental outcomes. In this paper, we draw on child care quality research to inform our understanding of quality in early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families. Conceptual issues in defining quality and methodological challenges for assessing quality of early intervention services are presented. In the final sections of this paper, we discuss our efforts to design a measure of quality for early intervention programs and present some of the unresolved issues related to the assessment of quality in early intervention programs.     

Issues in researching the perspectives of deaf children

Research on children's perspectives has traditionally been neglected, influenced by adults' assumptions of children's vulnerability and incompetence. These assumptions produce methodological and ethical concerns about research with children, such as the need to protect the child from unethical research, validity of the data, and unequal research power relations. This paper reviews these points, with particular consideration to children who are deaf1. The first section examines the assumptions about children in research. These assumptions, as shown in the second section, have further implications for children with disabilities. Section III examines the challenges and issues that need to be taken into account when researching deaf children. Section IV then describes the methodological issues encountered in a study that examined the perspectives of 23 young deaf children in the US and UK.     

学习障碍与社会技能缺失的关系

很多研究试图揭示学习障碍与社会技能缺失的关系,探讨社会技能起缺失是否是学习障碍儿童特有的现象。研究者围绕学习障碍定义关于社会技能缺失的表述,学习障碍儿童社会技能缺失成因,学习障碍子类型与社会技能缺失的关系以及学习障碍儿童社会技能缺失元分析研究四个方面对这一问题进行研究。研究学习障碍与社会技能缺失的关系对教育者开展干预工作具有重要的指导意义。将来的研究应关注学习障碍儿童社会技能缺失的类型特点和发展特点。     

The Transition to Kindergarten: Predicting Socio-Behavioral Outcomes for Children With and Without Disabilities

The transition to kindergarten is regarded as a critical early childhood developmental milestone with important implications for later school outcomes. Little prior research has focused on predictors of socio-behavioral kindergarten outcomes using longitudinal research designs. Further, few studies have examined kindergarten transition using samples of children both with and without disabilities. The goal of the current study was to explore predictors of socio-behavioral kindergarten outcomes in children with and without developmental disabilities over time. Data collection involved parent, preschool teacher, and kindergarten teacher reports of child behavior and involvement in kindergarten transition practices across three time points during transition. Results of hierarchical linear regression analyses demonstrated that preschool child behavioral variables (i.e., adaptive and problem behavior) were stronger predictors of kindergarten outcomes relative to caregiver concerns and involvement in transition preparation. Best practices in kindergarten transition programming for children with and without disabilities are discussed.     

An interview study of why parents conduct intensive ABA home training for their child with autism spectrum disorder. An analysis from the lens of the dialectical disability model

The number of parents undertaking an intensive home training programme of children with disabilities (e.g. Applied Behavioural Analysis) has increased. It reveals a paradox in current disability research and policies. On the one hand, policies in general are aimed at inclusion through movement of social barriers for participation, grounded in the social model of disability. On the other hand, intensive home training is based on the aim of rehabilitation through intensive training of individual cognitive and social skills, an approach grounded in a bio-medical model. Intensive home training programmes are supported by political legislation that enables parents to partake the training and hire the necessary helpers. How is this paradox viewed from the perspective of the parents? From the departure of the dialectical model of disability – and its central concepts of developmental incongruence, developmental time and social agency – two mothers practising home training with their children with autism disorder were interviewed about their motives for home training and subsequent experience with their child. Results showed that the motive to home training was to create a local congruence that allowed the child to thrive. Intensive home training also restored the mothers’ sense of agency vis-à-vis their child’s development. However, home training might not abolish the need for adaptations of the child’s social practices outside the family. It is discussed how societal support to home training risks to hinder higher order reorganisation of developmental opportunities that are necessary to actualise policy statements of inclusion.     

The Home Play of Toddlers with Disabilities: Contexts and maternal perspectives

A multiple case‐study design was used to explore the spontaneous play of three toddlers with disabilities as it emerged in the course of everyday activity in the home. Children were observed at home playing independently and with their mothers. Data consist of videotaped naturalistic observations in the children’s homes and mothers’ perspectives of their child’s play obtained in semi‐structured interviews. There was a great deal of similarity in the playful behaviour of toddlers and their mothers. Toddlers were active players throughout all daily routines and their play reflected their developmental level. Mothers actively supported their children’s initiative and engagement in play and they spoke of play as a highly valued behaviour. Some qualitative differences were noted in child and mother–child play, which seemed to relate to the nature of the child’s disability and developmental level. Further study of the play of young children with disabilities in naturalistic settings and ways that mothers and other caregivers value and support child play is recommended.     

The Effects of Extinction in the Treatment of Sleep Problems with a Child with a Physical Disability

Sleep problems are common among young children with developmental disabilities. In many cases, parental attention has shaped and reinforced these problems. In the present study, extinction of parental attention was effective in the elimination and long-term maintenance of nighttime crying with a young child with a physical disability.     

Grandparents of Children with Disabilities: a review

Grandparents are important sources of support to children with disabilities and their families. However, there has been very little published research concerned with grandparents’ roles and experiences in relation to their grandchild with disabilities. Existing research is reviewed in the present paper. Although both parents and grandparents themselves report a wide range of supportive activities and increased involvement with the child with disabilities, grandparents may also be an additional burden to families. In particular, parents may find it difficult to deal with grandparents’ immediate and longer term emotional responses to their grandchild's disability. Clinical, educational, and other professionals have an important role to play working with grandparents and facilitating their role as a resource for families of children with disabilities. The implications of the review for research on grandparents are also discussed.     

美国盲多重残疾儿童教育的现状

美国盲多重残疾儿童的教育体现了一切为了所有残疾孩子的理念。不放弃每一个多重残疾学生,民主平等地对待他们,并尽可能为他们提供高质量的教育服务。尊重家庭,与社区携手合作,为多重残疾学生的终身发展服务。     

Agreement on Childhood Disability between Parents and Teachers in Vietnam

The purpose of the present study was to examine agreement on childhood disability among the teachers and parents of children with cognitive delays in Vietnam. The participants were 57 teachers in kindergarten programmes (for children 2 to 6 years of age), and 106 mothers and 93 fathers of the children attending these kindergarten programmes. The data were collected using the ABILITIES Index and a demographic information form. The results indicated that teachers rated the children’s level of functioning more severely, especially in the areas of intellectual disabilities and behaviour problems, than mothers and fathers. Logistic regression that examined the factors that predicted the agreement and disagreement among parents and teachers revealed that teachers and parents were more likely to agree when the child’s disability was genetically related or physical. Screening, diagnosis and treatment issues can become more challenging for children with intellectual disabilities who do not have such physical and genetic conditions, especially when the agreement between parents and professionals on the conditions of the children is low.     

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.     

Contextual Factors Informing Play-based Program Planning

The purpose of this paper is to provide a rationale for and overview of contextual factors that can influence the play, hence developmental outcomes, of preschool children with disabilities. Indeed, the efficacy of play-based program planning is enhanced when consideration is given to relevant contextual factors. The discussion begins with framing play in the current early childhood milieu and continues with a presentation of perceptions, attributes, and contextual factors associated with children's play. The relevant play research is discussed relative to child, program, family, and measurement characteristics that can influence play/developmental outcomes.     

Identification of Early Risk Factors for Developmental Delay

Statewide birth certificate and preschool exceptionality records were integrated to identify risk factors for developmental delay (DD). Epidemiological methods were used to investigate both individual-level and population-level risk for DD associated with a number of child and maternal factors. Infants born with very low birth weight were at the greatest individual-level risk for DD, whereas prematurity (gestational age less than 37 weeks) and low maternal education posed the greatest population-level risk. For comparative purposes, individual-level risk for speech disability and other developmental disabilities was also determined. The individual-level risk associated with nearly all factors was significantly greater for DD than for speech disability or other developmental disabilities. The present study suggests that information available from birth certificate records can be used to target screening and early intervention services for children at high risk with the goal of reducing the incidence of DD and subsequent associated disabilities.     

Disability,Stigma and Otherness: Perspectives of Parents and Teachers

This qualitative study explored the perspectives of parents and teachers in the US with regard to the meaning and implications of disability in the context of schoolling, and of raising a child with a disability. The findings revealed broad conceptual differences in the perspectives of these two groups. Teachers’ beliefs were generally consistent with medical model perspectives on disability as biologically defined. Parents’ interpretations, more aligned with a sociocultural paradigm, were situated in the cultural meanings ascribed to disability and linked with issues of stigma, marginalisation and access. The findings also revealed the existence of master narratives on families of children with disabilities, entrenched in assumptions of pathological functioning and negative outcomes among these families. Implications for professional–family partnerships in the education of students with disabilities are discussed.