Responding to individuals with severe learning difficulties and stereotyped behaviour: challenges for an inclusive era

Traditionally, professionals working with individuals with severe learning difficulties who demonstrate stereotyped behaviours, such as rocking and hand-flapping, have viewed such behaviours as undesirable, inappropriate and in need of reduction or elimination. This perspective is influenced by notions of readying those individuals for mixed settings, educating, training or modifying them to help gain their acceptance. Intensive Interaction is an alternative approach for working with individuals with complex difficulties that responds positively to them and their stereotyped behaviours, sometimes using these as a point of connection. Intensive Interaction sets out to enhance social and communication abilities and not to reduce stereotyped behaviours. However, findings from two studies of Intensive Interaction that show some reduction in stereotyped behaviours are reported and discussed. The authors consider the way in which more inclusive thinking connects with changes in thinking about stereotyped behaviour and the individuals who engage in them.     

Training special educators: sustaining professional development in special school placements

With the rapidly changing demographic due to survival rates from medical advances, the need to strengthen training on SEND is now recognised, and special school placements valued, having been previously marginalised within initial teacher training. Practices developed since 2008 at one university to support progression of trainees to gain advanced and specialist skills in SEND were evaluated for effectiveness. This involved ten school mentors, 14 primary trainees on four‐week extended enrichment placements and three trainees with prior experience on final formally assessed seven‐week placements in special schools. This article presents the resulting consolidated developmental placement structures and a proposed compulsory one‐week model for trainees to gain core skills, underpinned by a shared understanding of trainee professional development needs and related support systems. Quality mentoring practices and sustaining trainees' emotional learning journey were integral to their developing pedagogical skills and understanding, so endorsing the debate for more humanistic approaches to teacher training.     

KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDES OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS REGARDING THE HEALTH AND NUTRITION OF OLDER ADULTS

This study evaluated knowledge and attitudes of undergraduates regarding nutrition and health of the aged and students' intentions of pursuing career involvement with older adults. The participants evaluated were undergraduates from three mid-western universities (n=1,755). The majority of those surveyed were uninformed and unlikely to pursue career involvement with older adults. Possible explanations for these findings are discussed.     

Children's Thinking During Collaborative Computer‐based Problem Solving

In previous experiments we have found that co‐operative working around a computer leads to performance gains, but that not all groups benefit equally. Specifically, we have found that mixed gender pairings have shown the least benefit of co‐operative working and we hypothesised that this was due to the nature of the interaction within these groups. The present experiment attempted to identify the specific components of co‐operative discussion that are associated with variations in performance. A Cloze task and a spatial programming task were used to observe gender pair differences in performance and discussion. Programming generated more co‐operation than did the Cloze task, and pairs of boys were especially reluctant to share the Cloze task. Analyses of dialogues indicated more positive socio‐emotional comments during programming than during the Cloze task, and there were also differences in problem‐focused informative statements between tasks. Programming elicited more suggestions of answers and also more negative socio‐emotional comments, while the Cloze task elicited more analysis and evaluation. These analytic comments were particularly frequent in discussions between girls.     

Drama: narrative pedagogy and socially challenged children

Melanie Peter, Senior Lecturer in Education and Early Childhood at Anglia Ruskin University, argues that the ability to engage in narrative stems from early interactive play formats and is essential for perceiving patterns and sequences in life – the fabric of social understanding. Developing themes set out in her earlier work, this article presents a rationale and developmental model for drama as narrative pedagogy. Whether narrative impairment is a cause or consequence of their difficulties, hard-to-reach or socially challenged children – exemplified by those with autism – characteristically show a limited spontaneous play repertoire, which necessarily hampers their development. However, through a play-tutoring approach in drama, especially by the teacher-in-role, significant gains may be noted. Melanie Peter uses case studies to illustrate an emerging triad of competencies that contribute to enhancing social understanding: more effective communication, greater sensitivity in interaction and creative problem-solving. The generative pedagogical dimensions support a developmental framework for using drama to explore cultural values and issues embedded in stories, towards greater narrative identity and more effective participation in a social world.     

Reallocating sitting time to standing or stepping through isotemporal analysis: associations with markers of chronic low-grade inflammation

Although high levels of sitting time are adversely related to health, it is unclear whether moving from sitting to standing provides a sufficient stimulus to elicit benefits upon markers of chronic low-grade inflammation in a population at high risk of type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Three hundred and seventy two participants (age = 66.8 ± 7.5years; body mass index (BMI) = 31.7 ± 5.5kg/m²; Male = 61%) were included. Sitting, standing and stepping was determined using the activPAL3^TM device. Linear regression modelling employing an isotemporal substitution approach was used to quantify the association of theoretically substituting 60 minutes of sitting per day for standing or stepping on interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP) and leptin. Reallocating 60 minutes of sitting time per day for standing was associated with a ?4% (95% CI ?7%, ?1%) reduction in IL-6 (p = 0.048). Reallocating 60 minutes of sitting time for light stepping was also associated with lower IL-6 levels (?28% (?46%, ?4%; p = 0.025)). Substituting sitting for moderate-to-vigorous (MVPA) stepping was associated with lower CRP (?41% (?75%, ?8%; p = 0.032)), leptin (?24% (?34%, ?12%; p ≤ 0.001)) and IL-6 (?16% (?28%, 10%; p = 0.036). Theoretically replacing 60 minutes of sitting per day with an equal amount of either standing or stepping yields beneficial associations upon markers of chronic-low grade inflammation.     

Academic career making and the double-edged role of academic housework

Internationalisation, competition and performance orientation are nowadays essential in the managing and financing of universities. This pattern has intensified with the austerity measures and fiscal consolidation that followed the financial crisis in 2008. This article examines the academic labour process and career making of academics from a gender perspective. Based on findings deriving from an Icelandic University, we argue that the austerity measures and increased focus on becoming one of the top universities in the world has changed the official responsibilities of academics. We show how ‘academic housework’ affects academic capital and how the amount of academic housework is unequally distributed between senior academics and newcomers. While the majority of academics conform to this contemporary academic system, marginalised groups put up some resistance but with limited success.     

Why epistemic justice matters in and for education

Asia Pacific Education Review - The paper considers the importance of epistemic justice in democratic life, and the significance of education as a key space to foster the relevant epistemic...