Special Educational Disability Research Articles

How Do They See Themselves? The Self-Concept of Students with Intellectual or Behavioural Disabilities in Special Education

ABSTRACT Research into the self-concept of students with an intellectual disability (ID) or social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD) educated in special education is relatively scarce. This, whilst many students with ID or students with SEBD still reside in special rather than inclusive school settings. This study aimed to gain insight into the self-concept of students with either ID or SEBD in special education and examined variables that might relate to the self-concept of these students. A total of 171 students educated in special schools filled out the Self-Perception Profile for Children (SPPC). T-tests utilising bootstrapping and variance analyses were used to analyse the data. The results indicate that girls with ID and boys with SEBD assess their self-concept more negatively than typically developing students. Gender, age and formally assessed classifications of ASD or ADHD yielded different self-concept scores in both groups of students on different dimensions of self-concept. The expected positive illusory bias was not found in this study. The results of the study are discussed in light of the educational setting of the students with ID or students with SEBD. This study demonstrates that interventions are needed to improve the self-concept of students with ID or students with SEBD in special education.

The Impact of Assistive Technology on Students with Disabilities

Assistive technology plays a crucial role in meeting the needs of students with disabilities in special education. The term is used to describe a wide range of resources—from hardware to software—designed to let people with varying needs access information and education on their own terms. the impact that assistive technology has on special education children with disabilities, both in terms of its benefits and its potential drawbacks. This study focuses primarily on the perspectives and experiences of educators, researchers, and other professionals working in the field of special education who have worked with assistive technology. The goal of this abstract is to provide a broad perspective on how assistive technology benefits special education students. To achieve this goal, it will examine related studies and scholarly works.

Teacher professional development for disability inclusion in low- and middle-income Asia-Pacific countries: An evidence and gap map.

In the Asia-Pacific region, around one-third of the children who are out-of-school have a disability and given that teacher readiness and capability are key contributors for inclusive education, it is high time for a mapping of disability inclusive teacher professional development (TPD) interventions in this region. The key objective of this evidence and gap map (EGM) is to locate evidence on interventions for in-service TPD focussing on education for the inclusion of students with a disability in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in the Asia-Pacific region. A broad range of bibliographic databases and repositories were searched electronically to identify the evidence published between January 2000 and December 2021. Key search platforms included the British Education Index (BEI), Education Research Complete (ERC), Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), SCOPUS, 3ie Development Evidence Portal (Evidence Hub) and the Campbell Collaborations Systematic Reviews and EGMs portal (Better evidence for a better world). In addition, potential program evaluations/impact reports, reviews, case studies, and program descriptions/summaries were sought through 'snowballing' based on searching bibliographies and reference lists of papers located during the search process, as well as specific searches of relevant grey literature. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to contain sufficient details about TPD interventions that support early childhood educators and kindergarten to Year 12 teachers to understand the needs of students with disabilities and aid them to create inclusive mainstream classrooms and/or provide improved support for students with disabilities in special education settings. A total of 820 records were entered into the MS Excel file in which the entire data extraction process was managed. All records were screened against the predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data were extracted independently by two reviewers and any differences were resolved through consultations. All included studies and their characteristics were extracted from the MS Excel file and uploaded to the ACER server in.csv file format. The interactive, online EGM is available here: https://datavis.acer.org/gem/disability-inclusion-TPD/. Fifty studies from 16 countries out of the 41 LMICs in the Asia-Pacific region were identified, whereby Thailand had the largest number of studies with evidence (7) followed by China, Vietnam, and India (5 each). Two main gaps in research about professional learning were identified. First, only three studies reported interventions aimed at supporting mental health among students with a disability. Second, no studies were found that reported on how teachers could support positive student behaviour. These gaps are important because research has persistently suggested that experiencing disability is an important risk factor for young people developing mental health conditions. This report illustrates the critical value of evaluating and publishing evidence from disability inclusive TPD interventions in LMICs, including any that are ongoing, or are components of highly resource intensive large-scale education sector programs.

Условия социализации детей с ограниченными возможностями здоровья в специальном и инклюзивном образовании

The study aims to compare the implementation of socialisation conditions for children with disabilities in special and inclusive education. Based on the analysis of philosophical and psychological literature, the paper substantiates socialisation conditions for children with disabilities and identifies the features of their implementation in special and inclusive education. Scientific novelty of the study lies in assessing socialisation conditions for children with disabilities from the perspective of two main subjects of the educational process: teachers and students’ parents. As a result, it has been proved that inclusive education produces a positive result in socialisation of children with disabilities only if the peculiarities of their development do not distract the teacher and other students from the educational process and require an individual approach.

Cutting-Edge Technologies in Breathwork for Learning Disabilities in Special Education

The purpose of the current review study is to shed light on the relationship between breathing and learning disabilities, to investigate the efficacy of breathwork as an intervention strategy, and finally, to identify the role of assistive technologies in breathing training interventions. The results of this study revealed a close relationship between breathing problems and learning, mental or/and behavioral disorders. In addition, it was found that breath-control training can help people with various disorders to improve cognitive and metacognitive abilities, to better manage emotional and behavioral problems, and achieve better learning outcomes. Technologies such as robots, virtual reality, mobile apps, and digital games were found to assist breathing training in various ways fostering therapeutic outcomes. We conclude that breathing training should constitute not just an alternative method of intervention but an essential practice for prevention and intervention in daily life, in school settings, at home, and workplace. It is essential to train appropriate breathing habits as early as possible in young children because many of the damaging effects on cognitive functions by disordered breathing can have lasting consequences.

Robotics and inclusion of students with disabilities in special education

The concept of inclusion and inclusive education for children and adolescents with disabilities has been a topic of research for many countries over the last decades. Among the different methods and practices that have been implemented for interventions, the use of novel technologies and especially educational robotics has been proven to be a valuable tool. In this study, the authors attempted to define and examine those skills that are acquired through robotic interventions, and also the way they are associated with successful inclusion. The areas of social, cognitive, and functional skills of children and adolescents with disabilities were examined and their enhancement through robotics was assessed. For the purposes of this review, the authors searched Research Gate, Google Scholar, Scopus, PubMed, and Science Direct and identified relevant research papers. After the application of eligibility criteria, 12 research papers were considered suitable for analysis. The analysis of results indicates that most children and adolescents with disabilities that participated in interventions with robots managed to develop their social, cognitive, and functional skills and in some cases, their inclusion in educational settings was facilitated. The findings of this review support the need for implementation of these newly introduced practices and also some implications are discussed.

Las actividades extradocentes: su importancia para educar sexualmente a los adolescentes con discapacidad intelectual leve.

El presente artículo está relacionado con la importancia de las actividades extradocentes en la labor del maestro en la Educación Especial. Estas contribuyen al desarrollo de la comunicación, las relaciones interpersonales, al conocimiento de los derechos sexuales de los discapacitados, a la preparación para una sexualidad sana, responsable, feliz y de manera general a su desarrollo integral. El objetivo de este artículo se centra en ofrecer orientaciones básicas para la realización de estas actividades en adolescentes con discapacidad intelectual leve de la Educación Especial. Se muestra, además, algunos ejemplos de actividades extradocentes.

Exploring Predictors of Bullying and Victimization of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Findings from NLTS 2012.

Research suggests that bullying victimization occurs at higher rates among students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) than among their typically-developing peers. This study used data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2012 to explore differences in student and family characteristics between students with ASD and students with all other special education disability categories. The study also examined characteristics serve as predictors of bullying and victimization. Students with ASD were found to have greater difficulties with communication and social skills, as well as less-robust sense of themselves and their abilities than students with all other disabilities. Race, household income, social and communication skills, and self-concept were found to be associated with higher rates of bullying and victimization.

Stay in your lane experiences of children with Special Education Needs and/or Disabilities in two mainstream primary schools in Guyana

ABSTRACT Marginalisation, discrimination and depersonalisation are some of the negative experiences of children with Special Education Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) in rural mainstream primary schools in Guyana. This paper presents these experiences from qualitative data gathered over six months of ethnographic research in two primary schools in Guyana. The data were analysed using situational analysis as posited by Adele Clarke and interpreted through a poststructuralist lens with the social model of disability theoretical framework. Children with SEND feel valueless and experience anxiety and loneliness in their placement in rural mainstream schools. This paper forms part one of a series presented to highlight institutional discrimination embedded in the practices and discourses which is fuelled by the dominance of the individual deficit model of disability in mainstream schools. The paper also illustrates how teachers’ beliefs’ that disability is biological and they can not cater for such children who are considered unteachable and challenging. The paper further reflects on the collective conscience of mainstream teachers in rural Guyana who feel unsupported in unsuitable classrooms to meet the needs of children with SEND.

Young people’s right to appeal to the English First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability): learning from the first two years

ABSTRACT In England, young people past compulsory school age (the end of the academic year in which they turned 16) were given new rights under the Children and Families Act, 2014. This article focuses on their rights in relation to education, health and care (EHC) plans, particularly the right to request an assessment of their special educational needs (SEN) and to challenge decisions relating to their EHC plan by making an appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability). We analyse these rights in light of Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model, recognising their role in influencing young people’s development. Using data from a national study of disagreement resolution routes for SEN disputes, we present triangulated qualitative analysis of interviews with parents, young people, mediators, independent parent support workers, and Tribunal panel representatives, plus focus groups of local authority representatives. Results evidence an appetite among young people with SEN to use these rights, motivated by desire for appropriate educational opportunities. We highlight positive and negative experiences of mediation and of appeal preparation and Tribunal hearings, identify challenges and dilemmas raised for parents and professionals, and include facilitative practices showing how rights of children and young people could become embedded in everyday practices, reducing the need for appeals.

특수교육학 및 장애(교육)학 관점에서 바라본 국내 특수교육 연구 현실

특수교육학 및 장애(교육)학 관점에서 바라본 국내 특수교육 연구 현실

Teachers’ Knowledge of Special Educational Needs and Disability Students and Their Classroom Management Approaches

Parents and many other stakeholders usually complain about equity and inclusivity of students with special educational needs (SEN) in the mainstream schools. The purpose of the study was to find out the level of teachers’ knowledge of special educational needs and disability students and their classroom management procedures and strategies. The study adopted qualitative paradigm and a descriptive approach to gather data and were thematically analysed. The findings showed that teachers’ knowledge of special educational needs and disability students was very limited. It revealed teachers’ lack of in-depth knowledge of inclusivity, enacted and operational policies and their application, and the classroom management procedures and management of students with special educational needs. It is recommended that teachers be examined appropriately and certified before allowing them to teach in schools. Teachers who are already teaching should be updated with the current trend of educational issues including inclusivity, equity and gender sensitivity.

Extreme School Violence and Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders: (How) Do They Intersect?

Mass school shootings in America are undoubtedly among the most unsettling and tragic events that have occurred in modern history. Following such an event, questions often arise about characteristics of the perpetrator. Assertions and speculation regarding the mental health status or special education disability status, specifically related to emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD), flood media outlets and popular news sources. However, there are no data to suggest that children or youth with EBD pose a greater risk of committing a mass school shooting than do others. In this paper, we discuss assumptions related to mass school shootings and students with EBD and consider efforts for prevention and intervention. We discuss detrimental effects of a zero-tolerance approach, especially for students with EBD, and the use of threat assessment as a more effective, research-based model of prevention. We highlight in particular the potential benefits of a threat assessment model for students with or at risk for EBD. Finally, we discuss the need for future research to critically examine the effectiveness and potential side effects of lockdown drills and limitations on federally funded firearm research.

In Special Education for Mentally Handicapped Individuals Social Skill Teaching

Social skills are the necessary behaviors and functional skills for people to carry out the behaviors required by living in society and to live their lives effectively and independently. Teaching of social skills is of great importance as it covers the behaviors that provide interpersonal relations in daily life and school environment. The aim of this research is to make an assessment on their effectiveness by examining the social skill teaching methods given for people with mental disabilities in special education. Scientific publications made within the scope of the research were examined, information was given about the use of the social skills training program and it was tried to be interpreted based on the findings of the studies conducted on the subject. Suggestions have been made for the problems identified in accordance with the results obtained from the research. Keywords: Mentally Disabled Children, Special Education, Social Skill Teaching DOI: 10.7176/JSTR/6-01-08

A study of participation motives in sports, loneliness and depression levels of children with specific learning disabilities in terms of some variables

This study aims to examine the sport participation motivation, loneliness and depression levels of students with specific learning disabilities in terms of some variables. Screening model used in the study. The research group is constituted by 85 students who had been diagnosed with Specific Learning disabilities in Special Education and Rehabilitation Centers in Kocaeli province. Personal information form prepared by the researchers and developed by Gill, Gross and Huddleston (1983), and the Turkish validity and reliability study was made by Oyar, Aşçı, Çelebi and Mülazımoğlu (2001)."Sport Participation Motivation Scale", developed by Kovacs (1980) and the validity and reliability of the Turkish version was made by Öy (1991). "Depression Scale for Children" and developed Ashler ve Wheller (1985) and the validity and reliability of the Turkish version was made by Kaya (2005) "Loneliness Scale for Children” were used as the data collection tools. The sports participation motives, depression and loneliness levels of the participants have been evaluated in terms of age, gender, natural / adoptive parents, family's economic status, father's occupational status, number of people in the family, number of siblings, family attitude and the state of doing sport. In the evaluation of the research data, descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA test and correlation analysis were used. In the findings, sports participation motives of participants were significantly differ according to the gender, family attitudes and the status of doing sports. Also according to the age, in loneliness level, and according to the number of siblings in the levels of loneliness and depression, significant differences were found. As a result of the correlation, a positive relationship between depression and loneliness status of the participants was found. Thus, in children at the 9-14 age range with specific learning disability it was concluded that the family attitude, number of siblings and to do sports have an impact in a positive way on the loneliness, depression and sports participation.

Assessment for Special Education: Diagnosis and Placement

Over the last 40 years, federal legislation has led to improved access to public education for students with disabilities. Today, more than six million students receive special education and related services through American public schools; however, evaluation practices for eligibility determination largely have remained unchanged. Assessment approaches used for identification, program planning, and evaluation of progress, arguably, have been insensitive to cultural differences, contributing to disproportional representation of children from different backgrounds in specific special education disability categories, and inefficient because they are too broad to immediately inform instructional planning for both students within and across disability categories. This article critiques current practices for identifying children for special education services and offers considerations, grounded in developmental and cognitive neuroscience, that could lead to more useful assessment approaches that optimize all students’ learning.

Prevalence Rates of Students Identified for Special Education and Their Interstate Variability: A Longitudinal Approach

We investigated the variability across states in the prevalence of learning disabilities (LD) as reported by the U. S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). This expanded upon the work of Hallahan and colleagues on interstate prevalence rate variability of special education disability categories by focusing on a longitudinal analysis. Furthermore, we examined the effect of response to intervention (RTI) on the change in identification of LD more than 12 years from Fall 2000 through Fall 2011 for ages 6 to 17 years. We used the coefficient of variation (CV) to compare variability of prevalence rates and applied a piecewise regression to examine the effect of RTI. The results are consistent with Hallahan and colleagues’ previous findings—LD continues to demonstrate the least prevalence rate variability across states of all disability categories. LD prevalence variability is almost as minimal as that of some naturally occurring and medically diagnosed conditions (e.g., diabetes, asthma). We discuss these results within the context of changing LD identification methods, such as RTI, and decreasing prevalence of LD, suggesting possible reasons for potential changes in both prevalence and its interstate variability in the future.

Interrogating disability epistemologies: towards collective dis/ability intersectional emotional, affective and spiritual autoethnographies for healing

Special education labeling ignores historical, emotional, spiritual, sociocultural effects of labeling Black and Brown students with disabilities. Utilizing critical disability studies, critical race theory and spiritual paradigm, we interrogate construction and expression of differences of Learning Disability and Speech and Language Impairment. We asked: How does being labeled with a special education disability category, as Black and Brown people impact emotional, affective, and spiritual development in and around schools? Reminded about our disability labels relationship to (re)production of racism and ableism, our counter-narratives deconstruct the normativity of racism and ableism in and around schools. Our findings illuminated how emotion, affect and spirituality played a role in our intersectional oppressions and non-normative construction of our differences. We call for collective emotional, affective and spiritual autoethnographies for change at the nexus of special education labeling and intersectionalities.

Study protocol: a randomized controlled trial testing the effectiveness of an online mindset intervention in adolescents with intellectual disabilities

BackgroundAdolescents with intellectual disabilities have an increased risk of developing academic, social, and psychological problems compared with non-disabled peers. These difficulties might have an impact on the implicit theories—or so called mindset—of these youth. Youth with a fixed mindset believe that their attributes are static while youth with a growth mindset believe their attributes are malleable. A growth mindset can positively affect the academic and psychosocial development of youth and can be stimulated by so called ‘mindset interventions’. Nevertheless, mindset interventions specifically adapted to adolescents with intellectual disabilities are non-existing.Methods/designThe aim of the present study is to conduct a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to test the effectiveness of the online mindset intervention “The Growth Factory” aimed to teach adolescents with intellectual disabilities a growth mindset and thereby positively impacting their psychosocial development. The RCT targets adolescents (12–23 years) with mild to borderline intellectual disabilities (IQ 50–85) admitted to residential care or special education. Participants will be individually randomized to the intervention (n = 60) or control (n = 60) group. The intervention group will individually participate in the six sessions of “The Growth Factory” and the control group will receive care as usual. Primary outcome will be mindset. Empowerment, behavior problems, self-esteem, treatment motivation, therapeutic alliance, challenge seeking, and the impact of social exclusion will be included as secondary outcome measures. Moreover, moderation (i.e., intervention satisfaction, IQ, age, baseline mindset, gender) and mediation effects will be investigated. Self-reported and mentor assessments will be administrated at baseline, post-test and at three (except mentor assessment) and six months follow-up.DiscussionThis paper describes the design of a RCT examining the effectiveness of the online mindset intervention “The Growth Factory” aimed to empower adolescents with intellectual disabilities. If effective, “The Growth Factory” makes an important contribution to the treatment and psychosocial development of adolescents with intellectual disabilities in residential care and special education. Due to the online approach, implementation will be efficient and cost-effective and therefore the intervention “The Growth Factory” can be used on large scale.Trial registrationDutch Trial Register NTR5460. Registered 2 October 2015.

Ensuring quality in EPs’ use of dynamic assessment: a Delphi study

ABSTRACTDynamic Assessment (DA) is an interactive form of cognitive assessment used by some educational psychologists (EPs) to assess the learning potential of children and young people, through a focus on cognitive and affective aspects of learning. In terms of UK EP practice, this approach has the potential to complement the focus on ‘person-centred planning’ set out in the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice. However, there is little guidance or consensus on what constitutes good DA practice. This research employed a Delphi methodology to identify competencies required to carry out quality DA. A panel of five international experts in DA and 17 EPs, using DA in practice, participated in three rounds of a Delphi study that identified 13 knowledge and 12 skills competencies considered essential for quality DA practice. The resulting framework could inform training and professional development programmes for EPs wishing to develop their skills and competence in practice.