Special Education Process Research Articles

A DIFICULDADE DAS CRIANÇAS COM TEA NAS CRECHES PÚBLICAS

The adversities related to the teaching of children with autism spectrum disorder are derived from an inefficient preparation of the basic educational system, mainly of municipal day care centers. The objective of this study is to analyze the obstacles faced by children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Brazilian day care centers according to the pillars of special education and inclusive processes. Methodologically, an exploratory and documentary bibliographic review was used through a qualitative research based on works, texts and scientific articles by the following authors: Camargo (2020), Rosa e Eugênio (2020), Perin (2015) , Zaqueu et al. (2015), Andrade (2018), Silva (2016), ECA (1990), Brasil (1988), Mariano (2019), Fernandes (2021), Mariano (2019), Severo (2017), and Zanon et al. (2015). It was found, therefore, that continuing education is essential for education professionals to remain able to accompany children with ASD during the first student day at day care centers and preschools. Similarly, the role of psychopedagogy is given by the simultaneous understanding between the interaction of these students and the need for primary attention to each of their abilities and limitations.

Exploring Differences in Spanish- and English-Speaking Parents’ Experiences With Individualized Education Program Meetings

This study aimed to explore the experiences of parents ( N = 177; Spanish-speaking and English-speaking parents) of children with disabilities navigating the special education process. This descriptive study collected quantitative and qualitative data through an electronic survey. Results describe Spanish- and English-speaking parent’s experience during Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings, challenges in attending IEP meetings, special education knowledge, participation during IEP meetings, feelings of discrimination, parental stress, and dissatisfaction with special education services. Spanish-speaking parents reported less special education rights knowledge and feeling more discrimination at IEP meetings in comparison to English speakers and reported language barriers and inadequate interpretation services as challenges to attending an IEP meeting. Findings highlight the need for equitable parent-school partnerships to support and empower all families. Awareness of the unique experiences of Spanish-speaking families may further equitable school efforts to serve this population and other linguistically diverse parents.

Special education experiences and stress among Asian-American parents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities

ABSTRACT Family involvement is an essential component of the special education process for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). In addition to the legal requirement that parents should be equal partners in the decision-making of the student’s individualized education program (IEP) program (IDEA, 2004), a bulk of empirical research demonstrates the positive impact of parent involvement on student outcomes. However, many families face barriers to participation in the special education process. Culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD), including Asian-American families, especially face systemic barriers when accessing services for their children with disabilities. Unfortunately, less research is known about how Asian-American families participate in their child’s IEP meeting. To these ends, individual interviews were conducted with eight Asian-American families of children with IDD to explore parental perceptions of stress in relation to IEP meetings, special education knowledge, and family-professional partnerships. Participants reported feeling stress before, during, and after the IEP meeting. Regardless of the nature (i.e. positive, negative, or neutral) relationship with the school, participants reported barriers (i.e. language and poor experiences with school personnel) to their family-school partnerships. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Inclusive Principal Leadership and Family Engagement: Strengthening Parent Participation in IEP Meetings and Beyond

Principals play a critical role in creating inclusive schools for students with disabilities, but few studies focus on how principals foster meaningful engagement for parents of children with disabilities, especially within Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings where important education decisions are made. Research focused on principal preparation further highlights the lack of preparation in special education which has likely led many principals to delegate special education duties and responsibilities. Consequently, many families feel silenced and disengaged in IEP meetings - which can lead to serious academic, legal, and financial consequences for both districts and families. In this article, we review literature on inclusive principal leadership and parent engagement to provide a set of evidenced-based recommendations to strengthen family participation in IEP meetings. In part, our recommendations are derived from our recent study of parents navigating the special education process and their experiences with principals. We conclude with final thoughts about how these recommendations can be woven into principal preparation programs, school improvement plans, and district efforts to implement IDEA.

Reframing Deficit Narratives to Honor the Community Cultural Wealth of Immigrant Families of Children with Disabilities

Existing research suggests that immigrant families navigating the special education process are rarely positioned as powerful partners working alongside educators. This is a manifestation of the racism and ableism endemic to the United States schooling system that leads to educators viewing immigrant families from a deficit-based lens. Do these perceptions, however, match the ways that immigrant families view themselves? This qualitative participant-observation study addresses this question by exploring educators’ and families’ perceptions and positionings of immigrant families who are navigating special education. I unpack discrepant views among educators and families of 16 children labeled “English Learner” with or suspected of having disabilities. The findings indicate that the immigrant families see themselves as possessing tremendous community cultural wealth (Yosso, 2005), which counters the deficit-oriented view the educators have of them. I argue for a reframing of the common narratives surrounding immigrant families in special education away from deficit-based conceptions towards ones that honor the strengths, knowledge, and assets of the families.

Educating Latinx Parents of Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

ABSTRACT Family-school partnership is an essential component of the special education process for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Latinx families especially face systemic barriers when participating in education decision-making for their children with IDD. However, few interventions have been developed to facilitate and educate Latinx parents of children with IDD. This study presents findings from a pilot randomized controlled trial, testing a 12-hr intervention to educate Latinx parents of children with IDD to advocate for school services – the Families Included in Receiving Better Special Education Services (FIRME) program. Participants included 26 Latinx parents of children with IDD, randomly assigned to a treatment (N = 11) or wait-list control (N = 15). The FIRME program had acceptable feasibility and treatment fidelity. Intervention group participants demonstrated positive changes following the intervention, including significant increases in special education knowledge, advocacy, empowerment, and decreased parental stress. Findings offer promising evidence of advocacy programs for Latinx families of children with IDD. Implications for research including the need for a fully powered randomized controlled trial are discussed; also, to address parental stress, the FIRME program may need to include ongoing supports.

SPECIAL EDUCATION, HEALTH AND INCLUSIVE PROCESSES

The article Special Education, Health and Inclusive Processes: The Importance of the School in the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities as a theme, aims to strengthen the attitudes of acceptance of individual differences and appreciation of human diversity, emphasizing the importance of belonging, coexistence, cooperation and the contribution that all people can make to build fairer community lives, healthier, more egalitarian and more satisfying. This is a bibliographic and qualitative study that aimed to survey bibliographic data presented in books and articles on the subject. In this sense, we searched for studies with the following keywords: Inclusion; School; Integration. The word inclusion implies the idea of segregation, since it is only possible to include someone who has already been excluded. Inclusion is supported by the inclusion/exclusion dialectic, with the struggle of minorities in the defense of their rights. The historic milestone of inclusion was in June 1994, with the Declaration of Salamanca, Spain, held by UNESCO at the World Conference on Special Educational Needs. Brazil is a signatory of international documents that define the unconditional insertion of people with disabilities in society, the so-called inclusion. However, it is not enough for Brazil to be a signatory to international treaties, to have fundamental guarantees of great impact, to have a specific status of Persons with Disabilities, with rights and duties, if we do not free ourselves from the mesmerizing positivist dogmas, seeking to ensure the rights already consecrated, in addition to announcing, through the insurgency, rights to those peoples still invisible and knowing that although we have solid constitutional and infraconstitutional matrices on the subject, We cannot settle for the great gulf between the legislative foundation, which is easy to enchant, and the practical reality, the daily life, the barriers and confrontations of those who experience the false inclusion and discrimination that exists today.

Improving the Teacher Training Process in Special Education: An Action Research

The special education teaching program in Turkey was united under a single roof with the decision taken by the Council of Higher Education in 2016. With this decision, the programs for teachers of the hearing impaired, the mentally disabled, the visually impaired and the gifted/special talented were organized as a new and single undergraduate program under the name of "Special Education Teaching". Within the scope of the research, it was aimed to improve the teacher training process in the new special education teaching program. For this purpose, the study was designed as an action research. The research was conducted at Anadolu University, Department of Special Education. The research participants included 19 faculty members, 24 undergraduate students, 12 special education teachers, one Ministry of National Education official and one Directorate of National Education official. Semi-structured interviews, participant information form, video recordings, documents and researcher diary were used as data collection techniques. The data obtained from the research were analyzed using a systematic analysis approach. As a result of the research, in the new special education teacher training program, arrangements were made in the areas needed in the teacher training process. Steps such as reorganizing the evaluation criteria and creating guidelines to determine the responsibilities of stakeholders are among these arrangements. With the Covid-19 pandemic, activities were carried out for material design and use in distance education and transfer of theoretical knowledge to the online teaching practice environment.

Children with special educational needs and parental burnout during the pandemic lockdown period

Objective: This study aimed to investigate whether children with special needs and their parents had problems with special education needs during the lockdown, and to examine the relationship between the special education process and the parent-child relationship, the level of burnout of parents. Material and Methods: Our study included 283 parents with children registered to a special education and rehabilitation centers in Kocaeli province of Turkey during the 2020-2021 academic year. Sociodemographic data form, Maslach Burnout Inventory and Parent-Child Relationship Scale were given to parents. Results: Burnout of the parents with children with autism spectrum disorder is at a higher level. The development of the children with parents who had high burnout scores regressed. The progress in the development of children whose mothers were employed, whose parents did not work from home, whose family's monthly income was 4501 TL and above, and who received special education for 0-24 months until the restriction period of the pandemic was reported as better by the parents. Parents with children aged 11-below have more positive relationship with their children. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that the closure of special education may play a role in increased burnout and negatively affected children and parents. Monitoring the development process of children and the mood of parents during pandemics or other situations that lead to the closure of special education centres will be important to identify the problem areas and prepare support programmes.

The Use of Music Elements in the Lessons by Teachers of Students with Mental Disabilities and Their Music-Based Competencies

The field of special education for people with mental disabilities is a discipline that is constantly evolving and changing as well as being inclusive. Teachers working in this field are guiding the way as long as they improve their professional qualifications. Even if special education processes are under state guarantee, it is always a lifelong process that brings a financial obligation for families. Therefore, the field teachers should be a complementary element for the student in many areas such as development, change, education and rehabilitation. Music elements also find a prominent place among these complementary elements. However, the field teacher can only support this process on the basis of music to the extent that he/she realizes his/her own music-based competence professionally. In this direction, it was aimed to determine the music-based competencies of field teachers and their utilization of music elements in their lessons and the data were collected for this purpose. Because music is present in all areas of special education. However, it is not possible to employ a music professional for every special education institution. Therefore, the field teacher is expected to handle the process within the framework of inclusiveness. Within the framework of this idea, the study was conducted with 10 volunteer teachers who were reached during the 2021-2022 academic year. In order to obtain the data, 26 three-point Likert-type instructions were prepared and online interviews were conducted with each participant teacher. This study is a case study. The data were described on the axis of interpretive paradigm and categorized in the findings section. The validity and reliability of the instructions were ensured in line with the opinions of special education experts. As a result, it was found that the field teachers who participated in the study have music-based competence and consciously utilize music elements in their lessons. However, it was also seen that field teachers need music-based professional development. Therefore, it is an evident that they need professional development trainings on how to use music elements more effectively for non-musical purposes. It is essential to conduct this study with a group of more participants. Nevertheless, it is believed that the findings obtained have a quality that will pave the way for new researchers.

Management of a health-saving space for education of children with disabilities and handicapped children

The goal is to assess the health of students studying according to adapted basic general education programs and the conditions of health saving in the educational institution.
 Materials and methods. A monitoring research in some educational institutions that provide education according to adapted basic general education programs in eight federal districts of the Russian Federation. The factors influencing on the state of children’s health in the training process were as follows: management of medical, hygienic, psychological, and pedagogical and health saving procedures. To objectivize the experimental data, questionnaire survey of teaching staff and parents, qualitative and quantitative analysis were carried out. 
 Results. Currently, in educational institutions, regardless of the form of implementation of the educational process (in special or inclusive education), different categories of students are included in education. So far, education is carried out according to several versions of the basic general education curriculum. Such necessity is caused by the reduction of the number of children of one category and increase of another one. Education of children of different psychological and pedagogical categories in one educational institution requires creation of optimal educational conditions, taking into account the special educational needs of each student. The spatial environment that supports the health of students is created in most schools for children with musculoskeletal disorders, and less often in schools for children with hearing and vision disorders. Complete compliance of classrooms and special technical equipment of the educational process with the special educational needs of children occurred not in all educational institutions. Factor analysis has identified the most important components of a school health environment, and the data of the cluster analysis has formed its typological variants. Science-intensive health-saving technologies are used only for the correction of posture and the prevention of visual overexertion. The most acute gaps are insufficient educational and methodological equipment, material and technical condition of institutions, the volume and management of medical care for students. Existing legislative and normative legal documents do not fully regulate the management of health saving measures and technologies for students with special educational needs and children with disabilities, the process of health saving in the education system, which negatively affects their health status.
 Conclusion. The problems identified in the activities of educational institutions, in which children with special educational needs and children with disabilities study, to create a health-saving environment should be taken into account when supplementing and improving the content of legislative acts.

Legal Issues 101: Students With Disabilities

This article is the first in a series of "Legal Issues 101" topics addressing some common questions and misconceptions around the law and school health. In this article, the authors address frequently asked questions on topics related to the school nurse's role and their students' rights as it relates to the special education process, the individualized education program (IEP), and Section 504 Accommodation plans. Readers are encouraged to expand their knowledge on this multifaceted topic further using the resources and references provided within the article.

Development and Evaluation of the School Counseling Internship Competency Scale

According to the American School Counselor Association, school counseling interns’ competence should be measured by an instrument grounded in professional standards. However, no valid and reliable instrument exists to assess school counseling interns’ competencies. We created and validated a school counseling supervision instrument with four subscales: Foundational Skills and Dispositions, Multicultural Considerations and Student Services, General Education and Special Education Process, and Classroom Management and Collaboration/Consultation. We provide implications for interns, site supervisors, and university supervisors/faculty.

Voces de la Gente: Spanish-Speaking Families’ Perspectives on Early Childhood Special Education

The Individual with Disabilities Education Act specifies that families should be include in the special education process and they must provide informed consent. However, families from Spanish-speaking backgrounds, often report barriers to participation. In this study, we provided a forum for Spanish-speaking families to tell their stories using multiple methods to uncover the experiences of 39 Latine caregivers of young children with disabilities. Family experiences reported on a survey and during focus groups are summarized in three areas: evaluation, eligibility determination, and service provision. While most families agreed on surveys that they were satisfied with EI/ECSE practices in their child’s case, during focus groups families frequently described reduced access to information about EI/ECSE, lack of support for the home language, feeling excluded from their child’s educational planning, and, in some cases, delays in services. Families also shared the importance of self-advocacy in EI/ECSE and the value of support from community advocates, including EI/ECSE professionals. Implications for policy and practice are presented.

Benefits of Integrating Technology for Children with Intellectual Disability in Learning Skills: A Quantitative Inquiry Based on the Perspectives of Govt. Special Education Teachers of Sahiwal and Bahawalpur Divisions of the Punjab

With the development of the technology, it is finally integrated in the sector of special education, for teaching and learning process of children with special needs. It enables students to understand difficult concepts and their practical application in life. It also helps children with intellectual disabilities in learning social skills, daily living skills and leisure activities. The study was descriptive to discover the benefits under-consideration phenomena. The objectives of this research were to know the perspectives about benefits of integrating technology in the teaching and learning process of children with intellectual disability. Through the random sampling method, 55 special education teachers were selected for the data collection employed in two divisions of Punjab Province Sahiwal and Bahawalpur. A self-made close ended questionnaire (reliable at .99) used for data collection. Results indicate that the integration of technology can make the process of teaching to children with intellectual disabilities easy and more effective. The perceptions of Govt. special education teachers (BPS16 & 17) working in the Sahiwal and Bahawalpur divisions are quite same about the integrating technology in the teaching-learning process of children with ID. This is significant for the achievement of the students with intellectual disabilities.

Documenting the advocacy experiences among eight Latina mothers of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities

AbstractInternationally, it has been recognized that parent involvement is an essential component of the special education process for children with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD). Parent involvement often includes parents advocating for their children. However, many parents face barriers when advocating to obtain appropriate special education services for their children with IDD. In the United States, Latinx families face greater systemic barriers (e.g., language and cultural differences) to access services for their own children with IDD. To this end, parents may turn to parent advocacy training programs to learn about special education and feel empowered to advocate for school services for their own children and other families of children with disabilities. Yet, it is unclear how Latinx families advocate for services for their own children and for other Latinx families of children with disabilities after attending an advocacy program. We designed a study to explore the advocacy experiences of eight Latinx families one year after attending an advocacy program. Participants reported that they used three advocacy strategies when advocating for their own children with disabilities: knowledge of special education law, non‐adversarial advocacy strategies, and requests for data. Notably, some participants reported not having an advocacy experience due to the COVID‐19 pandemic. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Immigrant Latino Parents’ Experiences and Participation in the Special Education Process

This study examined the experiences of first-generation immigrant Latino parents of children with disabilities while navigating the special education system and how those experiences influenced their participation in the special education process. A researcher-created survey was used to collect data. Quantitative data were examined using descriptive and inferential statistics. Additional comments provided by participants were analyzed for patterns and themes. Although half of the participants had emerging English language skills, they communicated and often collaborated with school personnel. Most participants trusted professionals, had a positive perception of school personnel, and disagreed with statements suggesting that teachers knew best about their children’s needs. Participation in the special education process was influenced by the children’s disability and the parents’ knowledge of the American education system, among other factors.

Speech therapy technologies to overcome dyslexia in primary school students

The aim of this study is to determine the importance of technology in the education of children with dyslexia. In this general purpose study, primary schoolteachers who use technology in their education were asked about the benefits of technology on children with dyslexia. Dyslexic students were asked if there were changes in their learning, thanks to technology. The research group of this study consists of classroom teachers and students with dyslexia. The sample of the study consists of 15 teachers and 18 students working in primary education. The aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness of technology on students with dyslexia in the classrooms of primary schoolteachers. For this purpose, separate interviews were conducted with teachers and students. Three computer teachers, two special education teachers and one language and speech therapist assisted in the preparation of the research questions and the final form was given. Interviews of teachers and students were recorded, which was later approved. Content analysis was used in the analysis of the data collected in the study. As a result of the research, it was concluded that the use of technology in the special education process is beneficial. It can be said that students who have difficulty learning under learning disabilities find it easier to learn, thanks to technology.
 
 Keywords: Technology, dyslexia, teacher’s opinion, student’s opinion, qualitative research, learning disability;

A Study on the Translatability of the Developmental Assessment Report into the Individualized Education Plan in the Philippines

ABSTRACT The Special Education Process (SEP) demands the collaboration of various professionals and personalities to create the Individualised Education Plan (IEP), beginning with the evaluation conducted by clinical psychologists, psychiatrists and in this study, developmental paediatricians. Assessments acts as a keystone document, serving as basis for determining placement levels, student support requirements and depth of academic training to be implemented. With inclusion gradually being implemented in the Philippines, the study sought to determine the translatability of the assessment report produced by developmental paediatricians into the IEP. The study used documentary analysis of 50 individualised education plans derived from the assessment reports of 10 different developmental paediatricians. The documents were analysed to determine the presence of components needed to refer to in making the IEP. The data shows that the assessment reports have four components, namely profile, present level of condition, report and recommendation. These components can be used as reference material in creating the IEP, and as a basis for a structured approach in creating the document. However, the study also shows how the report content and structure slightly differ for each other, making some of the reports easier to refer to compared to others.

The Need of Teachers of Special Education Students and Processes to Improve Their Well-being and Temper a Sense of Stress

In Western countries, up to 40% of teachers report that their jobs and positions entail high levels of stress and tension, and many leave the teaching profession after a few years. High pedagogical and organizational demands pose a threat to the wellbeing special education teachers, which could cause burnout, stress reactions and anxiety. This paper deals with the need to develop a unique yoga based pedagogical intervention program for teachers who teach students with special needs. A comprehensive review of the research literature on the effect of yoga reveals significant improvements in the physical and emotional health of diverse populations defined by age, gender, occupation, health, and employment status. Therefore, Yoga seems to be an appropriate method to be embedded in the daily school routine in order to provide relief and reduce special education teachers’ stress and anxiety levels. The primary conclusion of this paper reveals a need for a unique intervention program and that this is especially important for teachers generally, and teachers of special education specifically.