Special Needs Research Articles

Mobile App Prototype Supporting People With Special Needs

The article analyses current mobile applications designed for people with special needs. They are aimed at improving routine daily activities and services non-disabled users would not experience significant difficulties. The purpose of the article is to develop and promote a mobile application for people with impaired vision or hearing. In this paper, a mobile application prototype has been designed and developed that would also be useful for anyone wishing to learn sign language. It is compatible with both Android and iOS operating systems. The methodology involves conducting preliminary research and interviews with potential clients. A survey on current mobile applications in the targeted area has been carried out. Functionalities offered by the prototype ensure that the needs and requirements of 'different' users are largely met. As for non-disabled users, the app has the potential to enhance their communication with those specific user groups.

TEACHER'S EXPERIENCE IN TEACHING ENGLISH TOWARDS DEAF STUDENTS

This study examines the experiences and strategies of a teacher specialized in English instruction for deaf students at special need school in Medan North Sumatera Indonesia. Since 2017 the teacher has navigated significant challenges, including communication barriers and emotional strain, by integrating sign language (SIBI and Bisindo) into daily interactions and instructional methods. Initial self-learning of sign language, followed by formal training from the North Sumatera Language Center, highlights the critical role of effective communication in enhancing educational outcomes for deaf students. The teacher’s adaptive strategies include simplifying lesson content, employing visual aids, and incorporating sign language into English instruction. Innovative methods such as “English day” in morning assemblies underscore the teacher’s commitment to engaging students despite their disabilities. However, obstacles persist, including limited vocabulary, the complexities of teaching a foreign language to students struggling with their narrative language, and systematic issues like lack of resources and societal skepticism. Emotional management and building trust with students are central to the teacher’s approach, demonstrating a holistic commitment to their emotional and academic development. The teacher’s resilience and empathy, supported by the school’s flexible approach, have fostered positive student engagement and progress.

An Evaluation of the Implementation of Inclusive Education in Primary Schools in Arusha Region, Tanzania: Insights into Management Practices and Special Needs Integration

This study evaluated the implementation of inclusive education in Primary Schools in Arusha Region, Tanzania, dealing with insights into management practices and special needs integration. The study used the descriptive-comparative design. Out of the population of 14,881 stakeholders, the study had the sample size was 1,163 subject including 370 mainstream pupils, 278 mainstream teachers, 346 special needs learners and 169 special needs teachers. Sources of data were a questionnaire, an interview schedule, an observation schedule and Focus Group Discussions. Data analysis involved the thematic approach, descriptive statistics and t-test. The study concludes that primary schools in Arusha Region had diverse types of special needs learners. While the most prevalent special need learners were those with the intellectual challenges, the schools had several other types of special needs learners such as the autistic learners, the hearing impairment learners, the visual impairment learners, the physical impaired and those learners with albinism. Both teachers and pupils considered the nature, scope, and orientation of teacher training and preparation as effective. The study recommends that school systems needs to address the various types of special needs learners according to their intensity. The admission of special needs learners should begin with examination of the learners’ needs for appropriate placement. Finally, the ministry of education needs to provide continuous education and professional development programs not only to special education teachers but also to regular teachers who also need to gain deeper knowledge on how to deal with contemporary issues that relate to special needs education.

Qualitative and Quantitative Potential of Low-Cost Near-Infrared (NIR) Devices for Rapid Analysis of Infant Formulas for Regular and Special Needs

Qualitative and Quantitative Potential of Low-Cost Near-Infrared (NIR) Devices for Rapid Analysis of Infant Formulas for Regular and Special Needs

A Portrait of Pancasila Education Learning for Children with Special Needs at a Special School (SLB) Negeri 2 Mataram

This study aims to determine and identify the learning of Pancasila education for children with special needs at special school 2 mataram. This research method uses a case study with a qualitative approach, data collection techniques using observation, interviews, and searches for documents and archives related to the purpose of this research. Based on the research, the subjects used were random (snowball). Based on the research subjects who came from the parties involved either directly or not in learning Pancasila Education for children with special needs at SLB 2 Mataram institution. Such as principals, students, SLB educators, and educators, especially Pancasila Education educators. To get valid data, researchers use data analysis techniques, namely data condensation, data collection, and conclusion drawing. Data triangulation techniques from both techniques and sources were obtained when researchers conducted research in the field. Therefore, the results of this study indicate that the components that make up the Pancasila Education learning tool for children with special needs are logical, structurally relevant, procedurally comprehensive, instructional, and interactive. Then, from these components to apply the Pancasila Education learning tools for children with special needs to realize inclusive education, identification, duplication, modification, adaptation, substitution, and omissions are carried out. By paying attention to several aspects such as collaboration between educators who are linear in the field of Pancasila Education in the preparation of learning tools. Then the number of educators who teach in class and the curriculum that is relevant to the needs of children with special needs.

TRANSITION TO THE SPECIAL NEEDS REPORT FOR CHILDREN (SNRC): AN ANALYSIS OF REFERRALS TO CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRY OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS

Objective: Following the enactment of the Special Needs Report for Children (SNRC) regulation on February 20, 2019, several changes were made to the reporting system. The field of child psychiatry is among the leading specialties issuing SNRC reports. This study aimed to evaluate the psychiatric and other medical diagnoses of cases referred to pediatric and adolescent psychiatry for SNRC, determine their level of needs, and discuss the new regulation in the context of existing literature. Material and Methods: Demographic and clinical characteristics, as well as levels of needs and relevant areas, were retrospectively analyzed for cases aged 0-18 who presented to a university hospital's pediatric and adolescent psychiatry clinic between January 2021 and January 2024. Results: A total of 986 children and adolescents, comprising 331 (33.6%) females and 655 (66.4%) males, with a mean age of 10.27±3.77 years, were included in the study. The most common reason for SNRC referral in the 0-4 age group was speech delay (n=32, 45.1%) while learning difficulties were predominant in other age groups. Analysis of psychiatric diagnoses under SNRC revealed delayed milestone diagnosis as the most common at 45.7% (n=451), followed by specific learning disorder (n=312, 31.6%) and autism spectrum disorder (n=154, 15.6%). Non-psychiatric diagnoses showed that 28.8% (n=284) of cases had at least one accompanying medical disease, including cerebral palsy (n=65, 6.5%), sensorineural hearing loss (n=47, 4.8%), epilepsy (n=37, 3.8%), and Down syndrome (n=21, 2.1%). Additionally, 20% (n=198) of cases exhibited special needs in at least one non-psychiatric area, with motor development being the most common domain (n=125, 63.1%). Conclusion: These findings highlight the diversity of needs among children and adolescents receiving SNRC reports. Accurate evaluation and reporting of special needs in child and adolescent psychiatry are crucial for enhancing individuals' quality of life and providing necessary support.

Advice to future family physicians: findings from qualitative interviews with family medicine residents and early-career family physicians

BackgroundCanadians continue to report challenges accessing primary care. Practice choices made by primary care providers shape services available to Canadians. Although there is literature observing family medicine practice trends, there is less clarity on the reasoning underlying primary care providers’ practice intentions. Advice offered by residents and early-career family physicians may reveal challenges they have experienced, how they have adapted to them, and strategies for new residents. In this paper, we examine advice family medicine residents and early-career family physicians would give to new family medicine residents.MethodsSixty early-career family physicians and thirty residents were interviewed as part of a mixed-methods study of practice patterns of family medicine providers in Canada. During qualitative interviews, participants were asked, “what advice would you give [a new family medicine resident] about planning their career as a family physician?” We inductively analyzed responses to this question.ResultsAdvice consisted of understanding the current climate of family medicine (need for specialization, business management burden, physician burnout) and revealed reasons behind said challenges (lack of support for comprehensive clinic care, practical limitations of different practice models, and how payment models influence work-life balance). Subtheme analyses showed early-career family physicians being more vocal on understanding practical aspects of the field including practice logistics and achieving job security.ConclusionMost advice mirrored current changes and challenges as well as revealing strategies on how primary care providers are handling the realities of practicing family medicine. Multi-modal systemic interventions may be needed to support family physicians throughout the changing reality of family medicine and ensure family medicine is an appealing specialty.

Effectiveness of Information and Communication Programmes for Children with Special Educational Needs in the Context of Speech Development

The work aims to determine the effectiveness of information and communication programs for special educational needs (SENs) in the context of speech development. The aim was achieved through the use of general theoretical methods of analysis, observations, and calculations of the ranking factor, efficiency coefficient, and Phillips correlation coefficient. It was established that the most effective approaches for the development of children's speech are the use of information technologies (2.5), social interaction (2.37), and group approach (2.25). Results: The results provided grounds for developing a speech and general development program for children aged 4 to 7. The program provided for the creation of mind maps, provision of joint reading, performance of educational songs, and development of speech in accordance with the specified topic. Training became possible due to the use of modern technologies, namely the applications MindMeister, Digital Inclusion, and speech synthesis from Google and YouTube. It was established that the developed program had a positive effect on the improvement of children’s phonetic speech compared to the results at the beginning of the study. Conclusions: The practical significance of the work implies the possibility of using the developed program for speech correction among a larger number of children. Prospects: Research prospects are related to elaborating speech development mechanisms depending on the degree of speech impairment.

Developing The Teaching Quality of Dorowati Elementary School Teachers to Adapt The Learning Needs of Children with Special Needs

<p>Tujuan dari artikel ini adalah untuk meningkatkan kualitas pembelajaran siswa dengan kebutuhan khusus di sekolah dasar. Tantangan yang dihadapi oleh guru dalam menyesuaikan metode pengajaran mereka untuk memenuhi kebutuhan belajar siswa dengan berbagai kondisi spesial adalah latar belakang penelitian ini. Tujuan penelitian adalah untuk menemukan metode yang dapat digunakan oleh guru untuk meningkatkan kualitas pengajaran agar lebih sesuai dengan kebutuhan belajar anak berkebutuhan khusus. Dalam penelitian ini, pelatihan guru, wawancara, dan observasi digunakan, selain evaluasi berkelanjutan proses dan hasil pembelajaran. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa metode pengajaran yang disesuaikan, seperti penggunaan media visual dan pendekatan pengajaran individual, secara signifikan meningkatkan keterlibatan dan prestasi siswa dengan kebutuhan khusus. Penelitian ini mencapai kesimpulan bahwa pengembangan kualitas pengajaran yang terintegrasi dan dengan mengutamakan kebutuhan unik siswa, kualitas pendidikan dan hasil belajar anak-anak dengan kebutuhan khusus di SD N Dorowati dapat ditingkatkan.</p>

Peer Rejection and Academic Performance in Early Childhood: The Mediating Role of Special Educational Needs of Spanish Students

Peer rejection occurs at all stages of education, including infant education, and entails serious consequences, both immediately and in the future, in all areas of children’s development. This study aims to gain insight into the link between peer rejection and academic performance, mediated by the presence of special educational needs (SEN). The study involved the participation of 758 students (397 male) in the second cycle of early childhood education (3–6 years old) in Spain who were given a sociometric test to ascertain the sociometric distribution of each classroom. Their teachers were asked to record the academic performance of each student in terms of language, logic-mathematics, psychomotor ability, and overall performance. Teachers were also asked to identify whether or not students had SEN. By applying a multivariate variance analysis (MANOVA) that considered the presence or otherwise of peer rejection and the presence or otherwise of SEN as independent variables, results show that rejected students display poorer academic performance in all areas. The same was also found to be true for those with SEN. As a result, rejected students with SEN are seen to exhibit the poorest academic performance and suffer two-fold stigmatisation.

Prevalence of malocclusion and orthodontic treatment needs in children with special needs in district Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, India

Malocclusion plays an important role in overall oral health of every individual because it is associated with periodontal disease, temporomandibular disorder and may be complicated by an individual disability and special need.To determine the prevalence of malocclusion in children with special needs in District, Mandi, Himachal, Pradesh, India, using DAI and IOTN, and to assess whether the observed malocclusion is affected by sex. The study was consists of 200 children with mental retardation, physical disability, sensory impairment between 10-18 years of age from various special schools for people with special needs. A pre-structured proforma was used to record the findings and socio-demographic information. The special need children were examined in respective schools under natural light, using Dental aesthetic Index (DAI) and Index of orthodontic treatment need (IOTN).The prevalence of the malocclusion was found to be more in the subjects with the mental retardation and physical disability followed by hearing and visual impairment. There were no statistically significant differences in DAI and IOTN scores between gender.: The need for orthodontic treatment was found to be more in mentally retarded group than the other groups of special need children as per the IOTN and DAI scores in District, Mandi, Himachal, Pradesh.

A Policy for Integration and Re-Socialization of Students with Special Educational Needs at University of Ruse “Angel Kanchev” – Bulgaria

A Policy for Integration and Re-Socialization of Students with Special Educational Needs at University of Ruse “Angel Kanchev” – Bulgaria

Integrating Music into Physical Education of Learners with Special Needs: A Comprehensive School-Wide Approach

Integrating Music into Physical Education of Learners with Special Needs: A Comprehensive School-Wide Approach

Alcohol and Cannabis Use by Adolescents with Special Educational Needs: A Systematic Review Focused on Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

Aim: As most substance use prevention programs are offered at school, it is important to explore which group of students might be at increased risk. Both researchers and educators have often maintained that students with special educational needs due to emotional and behavioral disorders (SENs-EBD) are particularly vulnerable. Hence, the aim of the current systematic review was to examine the alcohol and cannabis use by students with SENs-EBD in comparison to students without SENs or other types of SENs. Methods: Adhering to the PRISMA guidelines, the review was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42023375799) and search terms were entered in Web of Science, Scopus, ERIC, and PubMed in December 2022. Publications were required to report on empirical quantitative studies (primary data) that assessed alcohol and/or cannabis use by adolescent students with SENs-EBD and a comparison group, and be published in English-language journal articles, conference papers, or book chapters from 2000 onwards. The QuADS tool was used for quality assessment. Results: Based on these criteria, six articles (sample sizes N = 61 to N = 122,180) were included for the thematic narrative synthesis. The studies revealed that the percentage of students with SENs-EBD consuming alcohol and cannabis was higher compared to students who did not have SENs or attended mainstream schools. Conclusion: The small number of heterogeneous studies, with limitations concerning the sample size, missing effect sizes, and influence of control variables, demonstrates the need for more research. The systematic review provides guidance for such future research endeavors, as well as preliminary notions for practical implications.

Inclusive Education for Special Needs Students in Indonesia: A Review of Policies, Practices and Challenges

Inclusive Education for Special Needs Students in Indonesia: A Review of Policies, Practices and Challenges

Interactive Triangular Global Model (ITGM) to Bridge Knowledge of Parents Towards Their Special Needs Children to Mitigate Communication Gap

With the ageing of population, the rate of disability is increasing. Its types are many including ‘hard of hearing’. In majority of the countries, they are considered as social liability by their own family on one hand, and by the society on the other. Now-a-days particularly in the developing countries, it is challenging for them to get suitable education and employment opportunities due to various reasons including social stigma, lack of facilities and lack of awareness, particularly among parents. In modern era, technology has played an important role in improving their quality of life. In this regard, parent knowledge and support play crucial role. Systematic literature review is adopted for this study. Based on findings and expertise of researcher, ITGM model is suggested. Findings suggest that due to lack of knowledge of their parents towards sign language and lack of awareness towards their needs. Further, there is no standard sign language system on global platform. In addition, expressions lack in sign language due to missing gap of grammar. Researchers suggest a global model, and recommend Higher Education Institutions, Educationists, NGOs, and Parents alongside policy makers to establish training courses for parents. With special regard to sign language, a global model suggested by the researchers should be further strengthened by funding agencies.

Implementing Comic Strip As a Way of Teaching Christian Educational Materials to Primary School Students with Special Needs

Everyone has a right to education. This means that education must be provided to both normal and special needs students. So far, education for students with special needs has been conducted in conventional ways. This can be proven from how the materials of Pendidikan Agama Kristen dan Budi Pekerti (Christian Education and Ethics) are taught to special needs students who go to a special school named Sekolah Dasar Luar Biasa (SDLB). This cannot be done any further as students with special needs learn very slowly and in many cases might not even read well due to their weakness in mastering alphabetical symbols. It is believed that Comic Strip can be used as a way of teaching Christian educational materials for SDLB students. Keywords: teaching Christian education materials, students of special needs, Comic Strip

Critical Windows: Perspectives of Parents of Children and Youth with Special Educational Needs Regarding Social Wellbeing During COVID19

ABSTRACT In the spring of 2020, schools across the globe closed as a public health measure to address the growing COVID-19 pandemic. For children and youth with special educational needs (SEN) who rely on specific additional supports and services, and who were more likely than their peers to experience a lack of school success even before COVID-19, gaps in academic and social development are likely to be magnified. The current study explored the perspectives of 36 Canadian parents of children and youth with SEN regarding the impact of COVID-19 on social wellbeing during the first wave in the spring of 2020. Thematic analysis was conducted of the in-depth interviews, and two key narratives were created in order to tell the stories of families. These narratives provide evidence of the five major themes that were identified, namely: a) pathways to friends, b) isolated and disconnected, c) developmental concerns, d) siblings as peer proxies, and e) role of schools. We discuss these themes in relation to the growing body of research documenting the impacts of COVID-19 on the social lives of children and youth.

MENTORING IN THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM: PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS

ANNOTATION Rationale. During the period of rapid development of science and medical technologies, the professional and working environment is faced with the urgent task of finding mechanisms and tools for increasing the level of professional competencies and practical skills of medical specialists in the process of professional socialization. The sociological study conducted by the authors was focused on identifying factors of successful/unsuccessful professional socialization of young medical specialists, one of which is mentoring. Purpose of the study. Determining the role of the mentoring institution as a factor influencing the success/failure of professional socialization of medical specialists. Materials and methods. A survey was conducted among clinical residents of the Far Eastern State Medical University. A total of 184 respondents were interviewed using a questionnaire using a Google form. To solve the research problems, methods of analysis, comparison and generalization of the obtained data, analysis of regulatory documents, survey results and secondary data from sociological research were used. At the level of data processing and work with source material, descriptive statistics methods provided by SPSS and EXCEL software were used. Results. In the course of a sociological study conducted by the authors, the most pressing problems of introducing and implementing mentoring practices in the healthcare system were identified. The role of the mentoring institution as a socializing factor influencing the success/failure of professional socialization of medical specialists is also determined. The study formulates tasks for further research into the process of professional socialization of medical specialists from the point of view of identifying factors of a positive and destructive nature, and the role of socialization institutions in this process. Conclusion. Problems in the implementation of mentoring practices in healthcare related to the low mentoring activity of practicing medical specialists have been identified. A special need for the implementation of mentoring practices was identified at the stage of postgraduate training (clinical residency) by 83% of respondents and at the stage of starting independent professional work by 61% of respondents. Respondents expressed a positive attitude towards the introduction of mentoring in healthcare: 90% of respondents indicated that having a mentor when obtaining a medical specialty is mandatory.

Adaptive Learning Technologies: Personalizing Education for Students with Special Needs

Adaptive Learning Technologies: Personalizing Education for Students with Special Needs