This study aimed at investigating which source of social support (supervisors, colleagues, friends, spouse, or family) would be most effective in reducing burnout among special education teachers. A sample of 300 special education teachers (50 males and 250 females) completed Burnout and Sources of Social Support questionnaires. Pearson correlation coefficients and ANOVA procedures were utilized to analyze the data. Results revealed significant positive correlations between family support, colleagues support, and personal accomplishment. Demographic variables sex, age, marital status, and teaching experience were not significantly related to any of the three burnout dimensions. Results were interpreted and implications for special education teachers were suggested.... [more]

Anger related behaviours such as aggression are known to be an area of difficulty for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). A national internet forum for parents of children with ASD was selected out of other similar forums from six English speaking countries. Information about the angry episodes of 121 children with ASD as described by 120 parents on this forum was analysed. From the parents’ perspective, children with ASD were angry frequently with aggressive behaviours, their anger was target and context specific, and they could not control their own behaviours during their angry episodes but some were apologetic afterward. These behaviours impacted on the whole family, their parents, their siblings and the children with ASD. These episodes were influenced by their being physically or emotionally unwell, and antecedents included inaccessibility to preferred items, and changes in routines/environments. There might be improvement over time and possible gender difference in these behaviours.... [more]

This paper aims to raise awareness of the importance of attributional beliefs in relation to the educational outcomes of students with a learning disability (LD) in China. The study presented in this paper examined the attributional beliefs that Chinese pre-service teachers had developed towards students with LD, in comparison to students without LD. The findings show that Chinese pre-service teachers did not differ in their attributional beliefs between students with and without LD. Implications from the findings, and future research recommendations are also presented. ... [more]

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Despite the fact that China has a deep-rooted history of sympathetic attitudes toward individuals with disabilities, and has begun to serve individuals with disabilities in their public schools, Special Education in China today is much like it was in the United States prior to the implementation of the Education for all Handicapped Children Act of 1975. China has little of the uniformity that is evident in special education programs across the United States. This paper compares special education as it is implemented in these two nations. A survey is conducted to ascertain the support that teachers in these countries receive for teaching struggling students.... [more]

The primary purpose of this study was to review counseling services for students who are gifted and talented at Jordanian inclusive schools in relation to theoretical counseling literature. The present study is considered a theoretical study. Gifted and talented students exhibit a wide range of characteristics, among of which are intellectual abilities and high achievement. The review indicated that counseling this group of students at Jordanian inclusive schools still faces a variety challenges. Foremost were lack of qualified teachers, few of gifted educational programs, and lack of skilled counselors. The study ended by offering a number of conclusions and implications. Basically, there is a need to establish a specialized counseling program for this group of students in the areas of psychological, academic, and career counseling.... [more]

Individual differences in temperament can be protective or risk factors that may enhance or interfere with children’s healthy development and educational success. This study examined the concurrent and predictive relationships between temperament, school adjustment, and academic achievement in children at-risk. Seventy-seven children at-risk, ages five to 11 years, were assessed in this study. The results for the concurrent relationships showed significant relationships between children's temperament and their school adjustment; negative emotionality significantly correlated with and predicted school adjustment. Children's temperament was also found to have a significant relationship with academic achievement; persistence and activity level had significant correlations with academic achievement. Implications for practice and considerations for future research directions are discussed. ... [more]

The United Arab Emirates is devoted to inclusive education, which respects the right for all learners, regardless of their strengths or weaknesses in any area, to become part of the mainstream school. This study describes the current practices that shape the nature of inclusive education in UAE schools from the teachers’ perspective. Data drawn from the questionnaire that was directed to 26 teachers in UAE private and public schools indicated that such teachers were concerned about inclusive education in their schools. Teachers’ dissatisfaction was due to a lack of qualified special education professionals to deal with students with disabilities, a lack of proper training for teachers in mainstream classrooms, a lack of knowledge about inclusion among senior-level administrators, a lack of financial support for resources and services specifically in private schools, and a lack of awareness of the inclusion issues that students with and without disabilities may face in inclusive settings.... [more]

The study aims to explore the nature of selected domains of self-concept (namely behaviour, Intellectual and school status, physical appearance and attributes, anxiety, happiness and satisfaction) of the sighted adolescents and the adolescents with a visual impairment. The sample (N = 160) have been drawn by simple random sampling from 100 sighted adolescents and 60 adolescents who are visually impaired from the selected schools of West Bengal (Eastern Part of India). Mean, Standard Deviation and Student’s t-test has been computed for analyses of data. Significant differences were noted among the adolescents who are sighted and visually impaired with respect to the overall self-concept scores including the domains namely physical appearance, popularity, happiness and satisfaction. The results of this study will assist parents, advocacy groups and special educators to comprehend the areas in which the sighted students and students with visual impairment need help and support, in order to develop positive self-concept. ... [more]

The purpose of this research was to explore and describe early childhood educators' perceptions of academic aspects and social and emotional aspects of inclusion practices. In this comparative international quantitative research an attitudinal demographic survey was distributed to 300 early childhood educators in mandated kindergartens and primary public schools in urban areas of Amman/Jordan, Sharjah and northern areas/United Arab Emirates, and Southwestern/U.S.A. The main highlighted themes included: teachers’ attitudes toward academic aspects of inclusion practices, teachers’ attitudes toward social and emotional aspects that affect inclusive practices in different contexts. ... [more]

The purpose of this study was to investigate student perceptions of co-teachers. Students with disabilities are more than twice as likely as their peers without disabilities to leave school early (Kortering & Braziel, 2002; Wilson & Michaels, 2006). Students in two inclusive classrooms in an urban middle school participated in interviews about their perceptions of being in a co-taught class. Data from the student interviews indicated that students were positive about having two adults in the classroom, however, willingness to ask for assistance varied across environments. Acceptance of instruction and discipline from either teacher also varied from classroom to classroom. The findings from this study illustrated the need for inclusion to apply to all members of the classroom—students and teachers. When teachers’ roles are reduced to that of an assistant or aide in the classroom, the students show an awareness of that power differential and status. Implications of the study suggested that parity in co-teaching was in the best interest of the teachers and students. ... [more]

Although an increasing number of students with disabilities are considering postsecondary educational opportunities, many of these students find the challenges daunting as compared to their secondary educational experiences. The purpose of the qualitative case study reported herein was to learn more about students’ perceptions of services received in college in order to develop a clearer understand of how to better ensure positive outcomes. Fifty-nine students with various disabilities and six disability resource coordinators from five two-year community colleges and three four-year universities participated in the study. Three major themes emerged from the data, including: (a) capitalizing on student self-determination skills, (b) implementing formalized planning processes, and (c) improving postsecondary support. The author developed a preliminary framework based on the analysis of the data. This framework included three key factors that contribute to the success of students with disabilities in postsecondary institutions; (1) self-determination, (2) planning efforts, and (3) postsecondary supports. The article concluded with recommendations for improving postsecondary outcomes for students with disabilities.... [more]

This study documents the wide range of early intervention services across the province of Ontario. The services are mapped across the province showing geographic information as well as the scope of services (clinical, family-based, resource support, etc.), the range of early intervention professionals, sources of funding and the populations served by the services. Results of the study provide a picture of the range and scope of early intervention service in the province and identify variability of services across the province. The study highlights systemic variables that are of interest across Canada in early intervention practices, at a time when significant focus is on the importance of the early years, particularly for children with disabilities. The study aims to identify the scope of early intervention services across the province of Ontario. In the international literature on early intervention, there are frequent references to early intervention systems (for example in the Part C programs in the US, described by Bruder & Dunst, 2008). In Ontario, and other Canadian provinces, it is difficult to define one system of early intervention services. This is because early intervention has no federal guidelines or funding, and at the provincial level, there are is no defining legislation that ensures early intervention services or defines a system of services. Early intervention is a growing area of interest in research on special education and disability in educational settings (Guralnick, 2011). Interest in the early years stems from the understanding that the years preceding elementary school-age are formative and learning in these years can set an educational trajectory for life (Willms, 2002). This is a deterministic view of child development, and ongoing research in early intervention is warranted. However, in some jurisdictions there is not a clear “system” of early intervention services, which makes it challenging to investigate the efficacy of these approaches. This study aims to identify both consistent and variable characteristics of a system of early intervention services in Ontario, Canada, which provide a starting point for analysis of systemic issues in early intervention practice. This mapping of services is designed to identify the scope of organizational characteristics that make up the early intervention system in Ontario.... [more]

The topic of this article is the chain of actions in special education in Norwegian compulsory schooling. The main research question is: how do local practise concur with national regulations and guidelines in different phases of the chain of actions in special education? The study is carried out as an evaluation study. The criteria on which the analysis of local practice relates to are clarified based on the analysis of national regulations and guidelines. A qualitative content analysis of written documents has been conducted, both with regard to regulations and practice. Data aimed at throwing light on local practice covers a total of eight pupil cases, each of which contains the relevant documents from the phases in the chain of actions. Based on the results, we can first of all conclude that a rather varying accordance exists between practise and regulations in different phases of the chain of actions. Certain parts of the regulations appear to be followed up effectively, but the follow-up in other areas is far less clear and at times inadequate. Second, the results indicate that the interrelationship between the different phases of the chain of actions varies. This represents a serious challenge, not only for the individual phases, but also for the chain as a whole. Thus, there appears to be a clear need to improve the quality, where the focus should be on aspects of practice as well as the regulations. ... [more]

Inclusive education in the Republic of South Africa has been codified and written down in the form of White Papers. From the legislative point of view, the situation is clear. The reality however shows that the implementation of the law is still at its infancy. Students with visual impairments are practically confined to being educated in specialized schools. This article is presenting a bold attempt to establish conditions for an inclusive setting where students with visual impairments could successfully study hand in hand with non-disabled peers. A small rural school in the Limpopo Province, RSA combines the best of two worlds – an inclusive school in the residential setting. Despite basic facilities in place, the school was struggling with providing quality education for its population. A series of on-site in-services paired up with the expansion of technological facilities proved to be instrumental in forming a model for an inclusive program.... [more]

This study examined the impact of classroom teachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education, teachers’ self-efficacy and classroom practices on the social status of students with disabilities in inclusive classrooms in Tamil Nadu, India. Questionnaires, interviews and classroom observations were employed to gather data. The data analysis included descriptive statistics and regression analysis. Findings showed that in the context of the Inter-group Contact Theory, teachers’ classroom practices influenced the social status of students with disabilities in regular classrooms. The study’s findings also showed that the social status of students with disabilities was similar to that of their peers without disabilities. The implication of these findings are that teachers can make a difference in the social inclusion experiences of students and that such inclusion may also allow for better school outcomes that are associated with increased peer interaction amongst students with and without disabilities. ... [more]

The study presented here sought to explore the role of auditory cues in the spatial knowledge of blind individuals by examining the relation between the perceived auditory cues and the landscape of a given area and by investigating how blind individuals use auditory cues to create cognitive maps. The findings reveal that several auditory cues characterize the study area and are linked to a number of its spatial features. Moreover, the results indicate that, through their sense of hearing, individuals with visual impairments create cognitive maps which include information about spatial relationships of environmental objects/attributes. ... [more]

This article addresses the debate between traditionalism and inclusion within special education, and presents the argument that being disabled and having special needs are very real conditions, even though disabilities are socially constructed, and that teachers must respond to this reality. This article first presents a theoretical framework that provides an understanding of the processes that create the special student in special education. This article claims that this process is part of the technology of normalization, which plays an important role within special education. Secondly, we show how this understanding can be helpful for identifying the appropriate means of educating and supporting the ‘special’ student. By emphasizing the link to the practical field of special education, we can better see how we construct the ‘special’ in special education and how we can use this knowledge to select the most appropriate solutions for a person with special needs.... [more]

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of inquiry-based science instruction for five elementary students with learning disabilities (LD). Students participated in a series of inquiry-based activities targeting conceptual and application-based understanding of simple electric circuits, conductors and insulators, parallel circuits, and electricity and magnetism. Students’ conceptual understanding of these concepts was measured through a test designed by the investigators. The students’ attitudes towards science were measured through scientific attitudes inventory (SAI-II). The results indicated that all students acquired the science content covered during the intervention and maintained their performance six weeks later. In addition, students improved their attitudes towards science. Our discussion focuses on the ways in which we can make science learning accessible to students with learning disabilities by making changes in curriculum, instruction and assessment.... [more]

The purpose of this preliminary study was to explore the validity and reliability of Turkish Version of the Gilliam Autism Rating Scale-2 (TV-GARS-2). Participants included 436 children diagnosed with autism (331 male and 105 female, mean of ages was 8.01 with SD=3.77). Data were also collected from individuals diagnosed with intellectual disability, with hearing impairment, and from typically developing children in order to examine discrimination validity of the TV-GARS-2. After carrying out Turkish translation procedure, reliability and validity of TV-GARS-2 were explored by conducting a series of analyses. Results yielded that TV-GARS-2 is a reliable and valid assessment tool to be used with individuals with autism in Turkey. ... [more]

This study aimed at finding out from parents what they knew to be the causes of their children’s disabilities. One hundred and twenty six parents from four regions, namely Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Kilimanjaro and Morogoro were involved in this study. Data was collected through interview, narratives and observation. It was obvious from the findings that diseases were the major causes of disabilities. Malaria was mentioned by parents as the leading cause of disability. Many of the parents had only primary education and the majority of them (84.92%) had no reliable income. From the background of the parents, it was evident that disability is a cause as well as consequence of poverty. It was not easy to say for sure ‘ who sinned’, but it was starkly evident that most of the problems stemmed from poverty, though ignorance and beliefs might have played a role in some cases.... [more]