Education has three main roles: it is developmental because it develops the unique qualities of a child; it differentiates between learners because it treats every child as an individual, appreciating individual differences; and it is integrative because it accommodates people of varying backgrounds (culture, beliefs and values) thereby allowing for a cooperative approach in problem solving (Abosi, 1996). It is therefore absolutely necessary that the components of the curriculum for teacher training programs, teaching and learning at all levels should reflect these roles, if we are to attain the development goals which include education for all. The development goals for individuals with disabilities will include elimination of poverty, acquisition of practical and survival skills, employment, empowerment and total integration in the social world. All these could be achieved through a well planned inclusive education system. Special education provides opportunity for education for all. Special education is part of general education which treats every one involved in it as individuals. Special education identifies problems which are specific to individual learner and adopts relevant personnel, methods and materials to overcome the problems. Special needs education ensures that everyone has equal opportunity to participate in classroom and play activities. This paper examines how special needs education uses the inclusive aspect of it to fulfill the aspiration of fundamental human right to education for children with disabilities. This paper will also examine some issues involved in inclusive education in some developing countries with specific reference to issues such as the concept of inclusive education, historical perspective, policies, barriers, the impact of culture, traditional values and beliefs on inclusive education, solutions and the current practice of inclusive education.... [more]

This article analyzes the philosophical, sociological, and legal imperatives of including students with disabilities in ordinary schools. Some important global events that support inclusive education are discussed. The author reflects on Nigeria’s newly revised National Policy on Education with its emphasis on inclusive education (2008), and the Universal Basic Education policy (1999). The article concludes with recommendations to improve the status quo... [more]

The way categories, labels, and taxonomies are used depends upon national ideologies and nationally specific conceptions of citizenship and normality. Ethnicity, differences, disability and deviance are social constructions. Underachievement or overachievement in social (cognitive) performance or overrepresentation in special educational placements of certain groups of students is as much the product of categorisation or definitional processes as it is the workings of institutional procedures, patterns, and intransigence. In particular, schools’ inability to accommodate difference and diversity causes exclusion and alienation. Globalisation and hegemonic neo-liberal ideology make it difficult to create a genuinely inclusive society, to produce complete citizens, and to promote equity. This study analyses the placement of ethnic minority students in special education programmes. It begins with a review of empirical reports that problematise the phenomenon of overrepresentation of students with immigrant background in special schools for intellectually disabled students. The analysis that follows is conducted through the prism of a number of perspectives, including sociocultural/historical theory, the inclusive education movement, multicultural education, and critical pedagogical theories. While there is no evidence to suggest that such overrepresentation is nationwide, the phenomenon can be identified in large cities where there are concentrations of immigrants. Analysis demonstrates that the problem is related to, among other factors, unreliable assessment procedures and criteria for referral and placement; lack of culturally sensitive diagnostic tools; the static nature of tests, including embedded cultural bias; sociocultural problems, family factors, and language problems; lack of parental participation in decision-making; power differentials between parents and school authorities; institutional intransigence and prejudices; and large resource inequalities that run along lines of race and class.... [more]

Students with fine motor problems can benefit from occupational therapy. Yet not all students receive the services because of a lack of teacher awareness about the problems and the services. This study aims to evaluate a workshop designed to improve teacher awareness about fine motor problems and occupational therapy. The study involved three groups: preservice (N = 34), general education (N = 30), and special education (N = 19) teachers. Each group received a 2 ½- to 3-hour interactive workshop. They completed the Fine Motor Awareness Scale (FMAS) before, after, and one month following the workshops. Preservice teachers had the greatest learning needs on the topic. All three teacher groups showed significant improvements in the FMAS scores post-workshop, with the greatest change in the preservice teachers group, followed by the special education and then the general education teachers. Knowledge transfer principles contributed to the success of the workshops. Post-workshop evaluation showed teachers wanted more content and longer, multi-session workshops in future. Preservice, general and special education teachers need to know more about fine motor problems and occupational therapy. Knowledge-transfer workshops provided by occupational therapists can meet their learning needs and subsequently help their students to improve fine motor problems.... [more]

This study assessed the perceptions of high school students with learning disabilities about the suitability or preference of an academic or vocational curriculum. Students were administered the Vocational Academic Choice Survey (VACS), designed to measure students’ perceptions of which curriculum is more suitable for them. Results revealed that a more academic type of curriculum was preferred if students had not repeated a grade, achieved a relatively high GPA, and planned to go to college. Post high school plans and positive attitudes toward academic subjects showed to be the strongest predictors of the suitability score. By itself, post high school plans accounted for about 35% of the variance in curriculum suitability.... [more]

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the relationship between teachers’ attitudes toward the inclusion of children with mild to moderate mental disabilities in physical education settings and the amount of practice attempts performed and the levels of success attained by these students compared to their peers without disabilities. The findings suggested a relationship between teacher attitude toward inclusion and teacher effectiveness. Teachers with a positive attitude toward inclusion provided all of their students with significantly more practice attempts, at a higher level of success... [more]

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a self-talk intervention program on performance of wheelchair basketball drills. Twenty-two (N=22) wheelchair basketball athletes from two different clubs of the same league participated in the study. The duration of the intervention was 12 weeks and its aim was the improvement of two fundamental basketball skills, passing and dribbling. One team was assigned as a self-talk group (STG), whereas the other as a control group (CG). The STG, in addition to their normal practice, used self-talk in the form of technical instruction, whereas the CG followed the same training schedule without the use of self-talk. Athletes’ performance was evaluated before the start of the program and at two time points thereafter, midst the intervention and on completion. The results indicated that performance of the STG improved more than performance of the CG in the two basketball skills. Overall, the results of the study suggest that the use of self-talk, and in particular in the form of technical instruction, can be an effective tool for the improvement of performance in wheelchair basketball players and its use should be encouraged and practiced by coaches.... [more]

This paper, the first in a series on inclusive education in a rural Canadian school district, reports an attempt to develop a succinct, common cross-age scale to measure student views on important school-related aspects of inclusive education. A lengthy scale, previously developed for use in a different study, was administered to 855 children in Grades One to Twelve in a school district in rural Alberta, Canada. A succinct 12-item scale was produced, addressing four of five conceptual areas thought to be important to inclusive education from a student’s perspective, and within the Canadian educational context. This scale has been named the Student Perceptions of Inclusion in Rural Canada (SPIRC) scale. Future areas of study include the addition of a component addressing sentiments towards disability and inclusion in the newly refined scale... [more]

Special Education (SPED) in Scotland was a six-week study abroad program where pre-service special education teachers lived with host families and observed in Scottish schools in the area of special education. The program included coursework in the area of Emotional Behavioral Disabilities and traveling. This study sought to determine the impact of the SPED in Scotland program on students' intercultural awareness, perceptions of educational practices, and awareness of global interconnectedness. Participants took the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) before departure and after their return from Scotland. Seventy percent of participants remained at the same level of intercultural sensitivity after the program. Thirty percent moved to a more culturally sensitive view of cultures. In addition, participants wrote weekly reflective journal entries which were analyzed using Grounded Theory approach. Three stages through which students moved emerged from the journals: (a) observation, (b) reflective awareness, and (c) life change. These stages were present across four domains: culture, education, homestays, and travel. Program duration, prior experiences and personal characteristics appeared to influence a participant’s progression through the stages. Emotional expressions at times of program transitions were also found throughout the weekly entries... [more]

A sample of 523 Chinese university students was given a questionnaire on their attitudes towards the inclusion of children with disabilities into regular classrooms. Factor analysis, analysis of variance, t-test and correlations were used to assess the respondents’ general attitude towards inclusion, the factor structure of the attitudes, the relationship between demographic variables and the attitudes and the ratings of best educational environments for students with different kinds of disabilities. The analysis revealed that (a) the participants’ average attitude towards inclusion was slightly negative; (b) four factors, named as Social justice, Meeting the special needs of the pupils with severe disabilities, Quality of education and Teachers’ competence, were extracted (c) the most important background variable that explained the attitudes was the participants’ major subject in the University; and (d) the ratings for the best educational environment for a student with a disability varied according to different types and levels of disability... [more]

The purpose of this study was to explore Turkish mothers’ verbal interaction practices and their maternal self-efficacy beliefs regarding their children with expressive language delay. Participants included 33 Turkish mothers of children with expressive language delay. Results indicated that mothers in general use child directed talk strategies or practice appropriate verbal interactions with their children with expressive language delay and in general had high level of self-efficacy. Mothers who felt themselves efficacious most of the time while communication with their children with expressive language delay used verbal interaction practices more than mothers who felt themselves efficacious sometimes. Results were discussed extensively. ... [more]

Institutional autism is understood as a learned behavior produced by an institutional environment such as an orphanage. Some autistic-like behaviors may be adaptive in an institution, but become mal-adaptive after the child's adoption into a family. A differential diagnosis between autism as a medical condition and learned autistic-like post-institutional behaviors is to be made. A conclusion is drawn that institutional autism is merely a description of certain patterns of post-institutionalized behavior that may appear similar to what is observed in children with autism. Abrupt native language attrition, typical for the majority of international adoptees, could contribute to autistic-like behavior... [more]

The purpose of this study was to investigate the experiences of parents of pre-K to grade four children who had food allergies. Also examined were the management strategies put in place by the participants to assist the children deal with their unique situations. An in-depth interview was conducted with ten parents whose children had food allergies. Results of the interview indicate that the children’s allergies were identified between ages six months and two years. Most of the parents reported that their children were aware of their problem(s). The most challenging issues for the parents were getting the specific food allergies diagnosed by professionals and staying alert all the time. Parents indicated that they were confident about their children’s safety and well-being in school that had adopted a no-peanut policy... [more]

The aim of this study is to evaluate the benefit of chess in mathematics lessons for children with learning disabilities based on lower intelligence (IQ 70-85). School classes of four German schools for children with learning disabilities were randomly assigned to receive one hour of chess lesson instead of one hour of regular mathematics lessons per week for the duration of one school-year. Concentration and calculation abilities of children were measured before and after the year of study using standardised tests. The chess group was compared with the control group without chess lessons. Concentration abilities and calculation abilities for written tasks and gap tasks developed equally well in both groups. Calculation abilities for simple addition tasks and counting improved significantly more in the chess classes. We conclude that chess could be a valuable learning aid for children with learning disabilities. Transfer of chess lessons to improvement of basic mathematics skills has been observed.... [more]

Although schools are not traditionally designed to provide intensive mental health services to children, they are in a position to create systems that foster mental health. By creating school-wide systems in which students are academically, behaviorally and socially successful, schools can integrate those essential protective factors shown to contribute to mental health. The purpose of this paper is to thoroughly explore factors impacting the mental health development of students and then to examine school practices that foster mental health. This paper will identify those school-wide practices that are associated with mental health. Specifically, this paper will review current approaches in schools that promote mental health in students, including instructional practices, curriculum design, ecological considerations, teacher perceptions, and social competence building... [more]

This study focused on the feasibility of using the concert harp as a communication channel for children with autism. Two qualitative case studies using constant comparison analysis were conducted over a six-day observation period resulting in field notes both from the primary researcher and the teacher who regularly worked with the two children in the study. These notes yielded five emergent themes and revealed positive responses by both of the children in using the concert harp as a communication channel ... [more]