This paper investigates the effect of music on the communication improvement of children with developmental disabilities. Forty subjects (18 boys and 22 girls) 7-12 years old, were divided into an experimental group (n = 20) which participated in music therapy activities and a control group (n = 20) which was discussing and watching television, both for one hour. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Scale for children was used to measure state and trait anxiety respectively. In addition, heart rate response to music therapy was monitored for assessing probable music therapy effect. Findings from paired t-tests revealed that the State Anxiety Inventory Scale score was significantly influenced by the music therapy (t=5.36, p<0.001) as well as it was not significantly influenced by the discussing and watching television session (t=1.02, p>0.05: NS). Besides, heart rate alteration analysis revealed that music therapy helps calm young children with developmental disabilities. Consequently, music therapy could lead not only to significant improvements in young CWDD’s psychological and physical well-being but also could produce mental benefits, and should constitute a part of therapeutically programs that aim both to the improvement of young CWDD’s psychological state and quality of life.... [more]

Questions about gifted learners and the best way to teach them to face expected challenges is often a source of controversy. This is because old stereotype curriculum and conventional instructional strategies may not be enough to give the needed stimulation. Considering the enormity of what is expected to reinforce the education of the gifted, this study investigated the efficacy of Enrichment Triad and Self-Directed learning models on the academic achievement of selected gifted students in some secondary schools in Nigeria. The study used the pre-test, post-test, control group quasi-experiment design in a 3 x 2 factorial matrix. The subjects for the study consisted of 75 Senior Secondary School gifted students from eight secondary schools in Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling technique was utilized for the selection of the participants, which were randomly assigned into three experimental groups. Analysis of Covariance was the main statistical method utilized to test two generated hypotheses at the probability level of 0.05. The findings revealed that there was significant treatment effect on subjects' post-test academic achievement scores. There was no significant main effect of gender. The study also indicated that gifted male subjects exposed to Enrichment Trial and Self-Directed models had higher mean score (x = 80.93) than their female counterparts exposed to the same treatment. Since the Enrichment Triad and Self-Directed models are capable of facilitating gifted students' educational programmes, it is therefore recommended that both regular and special educators should use these models in facilitating the academic achievement for their gifted students.... [more]

This study focuses upon the effectiveness of project-based learning on primary school pupils with learning difficulties regarding their academic performance and attitudes towards self efficacy, task value, group work and teaching methods applied. The present study is a part of a larger one that included six Greek fourth-grade primary school mainstream classrooms with ninety-four pupils of mixed learning abilities. An eight-week project was implemented within the curriculum area of environmental studies with a topic of ‘sea animals’. The methodology applied in this study was a combination of a pre-experimental design (the one group pre- post-test design) and the case study research design. In the present study data were used only for pupils with learning difficulties in those classes. The findings of the present study support that pupils with learning difficulties can gain benefits through project-based learning in academic performance, motivation (self-efficacy and task value in terms of environmental studies) and group work (acceptance in the group and engagement in the learning process). The students also preferred experiential learning to traditional teaching. The implications of our findings for the design of project-based learning programmes in the environmental studies with pupils with learning difficulties are also discussed... [more]

Research indicates a strong relationship between phonological awareness and reading success. Phonemic intervention programs clearly show the benefits of explicitly teaching phonological awareness skills. Phonological awareness skills vary in nature and degree of difficulty and appear to follow a developmental progression. This study examined a developmental hierarchy of four Arabic phonological awareness tasks. The participants were 140 native Arabic speaking students from elementary grades one to three. They were administered four different phonological awareness tasks. One-way ANOVA and multiple comparisons were used to analyze the data of the study. The results revealed differences across phonological awareness tasks among different grade levels. Results of this study indicated that the four phonological awareness tasks ranged from easy to difficult in the following; rhyme, initial sound identification, syllable deletion and phoneme segmentation. Significant differences were found in two tasks, identifying the initial sound of the word in favor of grade two and syllable deletion in favor of grade three. However, there were no significant differences in the grade performances regarding the rhyme oddity task and the phoneme segmentation task. This study supports English language research in the sense that there is a hierarchical order behind phonological awareness development. This means that when phonological awareness tasks are trained, they must follow an order. Phonological awareness skills are complicated and place demand on cognitive processes and, therefore, should not be considered randomly.... [more]

Many studies have investigated the adequacy of the preservice preparation of special education teachers but few studies have investigated the preparation of special education paraprofessionals. This study investigated one rural state that does not have an identified system of formal preservice training programs for special education paraprofessionals. Special education paraprofessionals in Maine were queried regarding their perceptions of (1) the adequacy of their training, (2) the effectiveness of their supervision, and (3) their current training needs in order for them to successfully meet their mandated role responsibilities to serve students with disabilities. Findings indicated that most respondents perceived that they were inadequately prepared for their duties and received minimal supervision. Findings also suggested that a very high level of consistency existed among the respondents with respect to their current most critical training needs. Findings further suggest that a major need exists for states and individual school districts (1) to develop and enforce competency based requirements for the employment of special education paraprofessionals, (2) to provide opportunities for quality professional development for these individuals, and (3) to ensure that special education teachers are adequately trained to fulfill their mandated supervisory responsibilities with respect to paraprofessionals.... [more]

This case study analyzed a special education (SE) teacher’s activity within his workplace community and external professional network in a Finnish special education context. The nature of the SE teacher’s networks and his networking role were examined using an interview and a questionnaire, completed by the teachers working in the community investigated; the methods of social network analysis (SNA) were employed. In addition, the SE teacher’s social embeddedness to his new workplace community was investigated, using event sampling and three interviews. The data were analyzed by qualitative content analysis. The results indicated that the principal participant utilized an SE-related multi-professional network and had very significant roles both as a knowledge source and collaborator. The results also revealed various challenges and obstacles related to his professional portrait, the new workplace and his position within the teacher community. It was concluded that this SE teacher may be characterized as a networked expert, who appears to work at boundary zones between school communities and the outside world, and to rely on hybridized expertise. The study also presents an innovative methodology that can facilitate researchers’ collection of data from SE teachers’ professional communities and complex environments.... [more]

Exclusionary discipline involves the use of suspensions, expulsions, and other disciplinary action resulting in removal from the typical educational environment; it is frequently used as a consequence for inappropriate student behavior. Because this form of discipline is associated with detrimental outcomes, it is of concern that in the United States of America the frequency of use of exclusionary discipline is consistently higher for the racial-minority group of African American students than for the majority racial group. This investigation utilized current district-level data from public schools in the state of Ohio to replicate previously documented findings of disciplinary disproportionality, to examine changes in overall use of exclusionary discipline over time, and to examine changes in disciplinary disproportionality over time. Results of repeated measures multivariate analyses confirm that African American students continue to be overrepresented as recipients of exclusionary discipline. Limitations of this investigation, implications related to public policy, and future directions for research are proposed.... [more]

The purpose of this paper is to present a model for developing a comprehensive system of education for gifted learners in Lebanon. The model consists of three phases and includes key elements for establishing gifted education in the country, such as raising community awareness, adopting valid identification measures, and developing effective curricula. An important consideration is to embed the model in non-traditional views of intelligence and giftedness so that programs are diversified and identification is not limited to high scores on standardized tests. As such, the model is based on DISCOVER, a non-traditional system for identifying and educating gifted learners. Research is needed to determine the effectiveness of such a model for Lebanon. The model could be emulated by other Arab countries where it can be adopted and adapted to the unique needs and particulars of each culture.... [more]

This study examines the difficulties encountered by parents caring for pre-adolescent children who have severe multiple health problems. Working within the frameworks of narrative psychotherapy (Spence, 1982; Viederman & Perry, 1980; Vitz, 1992; Benjamin, 1998), the researcher examined parents’ discourses and identified the strategies they employed to deal with their situations (Maynard, 2003). The results show that the participants’ ability to tell their stories to others who empathize with them provided an essential therapeutic function (Obeng, 2008). The most important discourse strategy identified was the use of words that have strong implications for dealing with emotional valence... [more]

The various policy documents that have emerged over time stressed the principles of human rights, social justice, quality education for all, the right to a basic education; equality of opportunity, and re-address of past educational inequalities. This paper gives the background of inclusion and further tries to motivate and suggest how developing countries can move from theory to practice. It looks at inclusive education and its demands, the position of regular schools, a discussion on constraints experienced by developing countries in relation to the demands of inclusion, implications for integration and special schools as well as teacher training... [more]

The present paper is an overview of studies examining the way family influences the development of delinquency in adolescents. The review focused on published papers dealing with the association of adolescent delinquency and their families. The association between family practices and juvenile delinquency, with potent predictive value is established and bidirectional effects exist. However the influence from parents to adolescents is stronger. In addition indirect evidence, from early intervention studies, supports the causal role of family variables in the development of juvenile delinquency. Effective family functioning, in spite of several social adversities, exerts a buffering influence on children, thus protecting them from delinquent behavioural manifestations. Finally, the assumption that genetic influences are responsible for both poor child-rearing practices by the parents and juvenile delinquency is not well supported by the literature, suggesting that effective parenting exerts an independent influence in the socioemotional functioning of children and adolescents. The evidence suggests that effective child rearing practices is a necessary though not sufficient factor for the psychosocial development of children and adolescents. Educational programmes, of a preventive nature, could be promising in reducing levels of delinquency. The important role of family functioning in protecting children and adolescents from antisocial behaviours is evident from many studies internationally. The protective role of parenting is generally supported. The role of a supportive family environment could be suggested as a protective factor for juvenile delinquency... [more]

An epidemiological study conducted across the country of Greece was conducted in order to determine the profile and the athletic identity of spinal cord injured (SCI) wheelchair basketball athletes who participated to the 13th Greek Wheelchair Basketball Championship and Cup. The Disability Sport Participation questionnaire was used for data collection, which was conducted by Williams. A total of 29 Greek athletes with SCI were participated between November 2007 and May 2008. Twenty-eight men and one woman wheelchair basketball players participated in the study (mean age of 36 years, range 19 – 56 years). The most common cause of injury was traffic accident (75.9%) then falls (20.7%) and injuries from diving (3.4%). Half of the athletes live alone (51.7%) and sixteen athletes (55.2%) graduated from senior high school. Nearly half of them (n = 14; 48.3%) performed about three training sessions per week. From the results it can be deduced that the spinal cord injured athletes of wheelchair basketball constitute the 31.5% of the total number of athletes. They have a basic level of training hours and days per week, they are not trained in a professional class and as result they did not met the relevant criteria to be in an elite class of athletes. Further research is needed to focus on athletic identity and training patterns of all Paralympics sports in Greece in order to evaluate the growth of its sports separately... [more]

Laws and legislation have resulted in children with special needs being placed in general physical education (GPE) classes with general physical educators. The purpose of this study was twofold; (a) to identify two practicing teachers with positive attitudes towards inclusion of students with mild to moderate disabilities and two teachers with negative attitudes towards inclusion of students with disabilities using Rizzo’s (1993) Physical Education Attitudes Toward Individuals with Disabilities survey (PEATID), and (b) to investigate, through in-depth interviews, how their attitudes were formed and how it affected their teaching. Teachers with positive attitudes; (a) identified multiple focus areas and objectives in their teaching, (b) developed written lesson plans that incorporated several different teaching styles, (c) had received training in modifying and adapting physical education for students with disabilities, and (d) desired their students to be successful in their classes. The findings have implications for the field of physical education teacher education (PETE). PETE programs should develop programs of study that include adapted physical education classes. Additionally pre-service teachers should be taught how to plan, modify, and deliver developmentally appropriate activities for children with and without special needs... [more]

This study examines inclusive education within Guyana for children with special needs (zero to eight years), from the perspectives of policy makers, teachers, and parents (n = 22). The study is framed within a social-constructivist perspective, and uses grounded theory for the collection and analysis of data. Four themes emerged from the data as potential barriers to implementing inclusive education in Guyana: attitudes and perceptions toward those with special needs, change agents, resources, and experiences with children with special needs. This study describes the interrelating relationships between the core phenomenon (i.e., attitudes toward those with special needs), and the other conditions (i.e., change agents, resources, and experiences with children with special needs) necessary for successful inclusion. The interrelationship between these factors stimulates strategies or actions. These lead to consequences, which prevent sustainable and successful inclusive education within Guyana. There is a discussion of recommendations and conclusions that may assist in supporting inclusive education within Guyana... [more]

Professionals agree that book characters can be excellent role models for young children. Therefore, analyzing children’s literature portraying impairments provides valuable information for educators, parents, siblings, extended family members and librarians. In this study, forty-six picture books are analyzed in order to determine the relationships between the characters with and without physical and sensory impairments. The role of each character and the type of their relationship are analyzed in every occasion in which characters with and without physical and sensory impairments are involved in each story. The data analysis indicates eleven different relationship categories showing positive, neutral or negative portrayals. The results of the study imply that story characters change over time through their interactions in characters with impairments. The present study concludes that children’s literature contains significant promise with respect to helping children develop friendships by learning about and accepting individual differences. Interpretations of the findings were discussed and implications for practice were presented... [more]

The literature that is meant to guide parental participation in special education often refers to parents as vital team members who are critical in designing the best programs for their children (The Family and Advocates Partnership for Education, 2004; The State Education Department, May 2002). However, a disconnect can occur between the information meant to guide parents and their experiences (Benson, Karlof, & Siperstein, 2008; Harry & Klinger, 2006; Rogers, 2003). This qualitative case study (Dyson & Genishi, 2005; Glesne, 1999; Merriam, 2001) uses positioning theory (Harré & van Langenhove, 1999b), to explore how Sherry, a parent of a preschool child with special needs, is positioned and positions herself, in interactions with doctors, teachers, and therapists when issues of disability and special education arise. In keeping with literature meant to guide her in school meetings, Sherry took an active position as a team member (reflexive positioning), and this position was accepted and celebrated by the providers and teachers who worked directly with her son. In the neurologist’s office, this parent needed to negotiate her position with the doctor, bumping up against the medical model of disability (interactive positioning). Finally, at school district meetings, Sherry explains how the school officials make certain positions unavailable to her by evoking her role as her son’s parent (interactive positioning). The researcher suggests ways to support parents’ interactions with professionals involved in special education and implications for teacher education programs.... [more]

The purpose of this study was to identify the hyperactive, impulsive, social, and emotional characteristics of girls with symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). These characteristics could be used to increase the referral rates of these girls and provide implications for intervention. Parent and self-ratings of a school-based sample of 262 girls with and without ADHD were analyzed. Girls with ADHD were characterized as more verbally impulsive and hyperactive, faster in conversations and school-work, more easily bored, more often stirring up trouble, having difficulty waiting, and demonstrating greater moodiness, anger, and stubbornness than their peers. The girls with symptoms of ADHD also discriminated between their own appropriate versus inappropriate activity and demonstrated normal prosocial activities, the level of which was related to higher self-esteem. Implications are that ADHD characteristic behavior in girls can be identified earlier so that treatments can be studied and improved.... [more]

The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness, generalizability, and the permanency of the instruction with the touch math technique. Direct instruction was used to the instruction of the basic summation skills of the students with mild intellectual disabilities. A multiple probe design across the subjects was used in this study. The participants included three students with mild intellectual disabilities in inclusive classrooms. They were second grader and their ages were 7-8 years old. The results of the study show that the use of touch math technique, based on direct instruction approach is effective in teaching the basic summation skills to the students with mild intellectual disabilities. The social validity results demonstrated that all the teachers have positive views towards the touch math technique and express that they would use this technique in their classes.... [more]

Research has consistently documented that children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) have significant problems in peer relationships and are strongly rejected by their typically developing peers. There is a growing recognition that traditional interventions, such as social skills trainings are no longer sufficient to address the staggering social needs of children with AD/HD. This paper introduces new directions in interventions for children with AD/HD and advocates that multi-component interventions can be highly beneficial to ameliorate the social problems of children with the disorder. Studies examining the peer relations in children with AD/HD are reviewed and available interventions are explored. In addition, problems with the application of various interventions are discussed and suggested practices are presented... [more]