The sustained increase in prevalence rates of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has led to a corresponding growth in interest among teacher educators on how to prepare teachers to work effectively with this student population. However, current research efforts on effective preparation in the area of ASD are only emerging and have not included targeted collaboration with state departments of education. In this study, a statewide survey of special education directors in the southwest United States was conducted to determine which competencies and licensure requirements would be necessary to prepare educators teaching students with ASD. Findings suggest that the majority of the 124 respondents indicated a preference for an autism endorsement added on to a special education certificate and described knowledge of characteristics of ASD, behavior management, and communication skills development as competencies as most essential for teachers working with students on the autism spectrum. As a model for university and state collaboration, implications for teacher preparation programs are described. ... [more]

In the Italian education system, pupils with special education needs (SEN) are fully included in mainstream education and receive extra support from special education teachers (SET). Starting from this point, it is reasonable to expect some degree of difference between special education teachers (SETs) and general education teachers (GETs) in term of occupational stress stemming from job demands as well as students’ challenging behaviours. The study explored the connection between students’ challenging behaviours and teachers’ occupational stress in a sample of Italian in-service primary teachers (N= 306). Data from the Italian version of the Challenging Students Standard Questionnaire were analysed to understand the impact of six different categories of challenging students’ behaviours on eliciting occupational stress responses in SETs and GETs. Descriptive, comparative t-test analyses and effect sizes for all measures were reported. Results were consistent with the idea that SETs and GETs experience different degrees of occupational stress as a result of experiencing different challenging students’ behaviours. Recommendations for planning more targeted in-service training for primary teachers are discussed.... [more]

This study examined the current skill levels of regular primary and secondary school teachers in Delhi, India in order to teach students with disabilities in inclusive education settings. A total of 223 primary school teachers and 130 secondary school teachers were surveyed using a two-part questionnaire. Part-one of the questionnaire collected background information of the respondents. Part-two was a Likert scale which required the teachers to indicate their perceived current skill levels on a list of competencies needed to implement inclusion. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and t-tests. The major findings were that nearly 70% of the regular school teachers had neither received training in special education nor had any experience teaching students with disabilities. Further, 87% of the teachers did not have access to support services in their classrooms. Finally, although both primary and secondary school teachers rated themselves as having limited or low competence for working with students with disabilities, there was no statistically significant difference between their perceived skill levels. The implications for teacher training in India are discussed in terms of the different models that can improve teacher quality for inclusive education. ... [more]

Hearing impairment is an exceptional circumstance that restricts the child’s ability to communicate verbally. Depression is a common stress-related response for hearing parents of children with hearing loss. Evidence suggests that mothers are more inclined than fathers to experience depression in response to their child’s hearing loss (Mavrolas, 1990; Meadow-Orleans, 1995; Prior, Glazner, Sanson & Debelle, 1988) and mothers with depression have been found to be less effective at nurturing language and psychosocial development in their children. The aim of the study was to compare the levels of stress and depression in mothers of children using hearing aids and children who had cochlear implants. 50 mothers of children with bilateral profound hearing loss were divided into two groups according to the rehabilitation option used. Two self reporting scales Parental Stress Index (PSI) & Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD) duly translated into Telugu were used for the study. The results revealed that mothers in both the groups have high stress levels. On comparison the mothers of children who had cochlear implant obtained significantly higher scores than mothers of children using hearing aid on PSI. The results on CESD revealed high depression levels in both groups with no significant difference in the mean scores between groups. Hence, the present study highlights the need for the rehabilitative professionals to focus on family-based intervention for children with hearing impairment.... [more]

The families of children with hearing impairments are more focused on early detection and intervention. Transition to school is a stressful experience to the parents as they miss out on understanding the importance of transition process and the information required for a successful, efficient and effective transition to school. The current study was aimed to evaluate the needs of parents on transition of their children with hearing impairment from preschool to inclusive school. Thirty five mothers of children with hearing impairment using cochlear implants in the range of 4-6 years participated in the study. Scale of parental needs in transition to school (Kargin, Baydik & Akçamete, 2004) was modified, adapted and administered on the mothers. Percentage analysis indicated that 75% of parents expressed need for information on most of the areas of transition to school. Correlation between groups was found to be significant with respect to educational status, age of the mothers and socio economic status of the families. Parents are the most influential yet significantly underrated factors in children’s education and hence their information needs should be determined for successful transition process.... [more]

Inclusion of students with disabilities in general education classrooms and programs continues to be a focus in the international field of special education. In the USA where the history of inclusion is over three decades old, current special educator's professional standards clearly expect that certified special educators will enter the field with adept collaboration and co-teaching skills in order to optimize services for students with disabilities in inclusive settings. Coursework in collaboration for pre-service special educators is a common mechanism for providing this training within the United States (McKenzie, 2009). This qualitative case study (n=12) conducted over a semester of coursework on collaboration in a distance education format utilized grounded theory, through document analysis and interviewing (n=5), to build a better understanding of pre-service special educators’ perceptions and beliefs about collaborating with general educator partners in school settings. Five themes emerged from over 300 participant quotations: 1) definitions of collaboration, 2) outcomes of collaboration, 3) collaborative behaviors between teachers, 4) challenges to collaboration, and 5) preparedness to collaborate. These pre-service special educators most often commented on the challenges they experienced in school settings. Implications for teacher education programs worldwide and future research are discussed. ... [more]

The study assessed the prevalence and predictors of post-traumatic symptomatology and emotional and behavioral difficulties in siblings of children who incurred war-related injuries. It was predicted that injury severity, gender and attributional style would account for a significant amount of the variance in post-traumatic stress symptoms and emotional and behavioral difficulties in those siblings. The sample consisted of 406 siblings of both genders with a mean age of 12.50 years. The results indicated that injury severity, gender and attributional style were related to emotional and behavioral difficulties and symptoms of post-traumatic stress, except for gender and post-traumatic stress .Siblings of children with severe injury appeared to be at greater risk for intrusive thoughts and avoidance as well as emotional and behavioral difficulties. Females exhibited more emotional and behavioral problems than did males. Siblings with more maladaptive attributional styles endorsed more emotional-behavioral problems and symptoms of post-traumatic stress. Techniques for strengthening coping abilities designed to enhance cognitive control may be used with siblings at risk, particularly females and siblings of children who sustained a severe injury. Treatments such as trauma-focused cognitive behavior therapy may incur positive results.... [more]

Eighteen novice special education teachers were interviewed regarding their opinions, experiences, and advice regarding professional paperwork such as IEPs, behavior plans, and annual goals. A qualitative analysis of the responses suggests three main findings: (1.) Participants had a negative opinion of paperwork based on its lengthiness and perceived irrelevancy to instruction. (2.) Participants cited mentors, peers, and practice, as the best ways to learn about paperwork. (3.) Recommended paperwork advice for new teachers were to understand expectation, ask for help, and get organized. Implications and recommendations are discussed.... [more]

A nationally representative sample of American school psychology practitioners were surveyed to analyze discrepancies that they experience between their actual discrete practices and their preferred discrete practices relative to several domains of practice including assessment, intervention, meetings, and continuing education. Discrepancies were also analyzed relative to service delivery in three levels of prevention (primary, secondary, and tertiary). Results indicate that practicing school psychologists experience significant discrepancies between actual and preferred practices in all discrete practices, with the largest discrepancies by hours noted in the discrete practices of report writing, prevention screening, CBA/CBM administration, IQ testing, and conducting research. Respondents also indicated a clear preference for participating in significantly more primary-level and secondary-level prevention efforts. Barriers to preferred practices were analyzed with the most commonly reported barriers being time and administrative expectations. Findings are discussed in terms of emerging models of school psychology, including problem-solving and response-to-intervention, and implications for the international practice of school psychology. ... [more]

Due to the continuous growth of special education worldwide, highly qualified teachers are needed. The Special Education program at the University of Jordan places student teachers for their practicum in different educational settings. The purpose of this study was to report preliminary information about students’ satisfaction and concerns about the practicum. A survey of two questions was distributed among 50 undergraduate students in the Spring 2010/2011 semester. Results revealed that students were not satisfied with their practicum experience. Students’ concerns highlighted issues related to stakeholders’ partnerships, connections between university courses and practicum requirements, supervision, mentors, and field sites. Discussion and recommendations are presented in the study.... [more]

The proper assessment of math computational skills is essential for monitoring progress, predicting achievement, and identifying students with disabilities. The current study extends previous research on assessment of curriculum-based measurement in mathematics(M-CBM) . The purpose of this research was to examine the effects of the M-CBM computation assessment on improving third-grade math achievement. This paper presents a comparison study of two classrooms; one used a M-CBM computation in addition to the summative assessment and one used summative assessment only. Each class consisted of 35 students; three who had a Specific Learning Disability in math. The results of a 15-week CBM process demonstrated the effectiveness of using the M-CBM with third- grade students. Furthermore, when compared to the traditional way of assessment, the use of the M-CBM produced significant gains in students’ achievement, specifically, for the students who were struggling with math. ... [more]

The history of special education in the United States and Thailand has followed a similar path in many ways. Both countries made compulsory education mandatory to move in a positive direction in providing special education services to children with disabilities including the provision of services for children with ASD or Autism. In Thailand, monitoring of compliance with disability law, and negative attitudes by society overall toward individuals with disabilities hamper enforcement of law, distribution of resources, family involvement, and access to individualized education programs and inclusion of students with disabilities. While effective treatments for autism have been documented in the US, this knowledge and training on effective interventions is often not filtered to more rural US schools or outside US borders. Increased collaborations within and between countries to increase knowledge and expertise is recommended. Research based interventions should be taught and implemented in countries such as Thailand and other nations. ... [more]

The purpose of this study was to investigate the quality of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and its influence on academic achievement, inclusion in general education classrooms, and curricular access for students with disabilities. 130 teachers from the state of Indiana were asked to submit the most recent IEP of one of their students in either elementary or middle school who (a) had an identified disability and (b) achieved the lowest level of proficiency on the statewide standardized assessment. Teachers also were asked complete the Curriculum Indicators Survey (CIS) which provided information about their student’s curriculum and instructional experiences. Ratings from the IEP analysis tool developed for and used in this study suggest that students’ IEP goals were of variable quality across grade bands. Academic-focused IEP goals were more likely to include sufficient information about links to the curriculum standards and progress monitoring strategies, but less frequently included sufficient information about students’ present levels of performance (PLOP) and the relevance of IEP goals to the students’ educational needs. Additionally, the quality of progress monitoring information in academic-focused IEP goals demonstrated a negative association with student achievement. IEP quality demonstrated no significant relationship to inclusion in general education classrooms or two measures of curricular access. ... [more]

The perspectives of students with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) during the period of transition from mainstream primary to mainstream secondary school are under-researched. This paper reports a longitudinal investigation into the feelings, expectations and experiences of nine students and their parents during such a period. Employing student and parent perspectives, students’ expectations of the move to secondary school were generally negative; there was a combination of positive and negative feelings prior to the move; and their experience of the move was better than expected. Findings are considered in the context of the literature on transition for the general student population and the restricted literature for students with autism spectrum disorder. Comparisons are drawn between the students’ and parents’ perspectives of transition experiences and support. Limitations of the research are considered. Implications for policy makers, professionals and researchers are discussed. ... [more]

Data from four different questionnaires are analyzed. Explanations of school problems are compared for chief education officers, principals (in municipal and independent schools), subject teachers, class teachers, special teachers, special educational needs coordinators (SENCOs), and assistants. Explanations involving deficits tied to the individual child were by far most common. Teachers and principals were the groups least likely to view teachers as a cause of school problems. Principals were even less likely to do so than the teachers themselves, and this was also the group that was least likely to consider the functioning of classes as an explanation of school difficulties. A school-leadership paradox is identified, meaning that principals discern causes of school problems that are not within their influence. ... [more]