There are few studies measuring the effects on painting quality of playing background classical music at special schools. Primary students with severe intellectual disabilities (N=24) were taught abstract painting in a two-part method. The first part involved a Pictorial Only method and the second, immediately following it, involved a Pictorial plus Classical Music background. Guttman scales were created to measure both quality of painting and, separately, classroom behaviour, weekly, for six consecutive weeks. A mixed between-within subjects ANOVA (General Linear Model, repeated measures with SPSS) found: (1) that interaction effects did not reach significance; (2) a significant main effect for method of teaching on painting quality, and on classroom behaviour, with the Pictorial and Classical Music method being significantly better; (3) a significant main effect for practice over the six weeks on painting quality, with the Pictorial and Classical Music method being significantly better; and (4) a non-significant main effect for practice over the six weeks on classroom behaviour. Teachers in special schools should try playing classical music as background during the painting sessions of their students, not only to improve painting quality, but also to improve student attitude and behaviour in class.... [more]

Findings from a study investigating the conditions under which contingency learning games were associated with optimal child and adult concomitant and social--emotional behavior benefits are reported. Participants were 41 preschool children with multiple disabilities and profound developmental delays and their parents or teachers. Results showed that social learning games that resulted in larger percentages of reinforcing consequences were associated with optimal child and adult extended benefits. Implications for practice are described... [more]

Including children with autism alongside typically developing peers is commonly done in school settings to provide social opportunities and social experiences. However, there is limited research describing the naturally occurring interactions between children with autism and their peers as a result of such placements. We examined the naturally occurring social interactions of 3 students with autism when placed in a playground setting with typically developing peers. Results show that participants rarely engaged in social behavior with peers during inclusive experiences and adult staff rarely facilitated social interactions between children with autism and typically developing peers. This study provides additional evidence that mere exposure to typically developing children is not the mechanism by which students with autism gain meaningful social experiences. Creating inclusive experiences that result in social interactions likely require additional, systematic interventions designed to facilitate those interactions.... [more]

This study investigated the attitudes of 72 Serbian teachers towards the inclusion of children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) in mainstream schools; they were asked to complete My Thinking About Inclusion Questionnaire (Stoiber, Goettinger, & Goetz, 1998). It was found that Serbian teachers held overall slightly negative attitudes towards the inclusion of children with SEN, with teachers with experience in teaching children with SEN holding more positive attitudes towards inclusion in comparison to teachers without such experience. No differences were observed in teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion according to their years of teaching experience. Findings are discussed in relation to the effectiveness of changes that were implemented recently in Serbia regarding the educational rights and needs of children with SEN.... [more]

A qualitative case study design was used to investigate the extent that special education program serves the student or serves the organization. If special education serves the student, then a researcher should be able to identify resulting agency and emancipation among the students. However, if special education is serving the organization, then a different picture could be painted. Special education could be serving the functionalist needs of sorting and tracking students. An unintended finding of the study was the apparent neglect and subsequent isolation and marginality of special education teachers, especially teachers who work in self-contained classes. Responses clearly reflect a deficit in social capital. With regard to students, most responses reflect a functionalist approach to serving students in the special education program in that the program sorts challenging students from the mainstream who might impede the progress of other children. These findings are discussed relative to reform for special education, including learning communities.... [more]

The following contemporary review illuminates several of the best methods to accurately identify gifted/learning disabled (GLD) students? Explanations which clearly define what it means to be gifted, learning disabled (LD) and gifted/learning disabled (GLD) are included and incorporated into a typology of three identities of GLD students. Recommended and currently utilized methods of GLD identification and assessment are detailed and various controversies surrounding these modes are explored. Current voids within the GLD research are described and present approaches and programming for GLD students is distilled. The future for this twice exceptional student is proposed and critical understandings are realized.... [more]

In most elementary classrooms, students with autistic characteristics are too often dismissed from the literate community. The autistic child is frequently asked to practice memorizing sight words while classmates are introduced to literature. Although autistic children are increasingly being taught in general education classrooms, they are often excluded from rich and meaningful literacy experiences like storytelling, play-acting, journal-keeping, and writing workshop. In fact, it is not unusual for students with autism in these classrooms to follow a different curriculum than the one offered to their classmates. This study examines the difficulties that autistic children have in learning to read and it asks answers the following questions: What Are the Obstacles in Teaching Reading to Autistic Children? and How Can the Child with Autism Be Taught to Read?... [more]

POWER AND PERSPECTIVES – AN INVESTIGATION INTO INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH COVERING SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS... [more]

The purpose of the present case report was to evaluate the effects of an individual token economy with a young child with severe behavior disorders. Three behaviors were recorded; time to completion, the number of assignments completed, and the frequency of inappropriate behavior. These data were gathered for 30 minutes each morning. The overall outcomes indicated that the two different token systems were effective in improving the participant’s academic and social behavior. The amount of work that was required could be increased without a large decrement in academic output or increases in inappropriate behavior. The program was enjoyed by both the teaching staff and the participant. Suggestions for future research and the maintenance of treatment gains were made.... [more]

Children with autism generally face significant challenges in such areas as normal social interaction, communication, and independent daily functioning, which are considered as the basic skills essential for success in life. The purpose of this paper is to synthesize the established research and best practices in enhancing the above skills for children with Autism in the United States, with an attempt to promote the development of educational programs for children with autism in Southeast Asian countries. The first part of this paper introduces several research-based educational approaches and best practices in the field, including structured teaching approaches, direct instruction, social stories, peer-mediated intervention, video modeling, and discrete trial instruction, which have been proven effective in teaching social skills and in improving communication ability, as well as in decreasing inappropriate behavior in children with autism.The latter part of this paper suggests how these educational programs can be introduced to Southeast Asian countries based on the actual situations over there, to promote the development of educational programs for children with Autism in those areas... [more]

Cognitive effects of chess instruction on students at risk for academic failure was examined. Thirty-eight students, from three elementary schools, participated in this study. The experimental group received a ninety-minute chess lesson once per week over a three-month period; and the control group students regularly attended school activities after class. The experimental group performance on the test was not different from the control group performance. However, chess skill rating and TONI-3 posttest scores were significantly correlated when controlling for TONI-3 pretest score (d = 0.29). This suggests that chess skill rating is a key predictor for the improvement of student cognitive skills. Students at risk at beginning levels of competency in chess may be able to improve their cognitive skills and to improve their skill at chess.... [more]

This paper presents the findings from research conducted with two samples of teachers from Estonian Vocational Schools. The first sample comprised a group of teachers who had received professional development directly related to the management of students with special educational needs in vocational education settings. Their attitudes and expectations of students with special educational needs were compared to those of a larger second sample of similar teachers who had not received training in this area. Differences of attitudes are discussed in relation to the findings from similar studies conducted elsewhere in Europe, including a developing literature from eastern European states. The paper concludes that whilst most teachers in Estonian Vocational Schools demonstrate positive attitudes towards the greater inclusion of students with special educational needs, concerns remain with regards to the readiness of these schools to accept such pupils onto existing courses. Training of teachers emerges as a critical factor in promoting inclusive practice and there is evidence of the support provided to a cohort of teachers through training courses having positively influenced attitudes and expectations.... [more]

One-hundred-and-twenty secondary science teachers responded to a survey entitled Teaching Science to Students with Special Needs in Inclusive Settings to assess their knowledge and preparation in working with students with special needs in the science classroom. The authors focused on the following questions (1) How can a secondary science teacher with no training in the area of students with needs adjust his/her teaching strategies? (2) What resources can the secondary science teacher utilize to teach students with special needs? And (3) What does the secondary science teacher need to do, to better meet the needs of special learners? The authors discuss methodologies that can be used to assist science teachers in effectively teaching students with special needs. The researchers propose effective practices to help teachers to help students with special needs achieve and become interested in science. A qualitative and quantitative research design was used to analyze the data. Results of the survey revealed that, one hundred percent (120) of the teachers surveyed needed support on various instructional methodologies to be more effective in teaching science to special learners.... [more]

Student-teaching is the foundational professional experience for most special education teachers. We investigated the influences on preservice teachers’ decision-making during their student-teaching through a two-part study. In the first phase, six undergraduate student-teachers at a large Midwestern university participated in focus group. Participants indicated that they made instructional decisions in five main areas (i.e., planning, teaching style, teaching methods, behavior management, and handling of a difficult moment) that were primarily influenced by their cooperating-teacher, previous experience, and university coursework. We then generated a survey on which 51 special education student-teachers from the same university rated the degree to which these three sources influenced the five areas of instructional decision-making. Cooperating-teachers were perceived as a significantly greater influence than university coursework in handling a difficult moment, teaching methods, and planning; and were a significantly greater influence than previous experience in behavior management and planning. Previous experience was significantly more influential than university coursework in relation to teaching style and handling a difficult moment. Implications for teacher preparation and bridging the research-to-practice gap are discussed.... [more]