Special Education

This paper examines the critical components of successful inclusion for students with severe disabilities. This review sets out to provide an overview of literature regarding effective practices for inclusion with a focus on critical components of successful inclusion that assist in preparing the stakeholders worldwide to work and engage effectively with students with disabilities in inclusive schools. The methodology used to conduct this review was to systematically search internet resources, abstracts and databases. The descriptors used include: students with severe disabilities/significant disabilities/ intellectual disabilities, inclusion, modification, adaptations, assistive technology, collaboration, instructional strategies, typically developing peers, and family support. This was followed by the application of two sets of criteria: (1) the article consists of subjects with inclusion/inclusive/general education setting/public schools and (2) the article examines critical comp...

The termination of parental rights of parents with mental disabilities is a growing and crucial issue.  In 2010, an estimated 45.9 million adults in the U.S. had experienced a mental illness in the past year. This represents 20% of the adult population.  More than five million children in the U.S. have a parent with a serious mental illness such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression.  Courts and child welfare systems too often assume that a parent is not amenable to treatment and is a danger to his or her child when strong symptoms of mental turmoil surface.  Some studies report that as many as 70 to 80% of mentally ill parents have lost custody.  Public systems are overwhelmed by this matter in an era of shrinking resources for such systems.  However, often parents with mental health needs are willing to accept treatment, are able to participate in programming, and are worthy of regaining custody. 
• There are gaps in federal and state law on this issue.  The federal Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) requires that state child welfare agencies and courts make “reasonable efforts” towards family reunification before the termination of parental rights (TPR) can take place.  However, federal statutes and case law provide little guidance to states about what “reasonable efforts” means, and states have been left to interpret that concept individually.  Many state statutes even enable a “bypass” of the “reasonable efforts” standard when “clear and convincing” evidence allegedly shows that a parent's mental condition cannot be changed.  Many states likewise place unjust, statutory and common law time limits on family reunification efforts in TPR cases. 
• Gaps in legal scholarship are also evident here.  Legal scholars have begun to discuss the inadequacy of reunification services for mentally challenged parents, the tenuous link between mental health services and child welfare agency action, the need for enhanced attorney and child welfare worker preparation in this arena, and a need for cultural competence in reunification services.  Others have even suggested that there be a rebuttable presumption in favor of family reunification.  However, those discussions lack a sound theoretical basis and a practical application of solutions. 
• As is featured in previous work of this author, a new theoretical framework of Family Systems Theory-- which is utilized in clinical behavioral health and human rights arenas-- must first be applied.  Under this theoretical framework, the vague and outdated “best interests of the child” standard, which is a legal standard used exclusively in family law cases, must be replaced with a more sound standard of “holistic family wellbeing.”  Vulnerability Theory can add credence to this theoretical framework.
• The discussion of reunification services for families featuring parents with mental disabilities should then be conducted utilizing Family Systems Theory and a legal standard of “holistic family wellbeing.”  Under these circumstances, the “family integrity” defended by our highest courts through the “reasonable efforts” provision should be upheld through the delivery of highly effective family reunification services.  The application of Family Systems Theory ultimately requires reform in the law, service delivery, and professional practice.  State and federal legislators must revisit the “reasonable efforts” standard, to include specific statutory language about the types of reunification services required and the need for flexible timelines.  Courts, child welfare agencies, and service providers need to deliver proven reunification services and coordinated mental health treatment.  In specific court cases, attorneys for the parent(s), the child(ren), and the state should focus on “holistic family wellbeing” utilizing collaborative family law and alternative dispute resolution, while advancing the agency of their clients.  Child welfare workers and practitioners likewise require training in advanced methods of conflict resolution and clinical practice.  These recommendations can ensure more effective family law practice and more successful family - serving systems.

"(From the Executive Summary...)
Introduction
This report presents the findings of an evidence review designed to summarise what is known about good practice concerning the content of, and access to, the school curriculum for students with special educational needs. The review focused on post-primary settings where the issue is particularly pertinent; the focus of education shifts from being student-centred at primary level to being much more subject-focused in post-primary settings.

The research team delivered two literature reviews: one national, one international. Each was designed to draw out key issues around curriculum and access to the curriculum for students with special educational needs – including gaps and trends in the evidence base – to help the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) plan its future research agenda.

The project aims to:
* deliver a narrative review of research from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland to identify key issues and themes within the area of curriculum and/or curriculum access at post-primary level for students with special educational needs relevant to the Irish context
* deliver a systematic review of the international literature on these priority themes for students with special educational needs at post-primary level
* summarise key findings from the reviews to enhance understanding of curriculum issues in order to assist the NCSE to plan further empirical research as necessary, and to formulate policy advice on the matter to the Minister. "

In the United States, federal mandates require local education agencies to provide education to students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment. As a result, students with disabilities are included in the general education classroom for varying amounts of the school day depending on their educational goals and individual needs. For students with severe disabilities, placement in a general education classroom is often paralleled with the assignment of a paraprofessional. Research suggests paraprofessional support can cause unintended adverse effects. The current study describes the social acceptance of students with severe disabilities who receive paraprofessional support and explores the intersection of social acceptance and paraprofessional support. Findings suggest students with severe disabilities who receive paraprofessional support have average levels of social acceptance and initial evidence that students receiving more frequent paraprofessional support have lower levels of social acceptance. Practical implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Although summer represents an opportune time for adolescents to garner employment and community experiences that may further long-term transition goals, little is known about the expectations and needs of adolescents with disabilities during this break in the academic school year. In this article, the authors explore adolescents’ perceptions about summer employment and community involvement, adult guidance, and factors that facilitate or hinder access to these experiences. They conducted focus group interviews of 16 adolescents with cognitive, emotional/behavioral, and learning disabilities from two distinct communities. Although participants held high expectations for maintaining summer jobs, they pursued work and community experiences independently and with varied success. Despite articulating low expectations for adult guidance, participants expressed a desire and/or need for mentorship or other more indirect support. By drawing on the perspectives of the adolescents themselves, the authors address (a) the value of summer as a vehicle for transition education and (b) the implications for helping teenagers secure fulfilling summer experiences.

Mainstreaming is a practice where children with special needs are placed in classrooms with other students who have no disabilities. Many schools use Mainstreaming as a way of making the school Inclusive in nature. This concept is based on the fact that a student with disabilities may benefit from being in a general education classroom, both academically and socially. Most countries, including India, have adopted the policy of mainstreaming schools

The education of disabled children never received such amount of consideration and special efforts by government and non-government agencies in past as in present days.  The attitude of the community in general and the attitude of parents in particular towards the education of the disabled have undergone change with the development of society and civilization.

O discurso em prol da inclusão social e educacional de grupos sociais seja por nacionalidade, etnia, condição social, física e/ou intelectual foram ampliados nos anos noventa e dois mil. Ao mesmo tempo, nos últimos anos tem crescido e alcançado visibilidade internacional a defesa da universalização da Educação Básica como a medida mais barata e eficaz para a “redução da pobreza”. Nesse contexto a consigna “educação para todos” foi cunhada no bojo desse movimento, ligando-se diretamente ao rol de direitos mínimos e de “bens públicos” que conformariam o regime liberal-democrático. Associada a ela surgiu a expressão educação inclusiva (UNESCO, 1994), que se difundiu rapidamente como referência para a elaboração de políticas públicas de educação em diferentes países.
No Brasil a implementação de diretrizes envolvendo a política de educação inclusiva tem focado a escolarização de alunos com deficiência física, mental, sensorial, transtornos globais do desenvolvimento e altas habilidades/superdotação. Tais políticas foram ampliadas significativamente durante o governo Lula (2003-2010), sobretudo a partir do Programa Educação Inclusiva: direito à diversidade e as diretrizes contidas na Política Nacional de Educação Especial na Perspectiva da Educação Inclusiva (BRASIL, 2008) e nas Diretrizes Operacionais para o Atendimento Educacional Especializado na Educação Básica, modalidade Educação Especial (BRASIL, 2009).
Para analisar e compreender os impactos e a operacionalização dessas políticas no dia a dia das redes de ensino, bem como as práticas curriculares desenvolvidas no contexto escolar para alunos com necessidades educacionais especiais em decorrência de deficiência física, mental/intelectual, sensorial, especialmente surdos, transtornos globais do desenvolvimento e altas habilidades/superdotação, temos realizado uma série de atividades no âmbito do Observatório de Educação Especial e inclusão educacional: políticas públicas e práticas curriculares, vinculado ao Programa de Pós-Graduação em Educação, Contextos Contemporâneos e Demandas Populares (PPGEduc) da Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), no período de 2009 e 2010. Assim como, das parcerias estabelecidas com pesquisadores da área de Educação Especial de diferentes Universidades nacionais e internacionais. É com base nessas parcerias e atividades de pesquisa e extensão que organizamos o presente livro focando a discussão na escolarização de alunos com necessidades educacionais especiais desde na Educação Infantil até o Ensino Superior a partir das referências contidas na Política Nacional de Educação Especial na Perspectiva da Educação Inclusiva (BRASIL, 2008) e nas Diretrizes Operacionais do Atendimento Educacional Especializado na Educação Básica, modalidade Educação Especial (BRASIL, 2009).
A parte inicial do livro trata de temas abordados no Curso de Extensão em Educação Especial na perspectiva da Educação Inclusiva: estratégias pedagógicas para favorecer a inclusão escolar que integrou as atividades propostas pelo Programa de Formação inicial e continuada de professores da Baixada Fluminense para a inclusão de pessoas com necessidades educacionais especiais na educação básica e no ensino superior, financiado pelo Programa de Extensão Universitária (edital nº 6, PROEXT 2009). Participaram desse Curso aproximadamente 200 professores das Redes de Ensino da Baixada Fluminense.
Os capítulos iniciais  ― de Anna Augusta Sampaio de oliveira (UNESP), Patrícia Braun & Marcia Marin (UERJ), Patrícia Cardoso Macedo, Letícia Teixeira de Carvalho e Márcia Denise Pletsch (UFRRJ), Mara Lúcia R. Monteiro da Cruz (UERJ)  & Valéria Marques de Oliveira (UFRRJ), Hilce Aguiar Melo (UFMA), Annie Gomes Redig (UERJ) Geovana ―, focam aspectos teóricos discutidos no curso sobre o desenvolvimento e o processo de ensino-aprendizagem, bem como a avaliação e as políticas de atendimento educacional atendimento educacional especializado dirigido para pessoas com deficiência intelectual.  Ênfase é dada ao debate sobre o papel da sala de recursos e sala de recursos multifuncionais e a elaboração do plano individualizado de ensino.
Ainda nessa direção, o capítulo de Ana Carla Ziner (UFRRJ), aborda as discussões realizadas durante o curso de extensão no que se refere à escolarização e o processo de aprendizagem de alunos surdos, especialmente no que se refere à segunda língua, no caso, a língua portuguesa.
O texto de Carla Abreu Ellis e Jason Brent Ellis ― parceiros do projeto “Consórcio Educação e Diversidade ”, contemplado com recursos financeiros pelo programa de Consórcio em Educação Superior Brasil-Estados Unidos da CAPES (edital nº 8 de 2010) ―, apresenta uma importante discussão sobre a transição de pessoas com deficiência para o mercado de trabalho.
O livro apresenta também textos elaborados a partir das ações desenvolvidas no Projeto “A inclusão de pessoas com necessidades educacionais especiais na Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro: uma prática em construção”, financiado pelo PROGRAMA INCLUIR do Ministério da Educação (edital nº 5 de 2009).
No conjunto das atividades desenvolvidas com apoio do Programa Incluir, destacamos, primeiramente, o texto das professoras Solange Hassan Ahmad Ali Fernandes, Lulu Healy, Elen Graciele Martins, Maisa Aparecida Siqueira Rodrigues. Franklin Rodrigues de Souza (UNIBAN/SP) que integrou o Seminário “O uso da calculadora colorida e sonora para o trabalho pedagógico com alunos cegos e surdos”, realizado em parceria com o PRODOCÊNCIA da UFRRJ e as disciplinas de Pesquisa e Prática Educativa (PPE I, II, III, IV e V)  do Departamento Educação e Sociedade para os alunos do Curso de Matemática do Instituto Multidisciplinar.
Em seguida, os textos retratam os debates travados no evento Formação de Professores em Debate: articulando nossos programas, realizado durante a semana Prodocência, que destinou um dos dias para as atividades do Programa Incluir. A escolarização de alunos com altas habilidades é discutida pelos professores Arlei Peripolli e Silvio Carlos dos Santos (UFSM). O uso da comunicação alternativa na prática docente, também abordada no Curso de Extensão anteriormente apresentado, foi abordada pelas professoras Carolina Rizotto Schirmer, Cátia Criveleti de Figueiredo Walter e Leila Regina d’ Oliveira de Paula Nunes (UERJ). Já o debate sobre currículo e o atendimento educacional de alunos com deficiência múltipla, bem como das práticas curriculares nos cadernos escolares, foi o foco dos capítulos das professoras Anelice Ribetto (UERJ/São Gonçalo) e Geovana Mendonça Lunardi Mendes (UDESC) , respectivamente. Já, os textos seguintes de autoria de Andressa Mafezoni Caetano, Katiuscia C. Vargas Antunes (UNIFESO) e Rosana Glat (UERJ), trazem discussões atuais sobre a formação de professores nos Cursos de Pedagógica.
Os dois capítulos finais trazem discussões e experiências importantes sobre a inclusão no ensino superior. Sabrina Fernandes de Castro e Maria Amélia Almeida (UFScar) apresentam dados de uma pesquisa realizada em treze Universidades Brasileiras sobre o ingresso e a permanência de alunos com deficiências. O capítulo escrito por Débora Felício Faria (UNIFAL), Nivânia Maria de Melo Reis (PUC/MG) e Allan Damasceno (UFRRJ) apresenta a experiências das políticas de inclusão nas Universidades Mineiras.
Para finalizar gostaria de agradecer aos autores que contribuíram na escrita dos capítulos que compõem esse livro, bem como às professoras Gabriela Rizo, Coordenadora Geral do Prodocência/UFRRJ (2009/2010), que financiou essa publicação e a Profª. Lígia Cristina Ferreira Machado, Chefe do Departamento Educação e Sociedade pelo apoio dado nas atividades realizadas. Também não posso deixar de agradecer às minhas queridas alunas ― Getsemane de Freitas Batista, Letícia Teixeira Carvalho, Patrícia Cardoso, Mariana Pitanga, Risoneide Alves da Silva, Tamires Silva de Castro, Bianca Mensor de Almeida e Zenite Santos (já formada) ― que tanto apoiaram e contribuíram para que as atividades do Curso de Extensão acontecessem.
Por último, agradeço aos professores das redes de ensino que participaram das atividades e contribuíram ricamente com as discussões realizadas a partir de seus fazeres pedagógicos cotidianos. O encontro de experiências do qual esse livro é resultado tem como objetivo maior apoiar e ampliar o diálogo e a parceria entre a Universidade e a Educação Básica.

The term intellectual disability refers to the level of cognitive functioning that is demonstrated by particular children. It is the circumstance in which a children's cognitive functioning is impeded to the point of causing a significant disability in receiving information from his or her environment, then effectively processing, problem solving and adapting to this information. This paper provides an overview of children with intellectual disability incorporating definition, causes and classification for conceptual understanding. Intellectual disability is characterized by significant limitations in intellectual functioning and adaptive behaviour, the latter expressed as conceptual, social and practical adaptive skills. An intellectual disability is defined as an IQ below 70 and deficits in adaptive behaviour or daily living skills (eating, dressing, communication, participate in group activity). People with intellectual disability learn slowly and have difficulty with abstract concepts. This paper also throws some light on the characteristics of people with intellectual disabilities.

Anormal Psikoloji kitabı, ruhsal bozukluklar alanında çalışan tüm profesyoneller, psikiyatristler, klinik psikologlar, psikologlar, psikolojik danışmanlar, hekimler, sosyal hizmet uzmanları, psikiyatri hemşireleri ve bu alanlarda öğrenci yetiştiren akademisyenler ile eğitim alan öğrenciler için temel bir başvuru kitabıdır.
2013 yılının Mayısı ayında yayımlanan DSM-5 ölçütlerine göre ruhsal bozukluklarla ilgili sunulan bilgilerin güncellemesinin de yapıldığı bu kitap, tüm dünyada pek çok üniversitenin psikiyatri ve psikoloji bölümlerinde ders kitabı olarak okutulmaktadır.
Kitabın her bölümünde, ilk olarak ruhsal bozukluklarla ilgili vakalar sunulmakta, daha sonra bozuklukların klinik tanıları yapılmakta ve DSM-IV-TR’den farklı olan DSM-5’te yapılan değişikliklere yer verilmektedir. Ayrıca, DSM-5’teki tanı ölçütleri, bozuklukların etiyolojisi ve epidemiyolojisi, bozukluklar üzerinde kalıtımın ve çevrenin etkileri, biyolojik ve sosyal ve kültürel etkiler, en güncel araştırmalardan elde edilen verilerle harmanlanarak sunulmaktadır. Ruhsal bozuklukların tedavisinde etkili olacak terapi yaklaşımları ve ilaçla yapılan tedaviler hakkında da bilgiler veren kitap, sahip olduğu zengin içeriği ile eşsiz bir kaynaktır.
Anormal Psikoloji kitabının; profesyoneller ve öğrenciler için önemli bir rehber olacağına, yardıma ihtiyaç duyan insanların sorunlarının çözümüne, ruhsal bozuklukların tanı ve tedavisinde önemli katkılar sağlayacağına inanıyoruz.

The Coalition Government’s ‘Green Paper’ (DfE, 2011) proposes a systemic overhaul of services for pupils with Special Educational Needs in England, with increased parental choice of provision, and “sharper accountability” (p. 67) in schools. Deadlines for various stages of this reform have not been met, and its final nature remains uncertain. This article reveals SENCOs’ insights into their changing role in this turbulent policy context. This is achieved through the thematic analysis of 227 responses to an ‘open-ended’ question in the national SENCO Survey 2012. Findings from this sample indicate that SENCOs predict schools in England will become more inclusive, with greater shared responsibility for achievement for all, and SENCOs’ increased involvement in staff training and other whole school capacity-building activities. Respondents predict a greater partnership with parents, for whom they will provide advice and links to other services. They foresee their reduced involvement in direct teaching, and an intensification of their work in other ways, especially in terms of paperwork associated with pupil tracking and other accountability measures. These changes are anticipated against a backdrop of resource cuts, requiring SENCOs to show increasing self-reliance and imagination.

This 8-minute mini-lecture describes the basic elements of the Four-Blocks approach to teaching reading and writing.  This is one of the best approach for helping students of varying levels because it recognizes that one size does not fit all.

Empirical research has described how school leaders with social justice orientations investigate, understand, and address issues related to marginalization. These studies detail many of the heroic efforts of principals and their dedication, persistence, and skill. Theoretical and empirical writings have often presented social justice leadership as a “cure-all” to inequities rather than politically situated leadership orientation that in its practice is dilemma-laden. This article draws upon previous research on effective leadership as well as highlighting key aspects related to special educational policy in U.S. public schools to cultivate a more in-depth understanding of the practice of social justice leadership for inclusion. This analysis is presented to prompt a more in-depth and practice-oriented discussion, analysis, and understanding of the challenges associated with social justice leadership. Recommendations for future research and a more community-oriented and activist approach to social justice leadership are presented and justified at the conclusion of the article.

The main thrust of the research Developing a Scheme of Action for Enhanced Alternative Learning System was to measured and assessed the Alternative Learning System in the Department of Education, Talisay City Division for the improvement of the program implementation and to develop on its operation in the field. The study utilized the descriptive research supplemented by questionnaire and were given to 12 implementers and 186 learners in Alternative Learning System. It was found out that the ALS Implementers used andragogy method of teaching for the learners who were the Last, Least and Lost learners which is the out of school youth and adult learners. In terms of academic profile, only few of the Implementers finished their Master’s degree and all of them are Bachelor’s Degree holder with an area of specialization in education. It was also established that the Implementers possess the attributes of a good leader based on the performance in handling ALS sessions and linkage to stakeholders. The challenges, threats and opportunities met in the program implementation were also explored as basis for the proposals of an improved development plan. The attitude of being an ALS facilitator is contributed much, as guide on the learners’ performance and how they responded on the program. The Alternative Learning System is a way for the non-formal education program and busy students to achieve elementary and high school education without need of going to attend classroom instructions on a daily basis just like the formal education system. Furthermore, an enriched instructional program was prepared for the implementation of the delivery system of the Alternative Learning System (ALS) Accreditation and Equivalency (A&E) Program. This study provided a direction on how ALS will be implemented in the community through the factors that effect on its implementation.
Key Words : Alternative Learning System, Development Plan, Scheme of action, enhance; Talisay City, Cebu.

A review of ethnographic research investigated issues associated with regional or dialectal language use, particularly the use of African American Vernacular English (AAVE) in the special education classroom, and noted the implications for research and classroom practice. Research with speech/language pathologists is under way to develop a regionally normed profile of AAVE for more accurate assessment. Study of classroom interaction, which determined that students use standard and non-standard English alternates in patterned ways, suggests that a more important issue is the infrequent opportunities for extended academic talk, the linguistic register of success at school and beyond. Teachers are currently being trained in interactive instructional strategies to enhance academic talk, and curriculum materials designed to recontextualize language and dialect varieties as cultural resources rather than social problems are being developed. Because disproportionate numbers of AAVE speaker...