A scoping review to explore how universal design for learning is described and implemented by rehabilitation health professionals in school settings.

BACKGROUND: Universal design for learning (UDL) is a framework that provides guidelines to support children with diverse needs in the classroom and promotes inclusion of all children. Although UDL is recognized as a promising approach for school-based rehabilitation health professionals (RHPs), there are no studies that synthesize evidence on the use of UDL by RHPs in the school setting. Therefore, the research question for this study is: How is UDL described and implemented in school settings by RHPs? This study specifically examined literature from occupational therapy, physiotherapy, and speech-language pathology. METHODS: A scoping review was completed to (a) summarize how UDL is described in the rehabilitation literature, (b) summarize the recommended and reported role of RHPs in the delivery of UDL, and (c) identify gaps in the evidence base. CINAHL, Embase, MEDLINE, PsychINFO, Sociological Abstracts, Web of Science, and ERIC electronic databases were searched. Numerical summaries and theoretical thematic analysis were used to describe the data both quantitatively and qualitatively. RESULTS: Inclusion criteria were achieved for 45 of the 3,998 screened documents. Most of the included documents lacked a definition of UDL. Analysis suggested that speech-language pathologists and occupational therapists implement UDL in a variety of ways within the school setting. No physiotherapy literature was found, and limited high-level empirical research has been conducted within rehabilitation. CONCLUSION: This scoping review provides a broad understanding of how RHPs describe and implement UDL-aligned services in school settings. UDL is a promising framework that provides RHPs with guidance on how to support children with diverse needs in the classroom, with the overall aim to promote inclusion of all children. There is a need for further research to determine the effectiveness of UDL as implemented by RHPs and to examine the role of physiotherapists in using UDL-type services.

UDL and Intellectual Disability: What Do We Know and Where Do We Go?

As an instructional design framework that can be used to design curriculum for students with and without disabilities, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) has the potential to support meaningful inclusion of students with intellectual disability (ID) in general educational settings. This article presents an overview of the existing set of research studies on UDL application for students with ID in PreK-12 settings. The current body of research illustrates that UDL is being applied to instructional activities for students with ID to examine a variety of interventions (e.g., adapted stories for individual students, inclusive general education curriculum) and outcomes (e.g., interaction, perceptions, knowledge gains) in self-contained and general educational settings. It also identifies important questions for consideration in future research as the field seeks to determine how UDL guidelines can be applied to curriculum, used with evidence-based and effective practices, and used to support schoolwide initiatives inclusive of students with ID.

Applying the Universal Design for Learning Framework for Individuals With Intellectual Disability: The Future Must Be Now.

The current research in Universal Design for Learning (UDL) for students with intellectual disability (ID) is briefly summarized and considered in light of the national goals presented by the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) in this article. Additionally, an action plan is provided for researchers and practitioners to extend knowledge on the implementation of the UDL framework inclusive of individuals with ID.

Special Needs: Scholastic Disability Accommodations from K-12 and Transitions to Higher Education.

The number of students entering post-secondary education with already diagnosed disabilities is on the rise and mirrors the percentage of children in primary and secondary public schools with registered disabilities. Requirements governed by civil rights laws fundamentally change when comparing the support schools have to provide to students during primary and secondary school with disability access in postsecondary higher education. Psychiatrists may be asked to assist with scholastic disability at any stage of education and need to know about available supports and the parameters of disability in schools. Specifically, special attention should to be made in preparation for transition to postsecondary education when prior accommodations exist.

Using response-prompting procedures during small-group direct instruction: outcomes and procedural variations.

Research was reviewed on small-group instruction for learners with disabilities. The review was conducted for articles published between 1990 and 2010 on the application of small-group direct instruction to teach discrete skills using prompting procedures. A total of 47 articles with 197 participants and 687 replications of effects was located. Small-group instruction was effective for 195 of 197 participants and across variations in implementation and contexts. Implementers were primarily special education personnel, and instruction typically occurred in special education settings. Rigorous designs were used in all studies, and fidelity was assessed in 46 of 47 studies and was uniformly high. Students consistently reached criterion on their own target behaviors, generalized those behaviors, maintained them, and learned the behaviors taught to their peers (when this was measured, which occurred in a majority of the studies). Future research should examine comparisons of procedural variables and promoting social behaviors between group mates.

A systematic literature review of the situation of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health and the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health-Children and Youth version in education: a useful tool or a flight of fancy?

This article presents the outcome of a systematic literature review exploring the applicability of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) and its Children and Youth version (ICF-CY) at various levels and in processes within the education systems in different countries. A systematic database search using selected search terms has been used. The selection of studies was then refined further using four protocols: inclusion and exclusion protocols at abstract and full text and extraction levels along with a quality protocol. Studies exploring the direct relationship between education and the ICF/ICF-CY were sought.As expected, the results show a strong presence of studies from English-speaking countries, namely from Europe and North America. The articles were mainly published in noneducational journals. The most used ICF/ICF-CY components are activity and participation, participation, and environmental factors. From the analysis of the papers included, the results show that the ICF/ICF-CY is currently used as a research tool, theoretical framework, and tool for implementing educational processes. The ICF/ICF-CY can provide a useful language to the education field where there is currently a lot of disparity in theoretical, praxis, and research issues. Although the systematic literature review does not report a high incidence of the use of the ICF/ICF-CY in education, the results show that the ICF/ICF-CY model and classification have potential to be applied in education systems.

Conocimiento acerca de la sexualidad en personas con discapacidad intelectual leve, moderada entre 18-42 años en CEOLI, en el primer trimestre del año 2011 / Knowledge about sexuality in people with mild intellectual disability, moderate between 18-42 years Ceoli in the first quarter of 2011

Las personas con discapacidad intelectual han pertenecido a una población a las que se le ha negado toda posibilidad de satisfacer sus necesidades afectivas y sexuales, sin brindarles una educación sexual sana, llegando a las consecuencias de violaciones de sus derechos. La presente investigación busca describir los conocimientos sobre la sexualidad de los estudiantes de CEOLI. Se realizó el estudio con un enfoque cualicuantitativo; de tipo descriptivo, y prospectivo; la muestra fue conformada por todos los estudiantes del área laboral. Los resultados reflejan que los estudiantes con discapacidad moderada tienen un conocimiento bajo en un 45%, los estudiantes de 18 a 23 años tienen un conocimiento suficiente sólo en un 5%; poco 30% y nada 25%; sin embargo, un estudiante de 42 años de edad con 25 años de permanencia en CEOLI, conoce todo acerca de su sexualidad. Según el género los hombres conocen más sobre la sexualidad en un 25%; poco y mucho 10%. En cambio, la mujer no cuenta con el conocimiento necesario en 15%, lo cual guarda relación con menores oportunidades de aprendizaje que brinda la sociedad a mujeres con algún grado de discapacidad intelectual, sin tomar en cuenta que esta población es más vulnerable de sufrir abusos por su misma condición

A educação especial na perspectiva da inclusão escolar: o atendimento educacional especializado para alunos com deficiência intelectual

Este fascículo foi concebido para subsidiar o Atendimento Educacional Especializado voltado para os alunos com deficiência intelectual. Detalha o trabalho desse professor o qual gravita em torno de três polos: gestão dos processos de aprendizagem, avaliação e acompanhamento. A gestão da aprendizagem inclui os processos de aprendizagem de seu aluno no interior da sala multifuncional e fora dela; a avaliação incide sobre as possibilidades e as dificuldades de aprendizagem em interação com o meio escolar e familiar; o acompanhamento implica no desenvolvimento de ações específicas visando à evolução do aluno e à transformação das ações dos diferentes atores que atuam com esse aluno

Large state-level fluctuations in mental retardation classifications related to introduction of renormed intelligence test.

Oppositely valenced forces may be at work to influence rates of placement of children into mental retardation programs. On one hand, educational policies regarding intellectual disability and concerns about overrepresentation of minorities in special education may contribute to lower placement rates; on the other hand, more difficult intelligence test norms may be a countervailing force, increasing placement rates. An analysis of longitudinal data on state and national level placement rates reveals that a lengthy and steep 12-year decline in students receiving mental retardation services reversed shortly after the introduction of the WISC-III in 1991. This phenomenon has relevance for death-penalty cases, because this historical pattern may affect the ability to establish whether an adult meets the developmental period onset criterion for mental retardation.

Sexual health care in persons with intellectual disabilities.

In the past, preventive health concerning sexuality of people with intellectual disabilities was addressed through surgical sterilization as part of nationwide eugenic programs in many countries. For more than 30 years now, it has come progressively to light in the scientific literature that, besides major ethical and legal problems, these programs also failed to assess many of the individual's needs in sexual health. The fact that an increasing number of people with intellectual disabilities live in the community rather than in institutions has heightened public awareness that these individuals have sexual expectancies, desires, and needs that must be supported through both education and health services. The emergence of AIDS, including descriptions of cases among people with intellectual disabilities, has further demonstrated that surgical sterilization cannot be considered a global option to achieve preventive sexual health. The aim of this paper is to review scientific studies that have assessed the expectancies and support needs of persons with intellectual disabilities in terms of sexual health. These needs vary widely from one individual to another, according to life milieu, level of disability, and potential comorbidity. From this review, it appears that hygiene management, global gynecological care, and prevention of unplanned pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and abuse have been frequently identified as areas in which the presence of intellectual disability dictates specific support needs. Different approaches that have been evaluated to address these issues will also be discussed.

[Cooperation between medicine and education].

In cooperation between medicine and education, a reciprocal understanding is important. For this reason, we researched the needs of medical and educational professionals by questionnaires. Many child neurology specialists agreed that their medical profiled are unveiled in public about attending developmental disabilities. Some educational professionals felt it necessary to be given to offer medical informations of students such as treatments and/or diagnosis of their disease, to attend to seminars and lectures on developmental disabilities, and to obtain consultations of doctor more easily. From the above results, we propose an ideal cooperation between medicine and education.

Behavioural and emotional problems in children with intellectual disability attending special schools in Cape Town, South Africa.

A sample of 355 children with intellectual disability (ID) attending special schools in Cape Town, South Africa, were assessed on the Developmental Behavioural Checklist--Teacher Version (DBC-T). A prevalence rate of 31% for psychopathology was found. Boys manifested more behaviour problems than girls, especially in relation to disruptive, self-absorbed and antisocial behaviours. Children with severe and profound levels of ID showed more behavioural difficulties than those in the mild and moderate categories. Specific behaviour problems were self-absorbed and autistic behaviours in children with profound ID, communication problems and anxiety in those with severe ID and antisocial behaviour in children with mild ID. Epilepsy, but not cerebral palsy was associated with higher total behaviour scores. Ambulant children were more disruptive and antisocial, while non-ambulant children were more anxious. Non-verbal children had higher scores on all of the subscales except for disruptive behaviour.

Strategic planning and progress under the All Wales Strategy: reflecting the perceptions of stakeholders.

Nominated representatives from the various stakeholder interests, i.e. social services, health, education, voluntary organizations, parent groups and self-advocacy groups, involved in the implementation of the All Wales Strategy for the development of services for people with intellectual disability were interviewed 2 years after the end of the initial 10-year phase. Interviewees were asked to reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of policy implementation, including: changing priorities, planning arrangements, agency roles, central guidance and financial mechanisms, consumer participation, and the impact of more recent policy or structural developments. Despite recognition of the leadership of the Welsh Office, the shift in thinking achieved, the developments made in joint agency collaboration and in consumer participation in planning, and an increasing competence to plan effectively over time, the overriding perception was that more could have been made of the opportunity afforded by the clearest and best resourced central government policy within the UK in this area. At the heart of this judgement lay concerns about pragmatic rather than strategic planning, a failure to link annual service developments to a final comprehensive end point and a related failure to integrate planning to meet community needs with hospital resettlement Factors which may have contributed to these weaknesses are discussed, as are lessons for subsequent community care policy.

Russian "defectology": anticipating Perestroika in the field.

Created as a part of the general Russian educational system, special education in Russia has mirrored all the good and bad qualities of that system. It was during the Soviet phase of its existence that Russian remedial education developed its specific and unique character, reflecting the structure and values of the global social environment. Despite the fact that Russian society realized the need to change its general educational system, remedial education remained untouched by reconstructive forces. This article discusses both the background and the current state of treatment of children with disabilities in Russia. The theoretical basis of the modern Russian approach to disability, the current needy population, and the existing system for referral and rehabilitation are described, and emerging trends and new perspectives on the Russian treatment of children with disabilities are presented.