Current and preferred services of specialized professionals in childcare settings in Quebec, Canada: A descriptive survey of childcare administrators' perspectives.

BACKGROUND: Many challenges exist in promoting inclusion in childcare settings. Adequate support from specialized professionals is necessary to create inclusive childcare settings. Understanding which services are being delivered by specialized professionals in childcare contexts is an important first step. The aim of this study was to (1) describe the services currently being delivered by specialized professionals in childcare settings in Quebec (Canada) and (2) seek childcare administrators' perspectives on their preferred services. METHODS: An online province-wide descriptive survey was conducted with childcare administrators (n = 344). Questions focused on 11 service delivery dimensions (e.g. professionals involved, children served). Descriptive statistics were calculated. RESULTS: Childcare settings received services from a median of two specialized professionals (IQR [1-4]). Most services were delivered by early childhood special educators (61.3%), speech-language pathologists (57.6%), psycho-educators (43.6%) and occupational therapists (43.3%). Childcare administrators identified these four services as being particularly supportive. Professionals delivered a median of 0.4 h of service per week in each childcare setting (IQR [0.1-3.0]). A high percentage (91.2%) of administrators reported unmet needs for professional support in at least one developmental domain, with a high percentage (57.3%) of administrators identifying needs in the socio-emotional domain. Most (63.3%) expressed a desire to prioritize services for children without an established diagnosis but identified by early childhood educators as having needs for professional support. Most administrators (71.4%) also preferred in-context services. CONCLUSIONS: Childcare administrators perceive an important role for specialized professionals in supporting inclusion in their settings. Recommendations emerging are based on the four main professional service needs identified: (1) increasing the intensity and stability of services; (2) providing services for undiagnosed children identified by early childhood educators as having unmet needs; (3) ensuring that services encompassing all developmental domains with a focus on the socio-emotional domain; and (4) prioritizing of in-context services.

Assessing students with dyslexia and other reading difficulties through multiple diagnostic assessments.

This article aims to assist practitioners in understanding dyslexia and other reading difficulties and assessing students' learning needs. We describe the essential components of language and literacy, universal screening, diagnostic assessments, curriculum-based measurement and eligibility determination. We then introduce four diagnostic assessments as examples, including norm-referenced assessments (i.e. the Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing second edition and the Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Achievement) and criterion-referenced assessments (i.e. the Gallistel-Ellis Test of Coding Skills and the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills). Finally, We use a makeup case as a concrete example to illustrate how multiple diagnostic assessments are recorded and how the results can be used to inform intervention and eligibility for special education services.

Reconceptualizing the approach to supporting students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in school settings.

The long-term academic outcomes for many students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are strikingly poor. It has been decades since students with ADHD were specifically recognized as eligible for special education through the Other Health Impaired category under the Education for all Handicapped Children Act of 1975, and similarly, eligible for academic accommodations through Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act. It is time to acknowledge that these school-policies have been insufficient for supporting the academic, social, and behavioral outcomes for students with ADHD. Numerous reasons for the unsuccessful outcomes include a lack of evidence-based interventions embedded into school approaches, minimizing the importance of the general education setting for promoting effective behavioral supports, and an over-reliance on assessment and classification at the expense of intervention. Contemporary behavioral support approaches in schools are situated in multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS); within this article we argue that forward-looking school policies should situate ADHD screening, intervention, and maintenance of interventions within MTSS in general education settings and reserve special education eligibility solely for students who require more intensive intervention. An initial model of intervention is presented for addressing ADHD within schools in a manner that should provide stronger interventions, more quickly, and therefore more effectively.

Educational outcomes among children with congenital heart disease compared to peers: a Scotland-wide record-linkage study of 715,850 schoolchildren.

BACKGROUND: Nine in every thousand children born in the United Kingdom have congenital heart disease, and 250,000 adults are living with the condition. This study aims to investigate the associations between congenital heart disease and educational outcomes among school-aged children in Scotland. METHODS: Routine health and education databases were linked to produce a cohort of all singleton children born in Scotland and attending a local authority run primary, secondary, or special school in Scotland at some point between 2009 and 2013. Children with congenital heart disease within this cohort were compared with children unaffected by congenital conditions. Outcomes investigated were special educational need (SEN), absenteeism, exclusion, academic attainment, and unemployment. All analyses were adjusted for sociodemographic and maternity confounders. Absenteeism was investigated as a mediating factor in the associations with attainment and unemployment. RESULTS: Of the 715,850 children, 6,295 (0.9%) had congenital heart disease and 4,412 (6.1%) had isolated congenital heart disease. Congenital heart disease and isolated congenital heart disease were both significantly associated with subsequent special educational need (OR 3.45, 95% CI 3.26-3.65, p < 0.001 and OR 1.98, 95% CI 1.84-2.13, p < 0.001 respectively), absenteeism (IRR 1.13, 95% CI 1.10-1.16, p < 0.001 and IRR 1.10, 95% CI 1.06-1.13, p < 0.001 respectively), and low academic attainment (OR 1.69, 95% CI 1.39-2.07, p < 0.001 and OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.07-1.69, p = 0.011 respectively). Neither congenital heart disease nor isolated congenital heart disease were associated with school exclusion. Only congenital heart disease (OR 1.21, 95% CI 1.03-1.42, p = 0.022) but not isolated congenital heart disease was associated with unemployment. When days absent were included in the analyses investigating attainment and unemployment, the conclusions were not altered. CONCLUSION: Children with congenital heart disease have greater special educational need, lower school attendance, attain lower examination grades and have greater unemployment compared to peers. In addition to healthcare support, affected children need educational support to avoid additional impact on their long-term wellbeing.

Implementation of Learn to Play Therapy for Children in Special Schools.

IMPORTANCE: Play is the primary occupation in childhood and fundamental to occupational therapy practice. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a play intervention in special school settings. DESIGN: Pre- and postinvolvement of a 7-mo play program. SETTING: Four special schools in Victoria, Australia, for children with IQs < 70. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-eight children with diagnoses including intellectual disability, autism, and global developmental delay, 7 teachers, 2 speech pathologists, and 2 occupational therapists. INTERVENTION: Learn to Play Therapy for 1 hr per week over a 7-mo period. OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Pre-post outcome measures included children's pretend play skills, language, social skills, emotional regulation, and academic competence. RESULTS: Mean age of 38 children (15 girls and 23 boys) at baseline was 5 yr 7 mo (SD = 0.46 yr). Results showed significant changes in children's pretend play (p = .03), ability to recall sentences (p = .02), social skills (p = .022), and academic competence (p = .012). Learn to Play had a large effect on children's narrative skills (d = 2.72). At follow-up, object substitution at baseline influenced expressive language (p < .001), narrative mean language utterance (MLU; p = .015), social skills (p < .001), and academic competence (p < .001); elaborate play at baseline plus time influenced social skills (p < .001); and elaborate play at baseline influenced narrative MLU (p =. 016), sentence recall (p = .009), and academic competence (p = .001). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Embedding pretend play within practice positively influenced children's language, narrative, social, and academic skills. Plain-Language Summary: This study adds to the limited research on play-based therapy programs in special school settings for children with an IQ of less than 70. Children participated in Learn to Play Therapy, during which an occupational therapist, who has observed and assessed the child's play and understands the child's play abilities, played beside the child. Learn to Play Therapy is a child-centered therapy that is used to increase a child's ability to self-initiate and enjoy pretend play. The positive impacts of supporting the children's pretend play ability were highlighted by increases in their pretend play, language, social skills, academic competence, and narrative language after participating in Learn to Play Therapy in their special schools.

Understanding and Addressing the Needs of Students in Special Education Through a Trauma-Informed Resilience Curriculum.

This school program evaluation aims to highlight the mental health needs of students in special education with behavioral and emotional challenges and describe the implementation of a resilience curriculum with this population. We evaluated district mental health data from a convenience sample of 814 students in grades 5-12 special education to identify risk for mental health symptoms, violence exposure, and substance use. School social workers provided feedback on the implementation of the resilience curriculum to inform program evaluation. Students reported significant risk for traumatic stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms, and high rates of violence exposure and substance use. School social workers described adaptations to the resilience curriculum and gave recommendations for future implementation. Students receiving special education services for behavioral and emotional challenges had high mental health need, including high rates of violence exposure, and may benefit from a trauma-informed school-based resilience curriculum adapted for their needs.

Physically active learning for children with learning disorders attending special-needs schools: A program evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Physically active learning (PAL) is a potentially valuable method to stimulate academic performance and physical activity (PA) in children with learning disorders (LD) attending special-needs schools. It is yet unknown whether PAL can be successfully implemented in special-needs schools. AIMS: This study aimed to evaluate a PAL-program in special-needs schools by examining teacher's dose delivered, children's dose received, and associations of children's characteristics with dose received. METHODS: Children (N = 37) from two special-needs schools participated in a six-week PAL-program. Dose delivered was evaluated based on PAL-lessons' implementation rate and duration. Dose received was assessed through time-on-task observations (n = 23) and PA (n = 37). To assess the association between dose received and children's characteristics (sex, behavioral disorders, motor skills, and physical fitness), Mann-Whitney U tests and Spearman's rho correlations were used. RESULTS: For teacher's dose delivered, the implementation rate exceeded 95%, and the PAL-lessons lasted the intended 12 minutes. For dose received, children's on-task behavior was above 79%, and children spent 43% of the time in moderate-to-vigorous PA during PAL. Motor skills were positively related to on-task behavior related to the movements, and physical fitness was positively related to moderate-to-vigorous PA. CONCLUSIONS: PAL was successfully implemented in terms of dose delivered and dose received for children with LD attending special-needs schools.

The early educational environment at five years of age in a European cohort of children born very preterm: challenges and opportunities for research.

BACKGROUND: Early childhood education offers opportunities for stimulation in multiple developmental domains and its positive impact on long-term outcomes and wellbeing for children is well documented. Few studies have explored early education in children born very preterm (VPT; <32 weeks of gestation) who are at higher risk of neurodevelopmental disorders and poor educational outcomes than their term-born peers. The purpose of the study is to describe and compare the educational environment of children born VPT in European countries at 5 years of age according to the degree of perinatal risk. METHODS: Data originated from the population-based Screening to Improve Health In very Preterm infants (SHIPS) cohort of children born VPT in 2011/2012 in 19 regions from 11 European countries. Perinatal data were collected from medical records and the 5-year follow-up was conducted using parental questionnaires. Outcomes at 5 years were participation in early education (any, type, intensity of participation) and receipt of special educational support, which were harmonized across countries. RESULTS: Out of 6,759 eligible children, 3,687 (54.6%) were followed up at 5 years (mean gestational age 29.3 weeks). At 5 years, almost all children (98.6%) were in an educational program, but type (preschool/primary), attendance (full-time/part-time) and use and type of school support/services differed by country. In some countries, children with high perinatal risk were more likely to be in full-time education than those with low risk (e.g. Estonia: 97.9% vs. 87.1%), while the inverse pattern was observed elsewhere (e.g. Poland: 78.5% vs. 92.8%). Overall, 22.8% of children received special educational support (country range: 12.4-34.4%) with more support received by children with higher perinatal risk. Large variations between countries remained after adjustment for socio-demographic characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: There are marked variations in approaches to early education for children born VPT in Europe, raising opportunities to explore its impact on their neurodevelopment and well-being.

Promoting Positive Self-Identity of Youths With Mental Disorders: Collaboration Between Academia and a Ministry of Education.

Inclusive schools reflect the dominant approach to education, yet many youths with mental disorders still attend special education schools. Although special education schools address educational, social, and developmental needs, they may increase students' self-stigma and hinder positive identity formation. Israel's Ministry of Education and an academic community mental health department partnered to address this challenge by developing a manual-based intervention for special education school settings. About 180 teachers were trained, and approximately 400 students participated in the self-management and positive identity group intervention. This partnership demonstrates the importance and potential of collaborations to address challenges that arise in real-world settings.

Identification and educational placement of students with intellectual disability in Ontario, Canada.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the identification and educational placement of students considered to have intellectual disability in the Canadian context and, specifically, the province of Ontario. AIMS: The purpose of this study was to describe trends in the school-based identification of students with mild intellectual disability and developmental disability based on the Ontario criteria over a 14-year period, as well as current patterns characterizing classroom placement. METHODS: Using data provided by the Ontario Ministry of Education, a doubly multivariate analysis of variance and profile analysis were performed. RESULTS: Findings revealed a statistically significant decrease in the number of students identified with mild intellectual disability over time, and that students identified with developmental disability per the provincial criteria accessed their education in specialized settings at a significantly higher rate than their peers with mild intellectual disability. CONCLUSIONS: Reasons for differences in the identification and placement of the two groups of students are explored relative to the research context.

The power of digital story in early mathematics education: Innovative approaches for children with intellectual disabilities.

This study explored the effectiveness of digital story interventions in improving early math skills in kindergarten children with mild intellectual disabilities. Digital stories are multimedia narratives that combine text, images, and audio to enhance learning experience. This experimental study used a pretest-posttest control group design. The intervention group consisted of 15 children who participated in an 8-week digital story intervention targeting early math skills. A matched control group was used to control for sex differences. Data were collected through the TEMA-3 test scores and teacher and child feedback. Post-intervention, the experimental group showed significant improvements in TEMA-3 test scores compared to the control group. Teachers and children reported a positive perception of the intervention's social validity, highlighting enhanced engagement and understanding of math concepts. This study demonstrated that digital story-based education is a promising approach for improving early math skills in children with mild intellectual disabilities. These findings suggest potential implications for integrating digital storytelling into special education curricula and highlight avenues for future research in this field.

Using virtual classroom for teaching special needs students in inclusive classrooms during and beyond Covid-19: Teachers' perspectives / Uso del aula virtual para enseñar a estudiantes con necesidades especiales en aulas inclusivas durante y después de la COVID-19: perspectivas de los docentes

Encouraging and continuing inclusive learning environments is important to allow all students to be able to fully participate, engage, and learn. The online learning environment obliges educators to think creative-ly about how to achieve this goal. The aim was to investigate using virtual classroom for teaching special needs students in inclusive classrooms dur-ing and beyond Covid-19 from the perspectives of their teachers. Teachers of special education from integration schools in the middle stage in Mak-kah were targeted. A 15-item survey instrument was developed particular-ly for this research study . Quantitative research is carried out with the aim to investigate using virtual classroom(VC) for teaching special needs stu-dents in inclusive classrooms during and beyond Covid-19 from the per-spectives of their teachers. A survey method was used. Data were collected through a structured self-administered questionnaire, which was based on the technology acceptance model(TAM). Pearson correlation(R) and mul-tiple regression (MRA) were used to analyze data . Results indicated that the BI is positively affected by PU, PEOU. PU, PEOU yielded a coeffi-cient of multiple regression (R) and a multiple correlation square. This shows that a total variance in BI is accounted for by PU, PEOU. In con-clusion, the findings in this study contribute to the literature on TAM and its use in special education in particular.(AU)

Fomentar y continuar con los entornos de aprendizaje inclusivos es importante para permitir que todos los estudiantes puedan participar, comprometerse y aprender plenamente. El entorno de aprendizaje online obliga a los educadores a pensar de forma creativa sobre cómo lograr este objetivo. El objetivo era investigar el uso del aula virtual para enseñar a estudiantes con necesidades especiales en aulas inclusivas durante y después de la COVID-19 desde la perspectiva de sus docentes. La investigación cuantitativa se lleva a cabo con el objetivo de investigar el uso del aula virtual (VC) para enseñar a estudiantes con necesidades especiales en aulas inclusivas durante y después de Covid-19 desde las perspectivas de sus maestros. Se utilizó un método de encuesta. Las variables independientes son la utilidad percibida (PU), la facilidad de uso percibida (PEOU), mientras que la variable dependiente es la intención de comportamiento del estudiante (BI). Los datos fueron recolectados a través de un cuestionario estructurado autoadministrado, que se basó en el modelo de aceptación de tecnología (TAM). Se utilizaron la correlación de Pearson (r) y la regresión múltiple (MRA) para analizar los datos. Los resultados indicaron que el BI se ve afectado positivamente por PU, PEOU. PU, PEOU arrojaron un coeficiente de regresión múltiple (R) y un cuadrado de correlación múltiple. Esto muestra que PU, PEOU explican una variación total en BI.(AU)

Examining contributing factors for the implementation of inclusion students with disabilities from the perspective of university academics in Saudi Arabia.

Inclusive education focuses on implementing education for individuals who do not follow typical learning trajectory and require special educational needs (SEN). Educational systems in many countries around the world, including Saudi Arabia, tend to implement and practise inclusive education in order to fulfill relevant international conventions and achieve educational standards of acceptable quality in educating children and young people with medical and neurodevelopmental conditions. This study seeks to reveal some of the factors that may help to overcome the obstacles faced in the implementation of inclusive education from the point of view of academics of special education in Saudi universities. To achieve this goal, the study used semi-structured interviews as its primary tool for data collection. Sixteen male and female faculty members specialized in special education in several Saudi public universities were interviewed. The data were analysed thematically. Two master themes were derived from the thematic analyses, 1) theoretical factors and 2) applied factors. Both master themes had several sub-themes. A number of factors were identified as helping to implement inclusive education thereby changing the behaviours and attitudes towards including students with disabilities Saudi context. It is suggested here that similar factors might exist in other countries in Middle East and beyond.

The role of animal-assisted programs in physical health improvement of children and adolescents with special education needs - a systematic review.

Programs involving animals in therapeutic programs are becoming increasingly prevalent. These programs can vary greatly in their approach, scope, and objectives, and they can significantly impact the development of healthy children and those with various disorders. In this systematic review, we sought to investigate the psychological ramifications of animal-assisted activities (AAA), therapies (AAT), and interventions (AAI). We searched for relevant studies using the EBSCO Discovery Service search engine across 85 databases, utilising appropriate keywords. Our search generated 262 results, of which 21 were selected for inclusion after title and abstract screening, as well as full-text analysis. Our findings indicate that dogs and horses are animal-assisted programs' most commonly used animals. Additionally, autism, cerebral palsy, and ADHD were found to be overrepresented in these programs. Furthermore, the length of sessions and overall program duration exhibited considerable variation, regardless of patient age or disease type. The principal measures centred on the physiological variables related to the nervous system and motorium-related indicators. The studies were generally of exceptional methodological soundness. Frequently, the studies narrowed their scope to a single segment or just the child or adolescent, but the outcomes lacked contextual interpretation. Expanding the range of studies by comparing psychological and physiological indicators and conducting follow-up analysis with a longitudinal design would be beneficial.

Enhancing inclusive education in the UAE: Integrating AI for diverse learning needs.

INTRODUCTION: Artificial Intelligence (AI) mediated systems have become important in educational set-ups, and it is still debatable whether or not they can be useful in special needs education. This qualitative research scrutinizes the experiences and perceptions of exceptional learners, as an example of special needs education, engaged in AI-mediated discussions versus traditional classroom dialogues. The study aims to reveal how these learners process and construct knowledge differently when AI is incorporated into their discussions and how it compares to conventional learning environments. METHODS: The methodology entailed a detailed qualitative analysis, drawing upon cognitive psychology to assess how exceptional learners process information and engage in higher-order thinking. Data were collected through interviews, observation, and content analysis of AI-mediated discussions. RESULTS: FINDINGS: from the study highlighted the capacity of AI technologies to offer personalized and intellectually stimulating educational experiences that resonate with constructivist approaches, promoting active learning and tailored instruction for exceptional learners. However, the research also brought to light certain challenges, including the tendency for confirmation bias and the risk of information overload within AI-mediated environments, which can complicate the learning trajectory within the zone of proximal development. DISCUSSIONS: The study underscores the dynamic interplay between AI technologies and educational processes for exceptional learners. It suggests that while AI can enhance personalized learning, it also introduces unique challenges that must be navigated carefully. Ultimately, this research lays a theoretical and empirical groundwork for the thoughtful integration of AI in supporting inclusive education, emphasizing the importance of continuous evaluation and adaptation.

Implementing trauma-informed care in a special education setting: An initial exploration of a multi-tiered model.

Implementing trauma-informed care in a special education environment serving youth from historically marginalized communities with high levels of exposure to potentially traumatic events (PTEs) requires a systematic tiered approach consistent with public health guidelines. Little is known about the implementation of this framework in special education settings where youth have significant emotional and behavioral difficulties. To address this need, a consultant-community partnership was forged between a hospital providing mental health services and a therapeutic day school that serves a special education cooperative. The current case study explores the design and implementation of a three-tiered model of trauma-informed care in a special education setting. This study will address the specific practices implemented at each tier, discuss successes and challenges, and summarize future directions for research, practice, and policy.

NCLB Alternate Assessment Policies and Postschool Employment Outcomes for Individuals With Significant Cognitive Disabilities.

The participation of students with significant cognitive disabilities in accountability assessments aligned with general education standards is a heavily debated topic in the field of special education. Attempts to understand the impact of these assessments have generally been limited to correlational methods. We employed a difference-in-differences approach using select waves of the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 dataset to estimate the impact of alternate assessment policies from the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 on the employment outcomes of individuals with significant cognitive disabilities. Our hypothesis was that these policies would produce a detrimental effect. Analyses suggested that alternate assessment policies resulted in descriptively positive employment outcomes, yet estimates were highly imprecise, which yields a complicated picture requiring more research.

Empowering Young People with Special Educational Needs to Recognize and Report Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse: A Mixed-Methods Review.

Young people with special educational needs (SEN), such as intellectual disability and/or autism, are particularly vulnerable to child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA). This mixed-methods systematic literature review consolidates findings in respect to how young people with SEN are currently being taught about CSEA in the UK, incorporating empirical and practice-based findings to counteract publication bias. Key databases were searched, and relevant organizations were contacted regarding studies published between 2015 and 2022 (inclusive). Thirteen articles met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 10 adopted a qualitative methodology, and three a mixed-methods approach. The thematic synthesis of the qualitative studies identified the following themes: (a) beliefs and stereotypes about CSEA, vulnerability. and risk have led to young people with SEN being misinformed and misunderstood, and (b) anxiety about the topic of sex and abuse creates polarized views regarding CSEA education in adult guardians of young people with SEN. Themes are discussed in the context of societal biases in respect to vulnerability and risk, and these biases are considered to have a negative effect on how young people with SEN are supported. The findings of this review encourage providers of CSEA awareness education to be mindful of not endorsing harmful stereotypes, and to involve parent-carers as much as possible. This review additionally encourages services and organizations to increase focus on practitioner reflexivity and regular training to counteract potential biases in respect to gender, vulnerability, and risk.

Perceptions of Collaboration Between General and Special Educators in Physical Education.

This article describes the perceptions and experiences of collaboration between teachers of physical education (n = 3) and special educators (n = 3) on teaching pupils with disabilities. Using a qualitative approach, the study seeks to establish the nature and extent of collaboration among these teachers and to identify the benefits and barriers to implementation. Semistructured interviews were used as the main data source. Data were collected from teachers working in the public school system in the southern part of Finland. The findings indicate that while teachers are mostly aware of the value of collaboration, its implementation varies immensely among the different schools. While the special educators in this study see themselves mainly responsible for supporting pupils with disabilities, the physical education teachers showed a strong commitment to the subject matter of their teaching. Participants also reported several challenges relating to time constraints, a lack of classroom support, and a shared vision of inclusive teaching.