Amanda Webster

Social relationships and friendships of children with developmental disabilities: Implications for inclusive settings. A systematic review

Abstract Background The engagement of children with developmental disabilities (DD) in social relationships with typically developing peers has become increasingly important as inclusive practices have become more the norm than the exception. This paper provides an overview of the research on social relationships between these two groups. Method Studies were included if they provided a naturalistic examination of the relationships between children with DD (from the age of 3 years to school exit) and peers they have met in school or in age‐appropriate educational settings. Results A total of 36 studies are reviewed, providing a framework for analysis of the relevant research, with a particular focus on implications for inclusive settings. Three specific areas are addressed: (a) features of social relationships; (b) types of social relationships and roles assumed by the individuals involved; and (c) the existence and nature of friendship within these relationships. Conclusion Research on relationships between children with DD and their peers in inclusive settings is patchy, limited in context, and non‐linear in its development. Directions for future research are discussed, together with a range of methodological issues that should be considered.

How well are children with autism spectrum disorder doing academically at school? An overview of the literature

The academic achievement of individuals with autism spectrum disorder has received little attention from researchers despite the importance placed on this by schools, families and students with autism spectrum disorder. Investigating factors that lead to increased academic achievement thus would appear to be very important. A review of the literature was conducted to identify factors related to the academic achievement of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. A total of 19 studies were identified that met the inclusion criteria for the review. Results indicated that many individuals demonstrate specific areas of strength and weakness and there is a great deal of variability in general academic achievement across the autism spectrum. Adolescents and individuals with lower IQ scores were underrepresented, and few studies focused on environmental factors related to academic success. The importance of individualised assessments that profile the relative strengths and weaknesses of children and adolescents to aid in educational programming was highlighted. Further research on child-related and environmental factors that predict academic achievement is needed.

The Emergent Literacy Skills of Preschool Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

A high percentage of school-age students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have reading comprehension difficulties leading to academic disadvantage. These difficulties may be related to differences in children’s emergent literacy development in the preschool years. In this study, we examined the relationship between emergent literacy skills, broader cognitive and language ability, autism severity, and home literacy environment factors in 57 preschoolers with ASD. The children showed strengths in code-related emergent literacy skills such as alphabet knowledge, but significant difficulties with meaning-related emergent literacy skills. There was a significant relationship between meaning-related skills, autism severity, general oral language skills, and nonverbal cognition. Identification of these meaning-related precursors will guide the targets for early intervention to help ensure reading success for students with ASD.

Reasonable Adjustments in Assessment: Putting Law and Policy into Practice in Australia

The Australian Disability Standards for Education 2005 (Cth) require education providers to make reasonable adjustments in educational assessment so that students with disability can participate on the same basis as other students and be able to demonstrate what they know and can do. Reasonableness is governed by a determination of the balance of interests, benefits and detriment to the parties involved. The Standards require providers to consult with students and associates on adjustments, although guidance on how consultation should occur and how the views of students and associates are to be taken into account is vague. In this article, we identify three principles to be considered in order to put appropriate and effective reasonable adjustments in assessment into practice. While Australian law and assessment contexts are used to examine intentions, expectations and practices in educational assessment for students with disability, we argue that these three principles must be considered in any national education system to ensure equitable assessment practices and achieve equitable educational inclusion for students with disability.

The importance of critical life moments: An explorative study of successful women with autism spectrum disorder

Ten women with autism spectrum disorder participated in oral interviews in order to share their experiences since their diagnosis and to discuss the factors that had enabled them to achieve success in different aspects of their life. Participants were encouraged to share their perspectives on their success and to discuss the challenges they encountered in their daily lives and how they overcame these. Interviews were analysed using a narrative-themed approach. Participants indicated that both internal and external factors enabled them to achieve success in different aspects of their lives. These included being an agent of change, a changed identity after diagnosis, experiencing the belief of others in their capability and seeing themselves as a mentor to others. Their experiences with overcoming obstacles in their lives enabled them to develop self-efficacy and to shape their own success.

Utilising a Leadership Blueprint to Build the Capacity of Schools to Achieve Outcomes for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Leadership is an important facet of all organisations, but it is a particularly complex and critical component in schools, which can be seen as microcosms of the societies and communities they represent. School leaders are faced with ever more daunting tasks as the expectations for improved student outcomes place increasing pressure on school staff. In addition, with the advent of the inclusion of increasingly diverse populations in schools, encompassing students with a range of educational, physical, and behavioural needs, school leaders are having to play an expanded role in guiding staff, facilitating collaboration with parents, and forming relationships with and mentoring individual students.

Understanding the Lived Experiences of University Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): A Phenomenological Study

Abstract This study sought to describe factors impacting the success of students with ASD in university programmes. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather both the students’ personal perspectives of their university experience and the perspectives of a significant person in their life. An interpretative phenomenological approach was utilised to ascertain common factors that contributed or posed a barrier to students experiencing success in their studies. Findings revealed that students with ASD felt their internal influences of determination, perseverance and passion in their areas of academic interests, greatly impacted on their ability to achieve successful outcomes in university, but these factors were always mitigated by the degree to which they experienced anxiety, depression and isolation. Participants also highlighted the importance of mediating factors in helping them to manage their social–emotional needs so they could pursue their interests and achieve success in university programmes.

Principals as Literacy Leaders with Indigenous Communities (PALLIC) building relationships: one school’s quest to raise Indigenous learners’ literacy

In 2011 to 2012, 48 schools in the Northern Territory, South Australia and Queensland participated in the Principals as Literacy Leaders with Indigenous Communities (PALLIC) project. Central to this project was the establishment of positive working relationships between school principals and Indigenous community leaders in order to improve Indigenous literacy rates. Professional development in leadership skills and effective literacy instruction was provided through five professional learning modules. Participants worked together to create an action plan to support the literacy achievement of Indigenous students in their schools and communities. This article presents a case study of one participating school in Northern Queensland that successfully utilised the PALLIC framework to facilitate leadership actions and activities between Indigenous community and school leaders in order to form productive partnerships for the teaching of reading. In particular, the case study highlights the way that school leaders and Indigenous leaders established shared leadership and shared ways of learning in the school for reading outcomes of Indigenous students.

A systematic review of school-based interventions targeting social communication behaviors for students with autism:

Initiating and responding to peers are social communication behaviors which are challenging for students with autism. We reviewed intervention studies set in mainstream elementary schools, which targeted these behaviors and reported on intervention outcomes as well as the resources required for their implementation. A total of 22 studies met the criteria for inclusion. Findings suggest that school-based interventions can increase the frequency and duration of initiating and responding behaviors in elementary school aged students with autism. These interventions were resource-intensive and usually delivered by researchers or teaching assistants away from the classroom. Future research should build on this emerging evidence base to consider interventions which could be implemented by classroom teachers as part of the classroom program.

Translating Theory to Practice for Principals Working Within Inclusive Education Policy

The introduction of inclusive education policy over the past 20 years has caused tension for many school leaders, particularly in the current climate of high-stakes accountability for schools. School leaders report being unprepared to deal with seemingly conflicting priorities or to help their staff translate inclusive education policy into meaningful practice that is feasible within the context of their individual school. In order to bridge this gap, school leaders need to be supported to engage in a variety of roles and to employ content, organisational and leadership knowledge and skills to transform their school culture. Only by using these processes and working collaboratively with staff and parents, can school leaders realise the vision of inclusive education policy at their school.