Elina Kontu

The Implementation of New Special Education Legislation in Finland

This article examines the implementation of new special education legislation in Finland among students with significant disabilities. The data consist of a nationwide survey and field observations. In the analysis, a policy implementation framework is utilized as a theoretical lens. The findings suggest that schools and municipalities that had participated in long-term development projects had more capacity and willingness to reform special education practices substantially, suggesting that learning in one policy area can transfer to other domains across multiple levels of national and local governments. The key findings highlight the significance of professional trust as a policy instrument in implementation.

The school staff's perception of their ability to teach special educational needs pupils in inclusive settings in Finland

Recent studies have suggested that the professional training received by general educators does not adequately prepare them to properly implement inclusion-based practices. The idea of inclusion in practice has not significantly changed the situation of teaching pupils with special educational needs (SENs) in mainstream classes. This studys primary intent is to examine the factors that identify the school staffs ability to meet the needs of SEN pupils in their daily teaching situations. A total of 187 elementary school teachers, principals and teaching assistants in a Finnish city completed a structured questionnaire that used a self-evaluation method. Two components were generalised according to answers concerning the respondents’ confidence in and knowledge of teaching SEN pupils. The results indicate that teachers’ qualifications constitute the main reason affecting their ability in this area. Pedagogical and practical knowledge, as well as collaborative skills in teaching SEN pupils, is focused on special educators. These findings reveal the need for additional and in-service training and more effective cooperation between special and general education to share the knowledge of teaching SEN pupils in practice.

Demographic Factors, Temperament and the Quality of the Preschool Environment as Predictors of Daily Cortisol Changes among Finnish Six-Year-Old Children.

A young childs stress-sensitive neurobiological system is immature and open to being shaped by experience. When children enter preschool, external demands on them to adjust are different from the demands they experience at day care. In Finland, the last year before children transfer to the comprehensive school is called preschool. The preschool year is far more academically demanding than earlier day care years, emphasizing school-like activities along with age-appropriate social and cognitive challenges. The first aim of the present study was to study whether the preschool year (six-year-old children) has an effect on the childrens cortisol reactivity. To examine the changes in stress regulation, cortisol reactivity was investigated both in the autumn and in the spring. The second aim of the study was to explore whether demographic factors, temperament and the quality of preschool environment have an effect on the daily variation of the cortisol level among the participants of the study. Five day care centres in metropolitan Helsinki, Finland, participated in this study and 91 six-year-old preschool children served as participants. Our results showed that the children displayed typical cortisol reactivity during the autumn as expected, whereas their cortisol values were significantly higher in the spring. The autumn measurements revealed a significant relationship between the cortisol effects and the temperament characteristics of sadness, anger/frustration and perceptual sensitivity. These characteristics were not as evident when measured during the spring. Additionally, the results indicated that quality of learning environment affects changes in childrens cortisol reactivity.

Verbal and non‐verbal development in SLI children after early intervention

Of all the developmental difficulties that may be present in childhood, language impairment is probably the most common. It is of vast importance to prevent cumulative negative consequences of these impairments. The present study evaluates the effects of a language and activity‐based intervention programme on verbal and non‐verbal performance and play behaviour in children diagnosed as having specific language impairment. Children with the same diagnosis and conventional early special education were used as controls. Verbal and non‐verbal abilities and play behaviour were evaluated before and after intervention in both groups. The intervention sessions, aimed to develop the children’s functional use of language and communication, were held in community day care centres. The sessions took place twice a week in groups of two to four children. The intervention had a positive influence on non‐verbal performance and play behaviour. However, the intervention did not have any significant effect on language measurements. The results are discussed in the context of language development as a dynamic process with circular causation between different aspects of development.

The assessment of severely intellectually disabled students

The aim of this study was to gather information on the tools used by special education teachers for the assessment of severely intellectually disabled students (SID), preparing an individual education plan, and about the methodology used for monitoring their learning progress. The survey included all Finnish special education teachers working with children who were placed in groups for the severely, intellectually and multiply handicapped in Finnish comprehensive schools. According to the survey, the teachers mentioned that they used 22 different methods for assessing SID students. The most widely used tools were those based on developmental psychology, and originally intended for assessing autistic children.

Conceptions associated with sense of belonging in different school placements for Finnish pupils with special education needs

Abstract The aim of this study was to examine conceptions associated with sense of belonging (SEBE) in Finnish general and special school placements for pupils with special education needs. Five pupils were selected for this study by means of purposive sampling. They had a history of several school placements prior to arriving at their current special school. Qualitative phenomenographic analyses of interview transcripts revealed numerous conceptions regarding the pupils’ SEBE in the different educational placements. The pupils had undergone numerous placements in which their SEBE had been jeopardised, as disturbing relationships with teachers and peers seemed to have affected the pupils’ mental and physical well-being, resulting in disturbing behaviours in their earlier educational settings. Despite the various placements and issues of ableism, stigmatisation and exclusion, the pupils felt ‘better’ in their current, special, school with a positive climate. Furthermore, the findings of this study provided an initial exploration of the phenomenon, as well as shed light on the several limitations encountered. Hence, further exploration of school cultures and the role of teachers’ values and beliefs is needed for a better understanding of how to create a school climate that supports SEBE for all pupils.

Stress reactivity of six-year-old children involved in challenging tasks

The aim of this study was to investigate whether the preschool activities challenge the stress regulative system in children. We used a multi-system approach to evaluate the underlying processes of stress responses and measured both cortisol and α-amylase responses after emotionally and cognitively challenging tasks followed by a recovery session. We anticipated that challenging tasks would increase both cortisol and α-amylase levels above the baseline. We further expected that recovery sessions would decrease both levels towards the baseline. In addition, we expected the symmetry of α-amylase and cortisol reactivity to be related to the ability to orientate towards cognitive demands. The study involved a total of 91 children (42 girls, 49 boys; six-year-olds). Baseline saliva samples were collected during a single day in October 2008. Reactivity saliva samples were collected during one morning in February 2009. During that day, the children first watched a movie with an experimenter who was unfamiliar to the children. After the movie, the children went to another room where the experimenter conducted all the cognitive tasks. These tasks were followed by a recovery session. The baseline cortisol levels indicated an average established function of the HPA (hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenocortical) system in the study children. Contrary to our hypothesis, only 19% of the study children showed the expected pattern of stress reactivity for both cortisol and α-amylase, with an average increase in cortisol and α-amylase levels following the challenging tasks. Unexpectedly, cortisol and α-amylase levels increased significantly in the singing recovery session. The surprising finding that singing seemed to be the only stimulating activity during the entire experimental situation raises questions about preschool practices.

Cortisol levels and children's orientation in day care

Childrens stress in day care is related to the stressful qualities of the environment and to childrens orientations in that environment. The study involved 55 children in five day centres in Finland. Baseline saliva samples for measuring cortisol (stress) levels were collected five times during the day. Children were interviewed to measure their orientation in regard to perceived change. The educators of the groups evaluated the learning environment qualities. The high cortisol levels at the wake-up time were correlated with chaotic, hectic and emotionally restricted learning environment qualities. However, in the afternoon, the correlations between cortisol levels and the learning environment had disappeared and were replaced by childrens orientation to change. Children with more accommodative views had lower cortisol levels and children with uncertain views had higher cortisol levels. The childrens different orientations seem to impact their stress levels and participate in the production of the learning environment stressful qualities.

Sense of Belonging and Life Transitions for Two Females with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Finland

Abstract Sense of belonging refers to the degree to which individuals feel included, accepted, and supported by others in a variety of social settings. This study, based on the narratives of two females (ages 26 and 29) with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), examines sense of belonging and various life transition issues that may appear throughout childhood, adolescence, and adulthood in the absence of appropriate social supports. Hearing the voices of females with autism is important, because the number of girls diagnosed with ASD has grown. Women on the spectrum can potentially provide significant insights into the services required to feel a sense of belonging to society. Qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews and document data revealed that a lack of social support can increase the number of transitions and cause biases in forming a sense of belonging. The findings suggest that a sense of belonging can fade or simmer (evolving through a persons life), and that providing social assistance and...

Searching for pedagogical adaptations by exploring teacher’s tacit knowledge and interactional co-regulation in the education of pupils with autism

The purpose of this article is to introduce a research design, which aims to find useful pedagogical adaptations for teaching pupils with autism. Autism is a behavioural syndrome characterised by disabilities and dysfunctions in interaction and communication, which is why it is interesting to explore educational processes particularly from an interactional perspective in a class with pupils with autism. The main focus is in exploring teacher’s tacit knowledge and interactional co-regulation between the teacher and the pupils. This study is a part of a larger Finnish project, which involves the education of pupils with autism in the primary school system. In the study described, six video recordings (each about 30 min) were taken under analysis due to the uniqueness in the research context of special education: the videos are rare in that they involve only the teacher and her six pupils with autism; no helpers are present in the classroom. This study explored the phenomenon ethnomethodologically. This study indicated that it is possible to apply a general theory of interaction when exploring people with autism, although the main diagnostic criteria of autism are disabilities in social interaction and communication. It was possible to extract episodes from the behaviour of the teacher that showed her tacit knowledge becoming concrete. These results could be taken into consideration when planning and carrying out teaching in different contexts and in teacher education, too.