Garry Hornby

Inclusion or Delusion:Can one size fit all?

The major controversy in the field of special education worldwide at present is the move toward the inclusion of all children with special educational needs (SEN) in mainstream schools. Seven years ago, my concern about this issue led me to write an article for Support for Learning in which I reviewed the literature on theory, policy, research and practice regarding inclusion which was available at that time (Hornby 1992). My conclusion was that the theory and practice of inclusion had gone beyond national policies on inclusion despite the lac k of research evidence about its effectiveness. Because of the cautionary note which I had sounded, I expected to receive some negative feedback from personnel in the field of special education and I did in fact receive more letters about this article than any other I have written. The feedback I received, from teachers in both mainstream and special schools, was, however, unanimously supportive! It seemed I had stuck a chord of concern about inclusion with people on the ground ‐ that is, teachers who worked with children with SEN on a daily basis.

Fathers' views of the effects on their families of children with Down syndrome

This study examined fathers views about the effects of children with Down syndrome on themselves and their families. Taped interviews were obtained from 90 fathers of children aged from 7 to 14 years. Qualitative analysis of the interview data revealed 28 categories of comments made by fathers. The most frequent comment, made by 46% of fathers, was about the cheerful personality of their child with Down syndrome. About 42% of fathers talked about the initial trauma they experienced following the diagnosis; 43% of them bemoaned the restrictions imposed on the family, and 30% commented that the child had minimal effects on family life. The greatest concern expressed by fathers was the long-term provision for their children. More fathers commented on the positive effects on their marriage than on negative effects. The results of this study provide a somewhat different view of fathers experiences to that found in the existing literature.

A Review of Fathers' Accounts of Their Experiences of Parenting Children with Disabilities

ABSTRACT Research on the effects on families of having a child with a disability has focused mainly on mothers or siblings with little attention being paid to fathers. While there is now a growing number of research studies and reviews regarding such fathers it is also important to assess fathers own perceptions of their experiences. One source of fathers perspectives are the published accounts by fathers of their experiences of parenting children with disabilities. This paper consists of a review of all eight such accounts which were located in the literature. Common themes which emerge from the review are discussed in the light of existing literature on the effects on family members. Finally the limitations of this review are discussed.

Grandparents' support for families who have children with disabilities

This study was designed to assess the levels of support provided by grandparents for families who had grandchildren with disabilities. A questionnaire survey of parents was used to assess the levels of practical, financial and emotional support they received from the childrens grandparents. Parents were also questioned about their satisfaction with this support. Overall levels of support were low but most parents were nevertheless generally satisfied with the support they had received. However, a quarter of the grandparents were considered to have added to the parents problems and almost a third of the parents expressed a wish for more support from grandparents.

Effects on fathers of children with down syndrome

This study investigated research evidence for eight assertions found in the literature about effects on fathers of children with disabilities. Eighty-seven fathers of children with Down syndrome completed questionnaire instruments designed to measure demographic variables, adaptation, stress, personality, social support and marital functioning. The results provided little support for most of the assertions. It is concluded that the existing literature provides a somewhat erroneous perspective of the experiences of such fathers. These findings reinforce the need for further research specifically with fathers of children with mental retardation.

Counselling foreign students: A review of strategies

Abstract This article focuses on the unique counselling needs of foreign students as reflected from a review of the literature. As more and more students from developing countries opt to further their education in the West, knowledge about counselling foreign students is of increasing interest. Distinctive aspects of foreign student clients and the typical problems faced by them are described. The issues which need to be addressed and the competencies which need to be developed in order to effectively counsel foreign students are discussed. Finally, specific strategies for counselling foreign students are suggested in the context of general guidelines for cross-cultural counselling.

A Framework for Promoting Mental Health in School

Schools have an important role to play in the promotion of childrens mental health, as well as in the identification and treatment of children with mental health problems. This article proposes a framework for a whole school approach to mental health. The framework focuses on four levels of involvement. The most general level is concerned with school ethos, which encompasses the values shared by all staff and pupils. The next level is whole-school organization, which comprises a range of school policies. Then there is pastoral provision, which concerns procedures in place throughout the school. The final level is classroom practice, which involves the practical strategies used by teachers. A model is presented in order to illustrate visually the four levels in the framework for the promotion of mental health in schools. It is intended that the model will provide schools with a useful framework with which to review their provisions for children with mental health problems and consider the issue of mental health promotion.

Effects of Children with Disabilities on Fathers: A Review and Analysis of the Literature

A review of the literature located eight published studies which focused specifically on the effects on fathers of parenting children with disabilities. Another five studies have focused on fathers involvement in programs aimed at their children or themselves. There have also been nine reviews of the literature on such fathers. From a review of the existing literature there emerges a fairly clear consensus of assertions regarding the effects on fathers. However, from an analysis of this literature, limited research evidence was found in support of these assertions. This suggests that the existing literature provides a somewhat erroneous view of the experiences of such fathers.

The Organisation of Parent Involvement.

Abstract A model for the organisation of parent involvement in schools is proposed. The model addresses parents needs and their strengths, in order to facilitate the development of school policy and plans for the participation of parents

Effects of differential reinforcement on the behavior and self-esteem of children with emotional and behavioral disorders

Students in a residential special school for children with emotional and behavioral disorders participated in a study designed to reduce their levels of inappropriate behavior. The residential care staff rated the students behavioral problems and their class teachers rated their overt self-esteem pre and post intervention. In addition, the students completed self-ratings of their self-esteem. The students were divided into two groups, experimental and control. A multiple baseline across behaviors design was used to assess behavioral changes in the experimental group. Both groups received tangible rewards to the same level but only the experimental group received them contingent upon behaving appropriately. Results showed that the experimental group students made substantial reductions in their levels of inappropriate behavior, which were maintained at a three-month followup. Also, ratings of their behavioral problems by residential child care staff suggested that this improvement in behavior had generalized beyond the classroom to the residential setting. However, no significant differences were found between the pre- and post-intervention ratings of their self-esteem or teacher ratings of their overt self-esteem.