Phil Foreman

Evaluating the Educational Experiences of Students with Profound and Multiple Disabilities in Inclusive and Segregated Classroom Settings: An Australian Perspective:

An increasing amount of research attention is being directed toward the educational experiences of students with profound and multiple disabilities. One technique that has allowed a better understanding of alertness and involvement in members of this population is behavior state assessment. In this study, eight matched pairs of school-aged students with profound and multiple disabilities were observed for one full day in either a segregated classroom or an inclusive classroom in Australian schools. Behavior states were systematically observed and recorded, along with several contextual indicators including measures of communicative behaviors, activity, and social grouping. Despite the absence of significant differences in most observed student behavior states between the two settings, the students observed in general classrooms in this investigation were involved in significantly higher levels of communicative interaction than their matched peers in special classrooms. Differences in the frequency of the communicative partners in the two settings were also observed. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of enrollment practices, staff development issues, and the development of inclusive curriculum and instruction.

Scotopic sensitivity/Irlen syndrome and the use of coloured filters: a long-term placebo controlled and masked study of reading achievement and perception of ability.

This study investigated the effects of using coloured filters on reading speed, accuracy, and comprehension as well as on perception of academic ability. A double-masked, placebo-controlled crossover design was used, with subjects being assessed over a period of 20 mo. There were three treatment groups (Placebo filters, Blue filters, and Optimal filters) involving 113 subjects with “reading difficulties”, ranging in age from 9.2 yr. to 13.1 yr. and with an average discrepancy between chronological age and reading age of 1.8 yr. The 35 controls (who did not use coloured filters) ranged in age from 9.4 yr. to 12 9 yr., with an average discrepancy between chronological age and reading age of 21 yr The treatment groups increased at a significantly greater rate than the control group in reading accuracy and reading comprehension but not for speed of reading. For self-reported perception of academic ability, two of the three treatment groups showed significantly greater increases than the control group. The larger improvements for treatment groups in reading comprehension may be related to a reduction in print and background distortions allowing attention to be directed to the processing of continuous text rather than to the identification of individual words. A reduction in print distortion, however, may not be sufficient to generate improved word-identification skills without additional remedial support, and this may be indicated by the nonsignificant increase in rate of reading.

A Review of Educational Approaches for Individuals with Autism.

Autism spectrum disorder remains a heterogeneous and puzzling disability, and it is the subject of a wide variety of theories about its aetiology and treatment. This paper reviews recent research on educational approaches to the management of autism. Approaches include sensory-motor therapies, applied behaviour analysis, communication therapies, multi-treatment programs, and play and group therapy. Recommendations are made about the selection of appropriate educational approaches for individuals with autism.

Toward a Clarification of Empowerment as an Outcome of Disability Service Provision

Abstract Empowerment has been used widely in the professional literature in recent years to describe both a desirable process, and a desirable outcome, from human service provision. Despite its widespread use, systematic definitions of the term in this literature are not common. This paper provides a conceptual analysis of empowerment as a psychological construct, by reviewing the relevant literature with an emphasis on disability issues. Several key components of empowerment are identified and described, and recommendations for further research to advance empowerment theory are made.

Social Justice Principles, the Law and Research, as Bases for Inclusion

Educational policies for students with a disability in Australia, the USA, the UK and in most western countries stipulate that inclusive placement should be an option available to parents. This article examines three principal drivers of inclusion: social justice principles, legislation, and research findings, and considers the extent to which each of these has impacted on inclusive policy and practice. The article considers the research base for inclusion, and examines the extent to which the policy and practice of inclusion is supported by evidence. It concludes with some suggestions for a research agenda that focuses on the particular contextual challenges and complexities faced in Australasian school settings, whilst recognising international directions in the identification of evidence‐based practices.

The impact of partner training on the communicative involvement of students with multiple and severe disability in special schools.

Abstract Background The outcomes of a pilot program of staff development in communication support in the context of observed changes in student behaviour states and interactive abilities are reported. Participant reports about the impact of the program on their professional practices are included. Method Six teachers and six teacher aides in special (segregated) schools were provided with a short, intensive training program designed to improve their communicative interactions with students with multiple and severe disability (MSD) in their classes. Behaviour state assessment was used for pre‐ and post‐testing of six students. Teachers and aides completed self‐report scales related to their communication skills, knowledge and concerns prior to and at the conclusion of the training program. Results While staff reported improved skills and knowledge, this was not reflected in improvements in the communicative interactions of the students as observed in their classrooms. Conclusions The training provided may not have been sufficient to change well‐established teaching and interaction processes. Further research using in‐school collaborative mentors is planned.

Trends in the Educational Placement of Students with Disabilities in New South Wales

Abstract This paper reports the results of an analysis of trends in the placement of students with intellectual, physical, sensory, or behavioural disabilities in New South Wales for the period 1986 to 1994. Although there was a general trend of movement of students from special schools to support classes, there were some major differences across disability groups. The results are discussed in relation to current special education policy in New South Wales and the philosophy of including students with a disability in regular schools and classes.

Characteristics, Academic and Post-university Outcomes of Students with a Disability at the University of Newcastle

A cohort of 108 students with a disability, and a matched sample of students without a disability, were surveyed over a three-year period at the University of Newcastle. The purpose of the study was to examine the characteristics and academic outcomes for students with a disability because this group of students is significantly under-represented at Australian universities. Significant differences were found between some personal characteristics, academic performance, and outcomes following discontinuance or completion of study. The results are discussed within the context of disability legislation and policy in Australia.

Reflections on enhancing pre-service teacher education programmes to support inclusion: perspectives from New Zealand and Australia

Positive changes to pre-service teacher education programmes (PSTEPs), driven in part by changing worldwide policy frameworks around inclusion, are occurring, albeit slowly. After briefly reviewing international trends and key policy and legislation platforms in New Zealand and Australia, this paper explores some of the challenges in enhancing PSTEPs to take on more inclusive perspectives and content. Examples of innovative changes in one programme in New Zealand and one in Australia are then described and discussed, particularly around how these changes seek to address these challenges. Some key facilitators for enhancing PSTEPs are put forward, namely positioning and embedding policy and practice in national and international contexts; embracing practices; working with the broader education faculty around the integration of course structures and content; listening to the views of practicing teachers; exploring pre-service teachers’ values, beliefs, attitudes, knowledge and concerns about engaging with and teaching students with diverse learning needs; building evidence-based programming and instructional knowledge, skills and practices for effective differentiation and adjustments; contributing to authentic mentoring networks; and encouraging professional development planning.

Language and disability

Language is, as we all know, dynamic and ever changing. Words and phrases drop in and out of popularity and respectability. There are probably few areas where this is more apparent than in relation to disability. Language relating to any concept will tend, over time, to acquire some of the concept’s emotional impact. Thus, words that were, at one stage, neutral become laden with meaning. For example, the word ‘‘sub-average’’ is quite clear in meaning, with little emotional content. We could probably tell a parent that their child’s performance at school was subaverage without causing great emotional distress or offence. However, to describe the child’s performance as ‘‘sub-normal’’ would have a totally different effect, despite the fact that both words have a similar literal meaning. The word ‘‘subnormal’’ has acquired strongly pejorative meaning through its association with intellectual disability. The dynamic nature of disability-related language has meant that many significant changes in language usage have occurred over the relatively short life of this Journal. The Journal began as the Australian Journal of Mental Retardation, even though, at the time, the sponsoring organisation was known as the Australian Group for the Scientific Study of Mental Deficiency (AGSSOMD). Clearly, the term ‘‘mental deficiency’’, with its negative connotations, was on the way out at the time (1970), being replaced by the more positive concept of ‘‘retardation’’. Even though retardation has now itself become negative and obsolete in Australia, it was seen at the time as being more optimistic. Just as ‘‘developmental delay’’ has been used more recently to imply the possibility of ‘‘catch-up’’, so retardation also implied, at the time, that improvement was possible. The person’s mental capacity was not ‘‘deficient’’, just held back or ‘‘retarded’’. The next language change reflected in the Journal’s title occurred in 1980 when it became the Australian Journal of Developmental Disabilities. This was a forward-thinking approach by Editor Bob Cummins, and brought the Journal’s title into line with the most up-to-date terminology, even though the organisation was still known as AGSSOMD. The next major change was under my editorship in 1996, when it became the Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability. By this time the organisation was known as the Australian Society for the Study of Intellectual Disability (ASSID), so ‘‘intellectual disability’’ gained a new emphasis in the title. The removal of the reference to Australia was to assist the Journal’s internationalisation. A perusal of the earliest issues of the Journal from just over 30 years ago reveals the use of words and phrases that have almost totally disappeared from current Australian usage. Examples of these include ‘‘mongolism’’, ‘‘mongol patients’’, ‘‘the retarded’’, ‘‘the handicapped’’, ‘‘mentally sub-normal’’, ‘‘mental deficiency’’, ‘‘Down’s children’’, ‘‘retardates’’, ‘‘grossly retarded children’’, and so on. That they seem so terribly out-dated now is a reflection of the rapidity of language change, and not any criticism of the authors or editors. I cringe at my own writing from that period, but am aware that it was current usage at the time. Had I been writing 30 years earlier, I would no doubt have used acceptable technical terms of the time, such as ‘‘moron’’,