Search

Abstract: There is limited research about learning outcomes for young people with intellectual disabilities (ID) in postschool education (PSE). This is a significant issue as PSE is a strong predictor of successful employment for individuals with ID. Tertiary education programs have been developed in several countries, including Australia. These programs remain rare and available to only a minority of young people. For several years, service organizations in the broader community in Australia and overseas have been developing educational programs particularly in literacy to meet the needs of this age group. However, many of these programs have been developed by practitioners with limited access to evidence‐based practice, leading to difficulties in providing evidence of their effectiveness. This paper reports the findings of a longitudinal study of the effects on literacy learning of an evidence‐based 2‐year postschool literacy program for individuals with ID. All students (n = 191) who completed the program from 1998 to 2013 were assessed for their receptive vocabulary, single word reading, and reading comprehension. These assessments were undertaken at entry to the program, the end of the first year, and on graduation. The quantitative analysis used a growth trajectory model to assess students' progress, accounting for age, disability, gender, maturation, and time. The results provide statistically significant (p < .001) evidence that individual students increased their scores in all of the assessments over time. The authors argue that appropriately designed long‐term PSE programs for literacy learning have the potential to enhance the language and literacy development of young adults with intellectual disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: As the prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) increases, teachers and special education service providers are experiencing increased contact with not only children with ASD, but also with their parents and families. Partnerships between families and teachers have become more commonplace in the last 20 years in response to mandates related to parent involvement by federal law. The present study examined the relationship between parent–teacher partnership satisfaction and child progress and family quality of life among children (n = 313) receiving autism waiver services (Waiver—Home and Community‐Based Services Waivers (42 U.S.C. SS 1915(b) (c)) and those whose families expressed an interest in receiving waiver services (registry). Results indicated family–teacher partnership satisfaction was associated with parent‐reported improvement in academic progress and family quality of life. These findings were not dependent on group status (waiver vs. registry) and highlight the importance of the quality of service delivery through family–teacher partnerships for children with ASD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Republic of Slovenia, the concept of inclusion was formally codified with the adoption of the P lacement of C hildren with S pecial N eeds A ct (2000, 2007), which calls for inclusive education of students with special needs in settings as close to their homes as possible. Despite numerous innovations, Slovenian legislation still maintains a dual education system. Some students with special needs are educated separately from age peers in special schools/institutions (specialization), while others attend regular schools along with age peers (inclusion). This dichotomy results from thinking that many children with special needs (especially those with intellectual disability) are not able to achieve at the standards set for their age peers, that schools have not provided adapted programs to accommodate lower expectations of academic achievement, that many Slovenian school teachers do not have suitable skills and knowledge appropriate for educating children with special needs, and that most schools lack the capacity and resources that permit teachers to focus on children with special needs. Strategies for bringing about needed changes in practice are required, and some of these key strategies include: enforce the legal provisions enabling children with special needs to receive appropriate schooling; institute prevention processes of the improper placement of children with disabilities; constitute a strategic plan for effective inclusive education of children with intellectual disability; comprehensively monitor and evaluate education practices and inform education policy-makers of findings; and involve special schools and institutions in the implementation of inclusion of students with intellectual disability in regular schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]