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Abstract Background Meeting daily guidelines for physical activity, screen time, and sleep duration is associated with a host of health indicators for youth. In this cross-sectional observational study, we investigated the associations between adherence to the movement guidelines and health-related outcomes among youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Methods Parents of youth with ASD (10–17 years) from seven countries and regions were invited to provide online proxy-reports for child’s movement behaviors (i.e., physical activity, sleep and screen time), and health-related outcomes (i.e., body mass index [BMI], general health, and quality of life). A series of multiple linear regression analyses were used to examine the associations between meeting movement guidelines and health-related outcomes, adjusted for covariates. Results The final sample consisted of 1165 youth with ASD. Compared with youth meeting all three guidelines, a higher BMI z-score was observed in those who met no guidelines (B = 0.62, P = 0.04), “sedentary time only” (B = 0.60, P = 0.047), and “physical activity plus sleep only” (B = 0.85, P = 0.04). Compared with meeting all three guidelines, meeting no guidelines was associated with poorer general health (B = − 0.46, P = 0.02). Further, compared with youth meeting all three guidelines, a lower quality of life score was observed in those who met no guidelines (B = − 0.47, P = 0.02) and “physical activity only” (B = − 0.62, P = 0.03). Lastly, there were dose–response associations between the number of guidelines met and all three health-related outcomes (all P trend

Abstract Introduction The universal right to education for people with disabilities has been highlighted by the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In this paper, we mapped policies addressing the right to education and special education needs of autistic children in Denmark, Sweden, and Finland. Methods A policy path analysis was carried out using a scoping review as an underlying framework for data gathering. Policy mapping was performed independently by both lead authors to increase reliability. Results and discussion The values of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities have been closely translated into the respective education systems of the countries under study, offering special education needs services and support in mainstream education with the aim of including as many children into mainstream education as possible. Even though the education systems are comparable, the approaches between the countries under study are slightly different. Denmark and Sweden have passed several policies specifically geared towards special education needs, while Finland incorporates this more in general education policy. Conclusion All countries under study have incorporated the values of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in their respective education systems while emphasising the need to include as many children in the mainstream system as possible.

Suomessa varhaiskasvatusta toteutetaan pääsääntöisesti päiväkodeissa ja perhepäivähoidossa. Varhaiskasvatuksen tavoitteena on tukea lapsen kasvua, kehitystä ja oppimista laadukkailla palveluilla. Varhaiskasvatuksen laadun arviointiin onkin kehitetty erilaisia menetelmiä ja välineitä, mutta lapset ovat osallistuneet arviointiin varsin vähän. Tässä artikkelissa esitellään, millaisena suomalainen varhaiskasvatus näyttäytyi, kun lapset arvioivat sitä kertomalla heidän mukaviksi kokemistaan asioista päiväkodissa ja perhepäivähoidossa. Tutkimusaineisto muodostui perhepäivähoitoon (N = 371) ja päiväkotiin (N = 371) osallistuneiden lasten (1−8 vuotta, tyttöjä 49,3 %) haastatteluista. Lasten vanhemmat toteuttivat lasten haastattelut. Tutkimusaineistoa analysoitiin laadullisin ja määrällisin menetelmin. Tulosten mukaan lapset kertoivat monenlaisista varhaiskasvatukseen liittyvistä positiivisista asioista. Päiväkodissa olevien lasten kerronnassa korostuivat lasten oma ja järjestetty toiminta varhaiskasvatuksessa. Perhepäivähoitoon osallistuvat lapset mainitsivat enemmän ihmissuhteisiin ja arjen tilanteisiin liittyviä asioita. Nuorimmat päiväkodissa olevista lapsista mainitsivat henkilöitä nimellä muita enemmän ja kuusivuotiaat enemmän erikoispäiviä ja retkiä. Tulosten perusteella lasten tekemä arviointi on lupaava menetelmä täydentämään monimenetelmäistä varhaiskasvatuksen laadun arviointia. Tuloksia voidaan hyödyntää varhaiskasvatuksen käytänteiden kehittämisessä kiinnittämällä huomiota erityisesti lasten osallisuuteen ja mieluisina pitämiin asioihin

High support need and minimally verbal individuals with autism have received less attention in research in comparison to so-called higher functioning individuals with autism. As computers motivate individuals with autism, a game with a positive user experience was altered into a level 1 perspective-taking task in which advancement was contingent on eye contact. A case-controls design was used to see whether participants had impaired perspective taking and would they benefit from additional cues. Four high support need and minimally verbal children with autism played the game in their school environment. It was found that only one child with autism made more errors than controls using the eye cues. No child with autism benefitted from the additional cues, whereas the control group did. The results suggest that positive contexts may reveal more about individuals and their skills, and that individual level analysis can provide insights about autism and about the individuals with autism.

The increasing number of children who need special education in Finland also requires an increasing amount of resources from teachers and a restructuring of the education system. Technology can be a part of the solution to this resource problem; however, for the technological solution to work, technologies need to be designed and implemented in new ways. Technologies used in special education in Finland can roughly be divided into four main categories; assistive technologies, communication technologies, and learning software. Last and the newest category concretizing technologies, such as educational robotics, have successfully been used in the Technologies for Children with Individual Needs Project. Possibilities provided by educational robotics have been extensive, not only because of the technology itself, but also because of how the technology has been implemented in innovative projects with school students. From this point of view, students with individual educational needs as well as those involved in inclusive education and harmonized school days could benefit from the use of technology.