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Abstract: The development of games for people with learning disabilities is one way to enhance the quality of learning and respond to the need for inclusive special educational support. Recently, game researchers have highlighted the need for paying more attention to identifying the game design choices that can strengthen learning. This paper reviews recent studies in the field of games that aim at supporting people with difficulties in learning, particularly in basic reading and maths skills. We identify the major characteristics and learning outcomes of the reviewed studies, as well as key design principles that have been used in games for enhancing basic reading and maths skills. The results show that people with specific learning difficulties have positive improvements in the quality of learning. We also found specific gamification elements that have been used to promote the learning of basic reading and maths skills. However, we call for research, which would explicitly examine the effects of game design choices on learning. Currently, the studies that address learning disabilities do not specifically define which kind of games and game design the results refer to, while game design studies do not clarify how these games influence learning. Thus, there is a need to rethink previous empirical studies on game settings for people with learning difficulties via advancing the role of game design in empirical intervention studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Engagement Model was launched in January 2020, endeavouring to address the weaknesses of the P‐scales assessment for students not yet involved in a subject‐specific curriculum. This paper will discuss how and if the tensions between previously adopted assessment systems as discussed in teacher interviews can be reconciled through the Engagement Model in relation to students with autism and severe learning difficulties. The interview findings suggested that some of the problems with assessment, when applied in this context, are related to consistency and transferability, lack of formal recognition of non‐academic progress, familiarity with the students, observation skills and training, workload and time, and subjectivity of judgement amongst professionals. When compared with the aims of the Engagement Model, the findings of the research suggest that even though it addresses some of the issues raised, it cannot act as a substitute to the P‐scale system as it serves a different purpose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports research commissioned by an English City Council. Its aim was to gather data to identify and prioritise the council's efforts to develop, co‐ordinate and monitor services and support for young people with SEND in the city as they move into their adult lives. This included the four areas identified by the English government in the SEND Code of Practice, these being: employment, community inclusion, health and independent living. The study used qualitative and quantitative research methods including semi‐structured interviews and questionnaires to investigate the experiences of students, teachers, National Health Service staff and social workers in identifying processes and structures that support or hinder the transition process as children prepare for adulthood. As such the study gathered generic data to indicate the expectations, needs, aspirations and views of young persons between the ages of 14 and 22 with regards to employment, education, community inclusion and health. An interpretation of data from the research illustrated the effectiveness of the support structures that are in place to help with planning and delivery of the strategic direction for services supporting children and young people with SEND as they become adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including supporting and enhancing the learning of students with disabilities, the emerging landscape and increased opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities to learn in higher education and educational intervention to enhance moral reasoning in tax.

The article offers news briefs related to special education in Europe as of June 2016. Topics include results of an interim report which highlights priorities for investigation on transforming student's perception on mathematics, professional development of mathematics teachers and value of mathematics, fundraising for Learning Disability Wales Engage to Change project for young people with learning disability and updates on special education needs and disability regulation in Northern Ireland.

A forced-choice preference assessment using pictures and no access upon selection was used to determine preferences for community-based activities with 4 young adults with autism and intellectual disability. High- and low-preference activities were then provided as delayed consequences, using a token economy, for completion of vocational tasks in a concurrent operants paradigm. All participants responded to the contingency associated with earning the high-preference activity and away from the contingency associated with earning the low-preference activity. The results suggest that a pictorial assessment without access is a valid method for identifying community-based activities that will function as reinforcers. This efficient protocol could improve treatment efficacy in applied settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Internet can be an excellent tool to help people with learning disabilities access relevant and appropriately written information. However, little work has been undertaken to ascertain web design or content preferences for this cohort. This paper examines methods to address this issue. Twenty five participants were presented with three web sites dealing with employment information. They were asked to browse each and carry out a series of set-tasks. Interviews and a rating scale ascertained preferences. The problem of acquiescence bias, the tendency for people to automatically agree with those in perceived positions of authority, was minimised by the avoidance of 'polar interrogatives' (questions requiring a 'yes/no' or similarly polarised answer). Participants liked the use of pictures, especially when they featured other young people with learning disabilities. Abstract content related to money or benefits often went unnoticed. Audio was appreciated where offered, although not extensively used. Preferences regarding text size and menu position were also established. Results are compared to other relevant literature and recommendations formulated to help web developers and information providers. The methodological issues inherent in this study were the use of the rating system, and the interview technique. The former was adapted following early findings that the neutral position, on a three point scale, was confusing. Using four points avoided this problem and produced more varied results. Avoiding polar interrogatives greatly helped in minimising 'acquiescence bias'. The study concludes that it is possible to elicit considerable information from people who find it difficult to articulate their views. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of CEPS Journal is the property of University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Although increasingly implemented in elementary and secondary education settings, research provides limited insight into practitioners' knowledge of Response-to-Intervention (RTI) at the secondary level. his paper presents descriptive findings from an exploratory survey of teachers that assessed the relationship between the grade level of teachers (n = 609), their exposure to RTI, and the implementation of practices associated with RTI (e.g., progress monitoring). Results underscore differences in the perception and implementation of RTI in elementary and secondary schools. Implications related to more clearly defining RTI at the secondary level are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on research and practice concerning learning disabilities in Turkey. In the first part of our article, we discuss the current use of the term "learning disabilities" as it has evolved over the past decades in the Turkish scholarly literature. We then focus on questions on how this disorder is diagnosed in our part of the world, on what approaches we use to explain how it develops, and on how many children and youth in Turkey are affected by it. Finally, we describe and appraise educational services that are offered to these students and address some of the research questions that the scientific community in Turkey currently attends to. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper considered several psychosocial variables as predictors of school adjustment of 40 gifted students with learning disabilities in Junior Secondary School in Ikenne Local Government Council Area of Ogun State, Nigeria. Purposeful random sampling was employed to select four schools from 13 junior secondary schools in the area, six assessment instruments were administered to the participants, and the resulting data were then collated and analyzed using multiple linear regression. Results demonstrated that both emotional intelligence and self-concept were potent factors that could predict school adjustment of gifted students with learning disabilities. Similarly, socioeconomic status was a significant factor in influencing school adjustment of gifted students with learning disabilities. Gender also had a differential effect on school adjustment of students with learning disabilities. The implications and recommendations of the study were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a white paper from the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities, which describes the critical areas need to be addressed to help students with learning disabilities (LD) achieve high quality education standards. It discusses the need of LD educators for a deeper knowledge of learning processes, broader set of instructional strategies, and understanding of specific learning needs of the students across learning and social environments.

This article explores the tensions between medical and pedagogical professionals involved with the classification and selection of pupils for the special day-schools for "feebleminded" children that were established from 1900 in the Netherlands to promote compulsory mass schooling's efficiency. These are set against the increasing influence of child sciences, including the new technique of intelligence testing. These schools were meant for educable learning-disabled children, the classification of whom involved a child's (ab)normality and (in)educability. The article discusses the categories defined and labels inscribed on children with learning disabilities. These focused mainly on a child's capacity to communicate and learn to adapt to society, as the special schools aimed to educate productive members of society. In spite of the recognised merits of the schools, theorists turned out to be most concerned about undue placements of not "essentially backward" children, who would benefit more from educational support in a regular school. The selection and admission procedure of the schools was standardised by the introduction in 1920 of intelligence testing as part of a developing scientific assessment culture, which for want of psychologists and despite the headmasters' professionalisation continued to be dominated by the medical profession up to the Second World War. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Use of evidence-based interventions for learning disabilities (LDs) in the classroom is limited by several factors such as teachers' knowledge of LDs and access to interventions. eHealth interventions (i.e., interventions delivered via the Internet) have the potential to be a powerful tool in overcoming barriers to implementing evidence-based strategies within the classroom. The current article describes the development and usability testing of Teacher Help for LD, an eHealth professional development program that assists classroom teachers in providing evidence-based interventions to students with LDs. Specialists in LDs (n = 18), consisting of individuals within the educational and health systems, were asked to evaluate the usability of the Teacher Help for LD intervention and provide their feedback. Results from both quantitative and qualitative data suggest that participants were very satisfied with the program and found the program highly usable. Results will help to prepare and modify the program for use with regular classroom teachers in an upcoming cluster randomized controlled trial across Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to develop an explanatory model for the information and communication technology (ICT) competencies of students with and without learning disabilities (LD). A conceptual model was proposed, and included five major constructs: (1) attitude towards using ICT, (2) ICT competency, (3) demographic characteristics, (4) ICT access, and (5) purpose for using ICT. A self-reported questionnaire, Scale of Digital Participation (SDP), was designed by the authors and used to collect data. Data from 117 elementary school students with LD and 117 without LD were used to test the initial model. Meanwhile, data from 102 junior high school students with LD and 102 students without LD were used to evaluate the cross-validation of the revised model. The results of structural equation modelling (SEM) demonstrate acceptable goodness of fit for the initial ICT competency model but poor parsimony. Therefore, a revised ICT competency model with both parsimony and goodness of fit was generated using data from elementary school age students. Moreover, this new model was also able to further explain the complex phenomena of ICT competency for junior high school age students. Nevertheless, no differences were found between the elementary school and junior high school models, thereby confirming the cross-validation of the revised model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comprehensive review of educational interventions for pupils with intellectual disabilities showed that most studies report positive results for a variety of interventions. The aim of this article is to explore how these results can be understood. We draw on similar earlier findings concerning intervention effects in psychotherapy and social work, discussing the so-called Dodo bird conjecture, indicating that established methods for identification of evidence-based practices can provide false, positive results influenced by so-called common factors present in most interventions. In conclusion, we argue for a new paradigm of research on educational interventions for pupils with intellectual disabilities, replacing the present ambition to find evidence-based support for specific interventions in favour of a line of research exploring alternative explanations in terms of, for instance, common positive factors. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

An introduction to the journal is presented in which the editor discusses various papers published within the issue, including one on the role of family in the experiences of postsecondary students with autism spectrum disorders, one on undergraduates with learning disabilities and another on the application of Universal Design (UD) to instructional practices.

This investigation employs Disability Critical Race Studies as a theoretical framework to determine the interdependence of racism and ableism in school settings. African American male students with learning disabilities are queried about their interpretations of special education placement and labeling while attempting to secure educational opportunities during high school. Their responses were used to determine the consequences of labeling as they intersect with factors such as race, gender and, to a lesser extent, social economic status. Subsequently, as a result of this investigation, implications for empowering students through self-advocacy and enhancing teachers' knowledge of diverse learning styles are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers suggestions on culturally responsive instructional strategies to contextualize instruction for English language learners (ELLs) with learning disabilities (LD). Topics discussed include using activities like playing word games and word sorting to develop vocabulary skills in ELLs with LD, assessing students' prior knowledge and making explicit connections in order to facilitate connections to prior knowledge, and developing interactive activities to engage students.

Conventional wisdom in education has suggested that students who are classified as learning disabled (LD) will exhibit inordinate difficulties learning a foreign language (FL). Even when not explicitly stated, the notion that those classified as LD have a disability for FL learning is implied. However, while beliefs about this purported disability have been supported by anecdotes, personal opinions, and case studies, the beliefs themselves have not been supported by empirical evidence. Advocates of a disability for FL learning have ignored the empirical evidence, which substantiates that there is, in fact, not a special relationship between FL learning and LDs, nor is there a unique disability for FL learning. This article cites several myths about LDs and FLs and examines the evidence that falsifies each of the myths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computer scientists and educational researchers evaluated effectiveness of computerized instruction tailored to evidence-based impairments in specific learning disabilities (SLDs) in students in grades 4-9 with persisting SLDs despite prior extra help. Following comprehensive, evidence-based differential diagnosis for dysgraphia (impaired handwriting), dyslexia (impaired word reading and spelling), and oral and written language learning disability, students completed 18 sessions of computerized instruction over about 3 months. The 11 students taught letter formation with sequential, numbered, coloured arrow cues with full contours who wrote letters on lines added to iPAD screen showed more and stronger treatment effects than the 21 students taught using only visual motion cues for letter formation who wrote on an unlined computer monitor. Teaching to all levels of language in multiple functional language systems (by ear, eye, mouth and hand) close in time resulted in significant gains in reading and writing skills for the group and in diagnosed SLD hallmark impairments for individuals; also, performance on computerized learning activities correlated with treatment gains. Results are discussed in reference to need for both accommodations and explicit instruction for persisting SLDs and the potential for computers to teach handwriting, morphophonemic orthographies, comprehension and composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite being unable to dress himself, sit still on a chair, or write a legible sentence, Scott was, from a very early age, able to build whole cities from construction blocks, able to complete complex puzzles, and verbally precocious. Even with his disabilities and their contrast with his academic talent, he completed K–12 school and went on to excel at university. This case study represents the challenges many parents experience with identifying their children’s disability and giftedness and ensuring that both exceptionalities are optimally developed. Through this case study, the roles an education system and the parents of such a child must assume if this development is going to happen are highlighted. Recommendations for identification, service provision, professional development for teachers, and collaboration among all parties connected with such students are made. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

University–school–community collaborations are little documented despite being advocated across third-level institutes. Researchers identify the need for quality university–school–community collaborations to tackle a host of social inequalities while also addressing innovative approaches to teaching and learning. This study involved the collaboration of a lecturer and university students of a Sports Studies and Physical Education programme working with secondary school students and teachers, participants with disabilities, and community health workers to address disability awareness in secondary schools. The first step in the collaboration was the organisation and hosting of a symposium on the topic. Informed by the symposium feedback, an educational DVD was developed for use in secondary schools. Semi-structured interviews, reflective journals and participant evaluation forms provided data for qualitative analysis from this two-phased process. Findings from the collaborative process indicated that all respondents felt empowered by the lived experiences of the participants with disabilities. The respondents embraced the ‘interactivity’ of collaboration as an innovative approach to teaching and learning. However, undergraduate student evaluations indicated that ‘within relationship communication’ and ‘collaborative capacity’ needed to be addressed. Although meaningful university–school–community collaboration should be encouraged, the process needs to be examined in the light of time, resources and previous experience of all participants. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study used a multiple probe design across behaviours to determine if four high school students with learning disabilities could plan post-school transition goals using a modified GO 4 IT ... NOW! intervention while learning essential paragraph and essay writing skills. The results of this study indicate a functional relationship between the intervention and increased writing skills needed for high-stakes testing and increases in students' knowledge of transition planning. During baseline, students produced extremely short essays and did not include essential paragraph elements. After instruction, students wrote longer compositions and included more details, and paragraphs contained more paragraph elements. All participants increased essay quality during the intervention as measured by the rubric used to evaluate end-of-instruction writing prompts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article shares the author's insights on the value of paraprofessionals in special education. He mentions the results of a study which focuses on the effectiveness of a collaborative teaching assignment between a special education teacher and a regular teacher. The author also emphasizes on the important role of paraprofessionals in providing effective learning on special education.

As a worldwide movement, some forms or stages of inclusive education have been experimented and/or mandated in various countries since the mid-1970s. Integration was piloted in Hong Kong in 1997 and remains the official rhetoric and policy. Three developmental phases of inclusive education, namely, integration, integration in transition to inclusion, and inclusion, are described in this article according to the defining characteristics of integration and inclusion. Issues in policies and practices as reported in various studies are described to illustrate the development of each phase in Hong Kong. Based on a critical review of the said defining characteristics, current policies and practices which offer insight into the indicators signifying the migration to inclusion, I argue that Hong Kong has entered the stage of inclusion and that it was achieved by public pressure for improvement of practices instead of policy directions. This article concludes with recommendations made to sustain effective practices of inclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]