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Recent research indicates that the transition from primary to secondary school is an important step in students' lives. Although this step is often expected to be even more challenging for autistic students, there are new hints that the transition could also be an opportunity and not necessarily a negative period. Sixteen autistic students in France were interviewed three times during their first year of secondary school (6th grade) regarding their transition to secondary school. They presented a positive self-image and preferred secondary school over primary school for various reasons. They focused on their everyday life in secondary school rather than problematising the transition, which in most cases had been planned and prepared by the adults in their life. Their positive experiences and unique views on the transition and the first year of secondary school could contribute to a more optimistic and inclusive transition planning. Therefore, the study provides original accounts from a group of participants who are often neither involved in transition planning nor in transition research.

Macro- and microscopic evaluation of feed includes detection of animal proteins, botanical ingredients and impurities, and prohibited ingredients such as packaging material (PM), according to Regulation (EC) 767/2009. In addition, detection of micro-plastics (possible degradation products of some of the PM) is getting attention. PM can harm animals or disturb their feed intake, pollute the environment, and are considered as undesired impurities in feeds. These materials do not consist of a definite molecule, group of molecules, living species or definite bodies. They can be plastic foil, hard plastic, metal pieces, paper, wood or some combination of materials. Their features (sharp, pointed) can be as important as the material itself. This is a typical topic for microscopy detection and evaluation. This short review presents the work done on detection of PM in 15 monitoring entities (institute, laboratories). Since 2011, some institutes have analysed more than 20 samples each year and the incidence of non-compliant samples will be presented here. Thirteen out of 15 entities have an active monitoring, whereas others have passive surveillance (done while performing other microscopy analyses). The protocols used by the different entities depend on sample types and analysts, highlighting a need for harmonisation. Highlights: Former food products as ingredients for animal feed reduce food losses but contain residues of packaging material (PM). The microscopic examination and evaluation of feeds contribute to the safety of ingredients issued from food re-cycling and by-products valorisation. The lack of a prescribed method and limit of tolerance for PM cause variability in survey results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition from primary to secondary school is a challenge, particularly for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). International studies report the perceptions and experiences of different involved stakeholders during the primary-secondary transition in this specific context. Since the 1980s, the French education system has put in place mechanisms to promote inclusive education. The research takes place in this context in order to contribute to the corpus of international studies. French students with ASD and their parents were interviewed about their perceptions and experiences regarding the transition. The semi-structured interviews were analysed through qualitative content analysis. The findings identify the perceptions of the different participants, as well as useful strategies and typical obstacles. However, the uniqueness of each case does not allow for one-size-fits-all recommendations, but rather to tailor the transition planning and procedure for each involved stakeholder.

After being wrongfully blamed for their child's disturbances, French parents of a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are now perceived as essential partners of care professionals. This shift in perspective has encouraged the development of parent training programs in the field of autism. In this paper, we present three programs currently implemented in France for parents of a child with ASD. We investigated their social validity, from the parents' perspective. All three programs showed good social validity: attendance rate was good and parents were satisfied. In France, like elsewhere, more parents should be given the opportunity to participate in such programs to help them deal with the specific challenges of raising a child with ASD.

The transition from primary to secondary school is a sensitive phase in the life of a child, especially within vulnerable groups such as children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). ASD characteristics, such as the refusal to change or social interaction difficulties, present challenges to the transition not only for the students themselves, but also for their parents and the teachers involved in the transition process. For the literature review, 16 studies focusing on the primary-secondary transition for children with ASD were selected. Based on criteria existing in the literature for students without special needs, the selected articles were analyzed for identifying factors that enable a successful transition for children with ASD. The literature review confirms these criteria to a major extent, but also modifies and adds new criteria, which involve all main stakeholders and the transition preparation. Both are of crucial importance for students with ASD. These new criteria enable the evaluation of the primary-secondary transition of children with ASD and provide starting points for further research in order to better understand and improve the situation of students with ASD in mainstream education settings.

The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of explicit instruction, compared to constructivist instruction, in teaching subtraction in schools with a high concentration of students from a disadvantaged social background: eighty-seven second graders (mean age in months = 90.95, SD = 5.30). Two groups received explicit versus constructivist instruction during 5 weeks. Pre- and posttest analyses were conducted to compare the effects of the instruction type on subtraction skills taught through the partitioning subtraction method. Results showed that although all students progressed between both evaluations, those who received explicit instruction performed better. The findings from this study suggest that explicit instruction teaching is a promising approach in supporting the learning of mathematical knowledge for low-achieving students from disadvantaged social background. A larger scale study comparing the outcomes of children from different socioeconomic backgrounds would be needed to extend the applicability of the positive effects of this study.

Research on how adults react to receiving an autism diagnosis is focused on the United States or the United Kingdom context even though cultural differences might have an impact on these experiences. Few interventions for autistic adults exist, and when they do, they are often described as inappropriate. Our study aimed to explore the experiences of French adults diagnosed with autism and the needs they identified following this diagnosis as well as to ask them directly what type of interventions they would have wanted. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 adults and identified three recurring themes: (1) reactions to the diagnosis, (2) relations with others and society, and (3) wants and needs. Results indicated that some experiences were congruent with existing Anglophone literature, while others were heavily influenced by the specific cultural context. Our participants also highlighted a number of unmet needs and offered suggestions for adequate interventions. Adults receiving an autism diagnosis might not react the same depending on their countries or cultures. We also know that autistic people are rarely asked what they think would be best for them following this diagnosis. In this study, we asked 12 French autistic adults about their experiences of receiving an autism diagnosis as well as what they thought might be useful afterwards. Overall, we found that some experiences were similar to experiences related by English or American participants, but some were specific to the French culture, suggesting that such research should expand into new territories and cultures, especially non-European ones. Our participants also had quite a few ideas as to what would be useful for people in the same situation. Some of the suggestions can be put into action by peers and professionals alike, while others are wishes relating to how our participants would like society to behave toward them and people like them, for example. This article allows for a better comprehension of how cultural differences can impact the experience of receiving an autism diagnosis as an adult and provides some insight into what these adults want and desire following such a diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]