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Social participation represent one of the major outcomes of inclusive education. Students with additional support needs often encountered negative attitudes of social acceptance exhibited by their typically developing peers hindering their social participation in the educational context. This study explored the multicomponent structure of Portuguese children's attitudes toward their peers with disabilities using a modified short form of the Chedoke-McMaster Attitudes toward Children with Handicaps scale (CATCH). In particular, this study aimed to: (1) determine the factor structure of the CATCH; and (2) evaluate the measurement invariance across age and gender. To identify the CATCH factor structure, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted on data collected from 1,038 children aged 8-18 years. Analyses revealed that a modified short form of the CATCH consisting of a 20- item measure with a three-factor structure displayed acceptable fit and internal consistency indices. This model proved to be invariant across groups. The Portuguese-modified short form of the CATCH, in which cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions are represented, has acceptable psychometric properties and the potential to evaluate the effectiveness of educational programs designed to improve children's attitudes.

Challenges arising from the classroom behavioral management of students with social, emotional and behavioral difficulties are a concern for educational professionals. The purpose of this study is to review common elements of behavior interventions for the disruptive behaviors of children with social, emotional and behavioral difficulties. A systematic review was conducted through an electronic search of studies (from 2000 to 2017) on ERIC, Web of Science, FRANCIS, and MEDLINE databases. The inclusion criteria involved: (i) an intervention improving behaviors at school of children with disruptive behaviors; (ii) elementary school children with the majority of the sample or average age between 6-11 years old; (iii) at least one measurable outcome focusing on social/emotional/behavioral outcomes; (iv) single-case designs. Of the 5339 articles that were identified in the initial screening, 27 met the criteria to be included in the review. Common characteristics of successful interventions are discussed to make recommendations for future implementation.

Participation is recognised as an important indicator of school inclusion and educational success of children with and without disabilities and one of the fundamental human rights. In particular, the participation in leisure activities plays a vital role in children's life and needs to be given a higher attention. The aim of the present exploratory study was to reflect on the inclusion of children with disabilities in Portuguese schools, by portraying and comparing their participation profiles in leisure activities to those of typically developing peers. The participation patterns in leisure activities of 61 children with disabilities and 114 children without disabilities were assessed. Results indicate that the pattern of participation of children with and without disabilities differs whether they are school or community-based activities. Regarding school-based activities, findings reveal that children with disabilities participate more frequently in these activities, but in solitary and constrained spaces at school compared to children without disabilities. For community contexts, our findings indicate that children with disabilities participate in less diverse activities than children without disabilities. In addition, the range of activities is correlated to their level of independence. This exploratory study contributes to an understanding of the pattern of participation of children with and without disabilities.

In keeping with the international trend towards inclusive education and a context-sensitive approach to students' needs, Portugal enacted, in 2008, a law that stipulated the use of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health for Children and Youth (ICF-CY) to inform special needs assessment and eligibility procedures. The necessity of conceptual and practical adjustments in the use of the ICF-CY brings up the need for training programmes that can properly prepare regular and special education teachers. This paper examines the impact of an in-service training for teachers on using the ICF-CY for describing the functioning profiles of students supported by special education services. A 25-hour in-service training was developed focusing on the biopsychosocial and person-environment fit perspectives of the ICF-CY framework. To evaluate the effects of training, 236 descriptions of functioning profiles--produced before and after the in-service training--were compared. Results showed that the model adopted in the in-service teacher training course contributed to the enhancement of teachers' skills in describing more comprehensive functioning profiles of students, reflecting a dynamic perspective among the ICF-CY components. Specifically, teachers were more able to describe the impact of the environment on student's functioning, identifying facilitators and barriers that may inform the definition of strategies in Individualized Education Programs.

Current Portuguese Public Law No. 3/2008 requires the use of the International Classification of Functioning, Health and Disability for Children and Youth (ICF-CY) as a reference framework to guide assessment and intervention procedures for students with additional support needs. This study explores whether the ICF-CY use fostered multidimensional and interrelational descriptions of students' needs, and enhanced the congruence between assessment data and intervention plans. Content analyses were conducted on a total of 198 Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) concerning 99 students. Two IEPs were compared for each student, one delineated before and the other designed after the mandatory ICF-CY usage. An analytic process was conceived to measure operational indicators of multidimensionality, interrelatedness and congruency in the descriptions written in the IEPs. The results indicate that the ICF-CY use has supported more complete portrayals of students' functioning, a broader emphasis on person-environment reciprocal influences, and greater individualised responses, linking goals and strategies to individual and environmental specific circumstances. It had not made an impact on the intervention procedures, namely on regard to multidimensionality and interrelatedness. The integration of the ICF-CY conceptual framework into the IEPs, as a stage of implementation that goes beyond the usage of its taxonomic structure, is discussed.

This paper reports the results of a national two-year project, commissioned by the Portuguese Ministry of Education, to investigate the implementation of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) under Decree-Law 3/2008. The Decree-Law also introduced the principle that the documentation of students' functioning profiles should be the basis for eligibility decision-making--replacing the need of a diagnosis. Of specific interest was the study of the ICF implementation in the assessment, eligibility and intervention processes of students in need of specialised supports. To that end, the study was based on a document analysis of case records of 214 students. The analysis of functioning profiles showed that the ICF use promoted a functional approach in students' assessment. In addition, the use of the ICF contributed to the differentiation of eligible and non-eligible students based on their functioning profiles and addressed the most suitable educational interventions within the Individualised Education Plans.

Portugal was the first country decreeing the mandatory use of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health: Child and Youth (ICF-CY) framework for guiding special education assessment process and to base eligibility decision-making on students' functioning profiles--in contrast with traditional approaches centred on medical diagnosis. Considering the conceptual and pragmatic adjustments underlying this change, this study intends to explore how the professionals involved in assessment procedures perceive the impact of the ICF-CY use. Inscribed in an external evaluation commissioned by the Portuguese Ministry of Education, a content analysis was conducted over 33 focus groups composed of 192 educational professionals selected from a stratified random sampling design. Professionals' opinions revealed that the ICF-CY use supported a better understanding of students' functioning by prompting the description of the environmental influence on students' participation. Challenges were pointed out regarding the ICF-CY use, namely: (1) the need of assessment tools that can provide information about the environmental influences on students' functioning; (2) the establishment of collaboration mechanisms between professionals; and (3) the professionals' ICF-CY training. Based on these three challenges/dimensions, recommendations were drawn in order to prompt a multidimensional approach on educational assessment and intervention planning.

The Individualised Education Programme (IEP) is a fundamental document that describes all educational responses to the additional support needs of students, setting up the guideline for their learning and developmental experiences. Specifically, the IEP goals represent the personal destination translated into desirable behaviours and skills that will enable students with additional support needs to meet their educational and functional needs. This paper analysis the quality of the 2497 IEP goals established for 135 Portuguese students with additional support needs and their fit to the students' level of severity and educational level. The quality of IEP goals was measured using the "Revised IFSP/IEP Goals and Objectives Rating Instrument" and the content was categorised in reference to the "International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, version for Children and Youth." Findings showed that goals are generally poorly written, particularly in terms of their measurability and that their quality decreases as students' progress in education. Results also showed that IEP goals for students with a highly individualised curriculum do not attend to their needs of more functional contents. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for teacher training.

Purpose: Evaluating the influence of person-environment interactions on students' performance is a fundamental requirement for planning individualized educational interventions. Such understanding grounded the use of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health as a reference framework to support special needs assessment in the Portuguese educational system. This study sought to investigate the extent to which special education teams reported relationships between Body Functions, Activities and Participation, and Environmental Factors in Individualized Education Programmes for students with additional support needs and what types of relations were mostly described. Materials and methods: Using content analysis, 176 Individualized Education Programmes were examined. A coding scheme based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health was developed to categorize and quantify code-relations. Results and conclusions: Code-relations consisted in 6.1% out of the total of meaning units found in textual segments concerning assessment and intervention processes. Code-relations were chiefly focused on mental functions, learning and applying knowledge, and products and technology. Intervention plans were predominantly presented as separate lists of goals and strategies, focusing Activities and Participation (67.8%), Body Functions (16.1%) and Environmental Factors (16.2%). Within the reduced amount of contents in which there was a match between goals and strategies, only 8.2% were directly connected with assessment data. Recommendations are made for the implementation of an interactive approach when using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health in educational contexts. The adoption of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health in the educational context goes beyond the use of a universal language including, as well, the potential to foster a multidimensional and comprehensive approach to students' needs. Professionals' approach in special needs assessment is often partial and segmented, suggesting a narrow understanding of the relationships between body functions, activities and participation, and environmental factors. Our findings support the need for an expanded focus on person–environment interactions, considering students' participation in different domains of life – besides learning – as well as the impact of environmental barriers over students' participation; Training programmes centred on a biopsychosocial understanding of human functioning, the establishment of a transdisciplinary collaborative culture and the use of dynamic assessment tools may equip professionals with appropriate conditions to use the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health within an interactive perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In keeping with the international trend towards inclusive education and a context-sensitive approach to students’ needs, Portugal enacted, in 2008, a law that stipulated the use of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health for Children and Youth (ICF-CY) to inform special needs assessment and eligibility procedures. The necessity of conceptual and practical adjustments in the use of the ICF-CY brings up the need for training programmes that can properly prepare regular and special education teachers. This paper examines the impact of an in-service training for teachers on using the ICF-CY for describing the functioning profiles of students supported by special education services. A 25-hour in-service training was developed focusing on the biopsychosocial and person-environment fit perspectives of the ICF-CY framework. To evaluate the effects of training, 236 descriptions of functioning profiles - produced before and after the in-service training - were compared. Results showed that the model adopted in the in-service teacher training course contributed to the enhancement of teachers’ skills in describing more comprehensive functioning profiles of students, reflecting a dynamic perspective among the ICF-CY components. Specifically, teachers were more able to describe the impact of the environment on student's functioning, identifying facilitators and barriers that may inform the definition of strategies in Individualized Education Programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current Portuguese Public Law No. 3/2008 requires the use of the International Classification of Functioning, Health and Disability for Children and Youth (ICF-CY) as a reference framework to guide assessment and intervention procedures for students with additional support needs. This study explores whether the ICF-CY use fostered multidimensional and interrelational descriptions of students’ needs, and enhanced the congruence between assessment data and intervention plans. Content analyses were conducted on a total of 198 Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) concerning 99 students. Two IEPs were compared for each student, one delineated before and the other designed after the mandatory ICF-CY usage. An analytic process was conceived to measure operational indicators of multidimensionality, interrelatedness and congruency in the descriptions written in the IEPs. The results indicate that the ICF-CY use has supported more complete portrayals of students’ functioning, a broader emphasis on person–environment reciprocal influences, and greater individualised responses, linking goals and strategies to individual and environmental specific circumstances. It had not made an impact on the intervention procedures, namely on regard to multidimensionality and interrelatedness. The integration of the ICF-CY conceptual framework into the IEPs, as a stage of implementation that goes beyond the usage of its taxonomic structure, is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper reports the results of a national two-year project, commissioned by the Portuguese Ministry of Education, to investigate the implementation of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) under Decree-Law 3/2008. The Decree-Law also introduced the principle that the documentation of students' functioning profiles should be the basis for eligibility decision-making – replacing the need of a diagnosis. Of specific interest was the study of the ICF implementation in the assessment, eligibility and intervention processes of students in need of specialised supports. To that end, the study was based on a document analysis of case records of 214 students. The analysis of functioning profiles showed that the ICF use promoted a functional approach in students' assessment. In addition, the use of the ICF contributed to the differentiation of eligible and non-eligible students based on their functioning profiles and addressed the most suitable educational interventions within the Individualised Education Plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) was introduced in Portuguese education law as the compulsory system to guide eligibility policy and practice in special education. This paper describes the implementation of the ICF and its utility in the assessment process and eligibility determination of students for special education. Methods: A study to evaluate the utility of the ICF was commissioned by the Portuguese Ministry of Education and carried out by an external evaluation team. A document analysis was made of the assessment and eligibility processes of 237 students, selected from a nationally representative sample. Results: The results provided support for the use of the ICF in student assessment and in the multidimensional approach of generating student functioning profiles as the basis for determining eligibility. The use of the ICF contributed to the differentiation of eligible and non eligible students based on their functioning profiles. Conclusions: The findings demonstrate the applicability of the ICF framework and classification system for determining eligibility for special education services on the basis of student functioning rather than medical or psychological diagnose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]