An alternating treatments design was used to compare the effectiveness of activity-based intervention and didactic instruction to teach sight word reading to four young children with developmental delays attending an inclusive child care centre. Following the collection of baseline measures, the two interventions, counterbalanced for word lists and order of intervention, were implemented twice a week for six weeks. Acquisition of the sight words was assessed by the interventionist in pre-teaching probes and also by a special education teacher known to the children but independent of the research team. Maintenance data were collected three weeks after the intervention was completed. The results indicated that there were no differences between the two instructional approaches in relation to acquisition and maintenance of sight word reading for three of the four children. Features of each intervention and the implications of the findings are discussed.

While teachers and researchers of students with disability are commonly interested in individual students and their progress towards individualised goals, traditional approaches to educational research that aim to illustrate generalisation between cause and effect are still commonly used. Traditional approaches, such as group-comparison designs, are used to demonstrate improved performance for the average student; however, they also obscure individual student data. Within special and inclusive education, single-subject designs may provide more appropriate conclusions to particular types of questions than traditional research methods as they allow for the examination of a functional relationship between the dependent and independent variables and rely on the participant serving as their own control. This article provides a summary of the use of single-subject designs within the field of special education over time and the findings of a systematic review conducted according to the PRISMA statement are presented. Through this systematic review, published articles from 7 prominent special education journals that involved intervention for school-aged students with disability were examined. In addition, a sample of exemplar studies that have employed single-subject designs are discussed.

There is an absence of research into online friendships and video gaming activities of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In this article we describe how friendships of students with ASD were developed in an online multiplayer context using the popular sandbox game, Minecraft. Multimodal analysis of the data demonstrated that online multiplayer gaming supported students’ use of speech to engage in conversations about their friendships, and to share gaming experiences with their offline and online friends. Online gaming enabled students to visually gather information about their friends’ online status and activities, and to engage in the creative and adventurous use of virtual images and material representations with friends. Despite the benefits for friendships, students with ASD experienced difficulties in friendships in multimodal ways. Notably, students engaged in verbal disagreements about video gaming discourses, sought out activities associated with the themes of death and damage using written text, and tended to dominate shared creations of virtual images and their representation. The findings have implications to better support the friendships of students through inclusive literacy practices online.

The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of using a tactile cued self-monitoring device (Watchminder) and a self-recording booklet to improve the on-task behaviour of three primary aged students with disabilities during independent work. A multiple baseline across students with reversal design was used. Two of three participants made clinically significant improvements in on-task behaviour, replicating prior research which found that reactivity from self-monitoring is idiosyncratic to student characteristics. No consistent relationship between self-monitoring accuracy and reactivity was apparent.

Children who are admitted to hospital for short or long periods of time are affected by the medical circumstances in which they find themselves, but they are also disadvantaged by their inability to continue attending their local schools. In many Western countries, hospital school services are provided to meet the needs of this group of special students. This paper overviews the development of hospital school services, the role they play in the medical and educational welfare of hospitalised children, and the importance of their existence in fulfilling the social justice goal of education for all students.

Much of current inclusive education provision in Australian secondary schools relies on ‘specialist’ support from outside the classroom. Students with diverse abilities are placed within the regular classroom and additional specialist services such as therapy, counselling, psychological assessment and special education teaching are required to support their placement. This form of support often relies upon a diagnostic – prescriptive approach where the specialist assumes responsibility for and has a central role in shaping practices. In this paper, we raise issues regarding this model of specialist support in enacting effective inclusive practices in secondary schools. We suggest that one alternative is to shift the focus from the students who are different, to the community of learners in the school. This alternative approach uses collaborative and evidence-based practices to support inclusive ideals and grounds improvement efforts in changes in teachers’ knowledge as well as the cultural and organisational conditions of the school. The purpose of this paper is to prompt further discussion amongst professional community regarding the unique challenges and issues of inclusive practices in secondary schools.

With an increasing number of students with special needs being included in regular classroom environments, consideration of, and planning for, a smooth transition between different school settings is important for parents, classroom teachers and school administrators. The transition between primary and secondary school can be difficult for students with special needs, particularly in the areas of organisation and social interaction. Technology can be used to assist students to make this transition more effectively and may work to minimise any difficulties involved in the transition. In this article the authors describe transition considerations, and technology use for students with special needs and how technology may be used to address transition issues. The authors conclude by detailing the initial development process of a mobile-optimised website to support students with special needs who are transitioning from a primary to secondary environment in an Australian context. Future directions for the use of the website are explored.

A review of research into the acquisition of phonological awareness skills in individuals with intellectual disabilities, the relationship between phonological awareness and reading in these individuals and the effect of phonological awareness training on the development of their phonological skills is presented. Research indicates that children with intellectual disabilities may take a different path to that of typically developing children in the acquisition of phonological skills. Despite this, there is more similarity than difference between the two groups in the relationship between phonological awareness and the acquisition of reading, the indication being that there is a positive relationship between phonological awareness and reading acquisition for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Moreover, the components of phonological awareness that can be associated with the acquisition of reading are similar for both groups. Limited data indicate that, as with typically developing children, the reading related skills of individuals with intellectual disabilities can be developed through explicit instruction that includes a phonological awareness component.

This study investigated the transition of 314 children with disabilities to mainstream kindergarten classes in state schools in New South Wales from the perspectives of parents, sending service providers and receiving teachers. Results indicated that the majority of parents and kindergarten teachers considered the transition and early integration to have been successful, regardless of the child’s disability or the severity of the disability. The factors that related positively and significantly to teacher perception of successful integration were (a) receiving school attitude and school community acceptance of the integrated child, (b) receiving teacher perception of the adequacy of the support received, (c) preparation of the child for the mainstream school placement, specifically classroom skills and self-help skills, (d) preparation of parents of other children in the class, and (e) receiving teacher perception of the value of liaising with parents. The implications of this research for planning and programming for transition to school for young children with disabilities are discussed.

This paper will address issues associated with the use of suspension and exclusion as an intervention for dealing with disruptive behaviour in schools, with a particular focus on secondary students in Western Australia. There is increasing support for the view that many of the students suspended or excluded from school for disruptive behaviour may be socially/emotionally handicapped and as such are being denied access to an appropriate education on the basis of their handicapping condition. The legal and service delivery implications of this position are discussed within the context of current Australian special education policy and international agreements pertaining to the educational rights of children.

This study compared the prelinguistic communicative behaviors of a boy with developmental delay (aged three years and three months) during structured and low structured interactions with his teacher. Using a videotaped analysis procedure developed by Tait and Wood (1987) four variables (eye contact to the speaker, eye contact to the referent, initiation and turntaking) were investigated. The analysis showed that, in the low structured condition, there was a greater degree of engagement, as measured by increased eye contact overall. More particularly, in this condition there was a greater percentage of eye contact to the referent. In addition to this, the participant took a greater percentage of the conversational turns offered to him by the adult in the low structured condition, although there was no difference between the types of turns taken (vocal, gestural and eye contact). The implications of these results for assessment and intervention are discussed.

In this study the authors aimed to examine the differentiability of 5 factors that preschool teachers may perceive as essential for successful implementation of inclusive education in regular classrooms. The 5 hypothetically influential factors were teamwork, curriculum, school support, government support, and stakeholders’ attitudes. Teachers from half-day kindergarten and full-day childcare centre settings in Hong Kong with varying teaching experience were surveyed (N = 461). Confirmatory factor analysis defined the 5 distinct factors, all of which displayed high scores (Ms > 4 on a 5-point scale). A 2 (experience: low; high) x 2 (school type: half-day kindergarten; full-day childcare centre settings) multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) found some subtle group differences. Less experienced teachers found stakeholders’ attitudes to be important, and more so than more experienced teachers, whereas full-day childcare centre teachers found teamwork, curriculum, and stakeholders’ attitudes more important than did half-day kindergarten teachers. The findings imply that whereas all 5 factors are perceived by teachers as important for the success of inclusive education, some factors are of greater concern to teachers working in full-day childcare centres than teachers working in half-day kindergartens. The findings provide advice on how best to allocate limited resources across settings with the intention of promoting inclusive education.

In many Western countries in the past two decades, there has been considerable general education reform, typically with increased educational accountability through national reporting. The major features of this accountability process, as it has occurred in the United States, are described, with an emphasis on what this has meant for students with a disability. Key features of the process include the provision of significant federal funding contingent on the achievement of specified outcomes; the introduction of a widespread testing regime using standards-based assessment and the reporting of these outcomes at the state, district and school level; and providing access to the regular curriculum to students with a disability unless there is a good reason not to do so. The education reform process in Australia is also described and contrasted with the US movement. A conclusion of the discussion is that the Australian states and territories have been reluctant participants in the reporting process for students with a disability, and that leadership by the Commonwealth is the only likely avenue by which improvements in reporting for these students may come about.

It is axiomatic that people with intellectual disabilities have the same human and civil rights to education as other citizens and that they must therefore have the same opportunities to attend their local schools and educational facilities. This is a fine vision. But it is far from the reality experienced by the majority of people with intellectual disabilities across the world.

No country in the world has reason to be satisfied with the quality of the educational facilities which it provides for people with intellectual disabilities. But enough examples of good practice exist in different countries to make it possible for all of us to reappraise ways in which a higher quality of inclusive education and schooling could be provided for people with intellectual disabilities and the contribution that we can make personally and professionally to that process.

In the field of intellectual disabilities, we need to define education in very broad terms as anything which systematically promotes learning and development. Defined in this way, education is a lifelong process which neither begins nor ends with schooling. Similarly, it is carried out by many people who are not teachers. Parents are at the heart of this process from the outset. The years spent at school are clearly of vital importance but they are only one element of the educational process. There is a sense in which all work with people with intellectual disabilities is educational, whatever the setting, in so far as it helps them to learn and to develop knowledge, skills and understanding.

In the United States, a certain percentage of the students cannot meet certain requirements of the school. A portion of these students (approximately 12% of the total school population) are identified as having some handicapping condition, i.e. deaf, blind, mentally retarded, learning disabled, emotionally disturbed, or orthopedically handicapped. Many of these identified students with mild to moderate handicaps are served in resource programs. When placed in a resource program, students also receive a portion of their academic instruction in a regular education classroom. Special education resource teachers support the regular program efforts by providing specific assessment of the students academic and social/emotional abilities, some direct instruction to the student, as well as consultation with regular classroom teachers, parents, and other specialists concerned with a student’s progress.

Since the early 1970s special education courses at graduate and post-graduate levels have become standard offerings at many Australian universities. As these courses continue to be the main avenue of professional development for special educators in this country, it is pertinent to wonder how often the objectives and content of the courses are examined and revised to ensure contemporary relevance. It must be recognized that the field of special education appears to be in what Tomlinson (1982, p.24) has described as a ‘permanently dynamic state’, with frequent changes in policy, service delivery, roles and responsibilities. The roles and responsibilities of special educators have certainly changed significantly during the past decade (Watts, 1990; Dyson, 1991), and the earlier studies of essential competencies required by special education teachers (e.g. Whitmore,1982; Scott, 1983; Davis, 1983) may not provide reliable data on which to design current courses. There has been renewed interest overseas in the issue of what constitutes essential knowledge and skills for teachers working in special education (Best, 1988; Ramsey & Algozzine, 1991; Ramsey, Algozzine & Smith, 1990; Glomb & Morgan, 1991; Folio, 1990; Cannon, Idol & West, 1992; Reynolds, Wang & Walberg, 1992; Swan & Sirvis, 1992), and it is worth analysing some of this material to determine its relevance for the Australian context. The information could well prove useful as a basis for evaluating special education courses here.

A survey of the prevalence and needs of exceptional students was carried out in Queensland Catholic primary (n = 195) and secondary (n = 40) schools. Within the overall population surveyed 3.13% possessed disabilities, 3.83% behavioural difficulties, 4.19% advanced learning characteristics, and 12.80% learning difficulties. The survey indicated that support services fell short of the demand, particularly for students with behavioural difficulties and those considered to be advanced learners. The data obtained was of the same order as that found in other state, national and international studies. The majority of principals and teachers interviewed held positive attitudes towards integration. However, this was qualified by a strong press for additional professional support, inservice training, and resources to enable the necessary enhancement of the educational experiences being offered. The survey identified a continuing need for communication and cooperation with state and private agencies and the desirability of developing a system which marshalls the available resources, both regular and special, into an efficient and feasible service delivery operation.

Technical assistance may be defined as help from an outside agency designed to improve the competence of educational service delivery personnel by increasing their planning, management and organisational or programmatic skills as applied to tasks of service delivery to pupils. Such assistance may function within and between the federal, state or regional levels of governments, tertiary institutions, schools and other agencies concerned with educational service delivery. The limitations of traditional ‘ad hoc’ consultation systems are discussed and a formal model for technical asssistance delivery is proposed. It is argued that a realistic service would combine both formal and informal elements and would include problem analyses, development of inservice training curricula, the conduct of surveys and service needs, assessment, development and review of publications, design and conduct of evaluations, assistance to apply new techniques of service and other means of translating knowledge into practice.

There are various models for supporting students with disability and their teachers in mainstream schools. In New South Wales, each school has a learning and support teacher allocation and the New South Wales Department of Education recommends each school have a learning support team. This paper draws on in-depth interviews with school staff from 22 schools, including 16 learning and support teachers, 20 class teachers, 25 school executives and other stakeholders. We report here on the role of learning and support teachers and learning support teams in planning, implementing and evaluating adjustments and on the operation of learning support teams. Qualitative analysis of the interview transcripts revealed two kinds of learning support teams: those that focus on a particular student and those that oversee the education and resource provision for all students with disability in a school. Some teams had more of a focus on administration and resourcing, while others dealt more with educational adjustments. Similarly, some learning and support teachers were more involved in administrative and liaison roles, while others were more active in supporting teachers and providing services directly to students. The most detailed descriptions of support were provided by learning and support teachers with special education qualifications.