Warm greetings to all readers of AJSE. I am delighted to introduce Issue 1 for 2015 by announcing the appointment of Associate Professor Umesh Sharma as Joint Editor-in-Chief with me effective from this Issue. Umesh is a highly regarded academic at Monash University with a particular reputation in teacher education and inclusive education. He is internationally known for his work in many countries progressing the effective education of students with a wide range of additional needs, and the teachers and families who support them. I am honoured to work with Umesh and I know that with Genevieve, the staff at Cambridge University Press, Colleen and the AASE National Council, we will see the journal continue to thrive into the future.

The components of quality educational planning for students with moderate and severe intellectual disability are well established, but schools and special educators may not always achieve a desirable standard. This article reports on the change in quality of documentation related to individual planning and programming over a span of 4 years in a special school enrolling high-school-aged students with moderate to severe intellectual disability. The school implemented a program of professional learning, led by school staff, directed at improving planning and programming. There were significant changes in the quality of short-term goals and documentation of teaching programs. There was an increase in the quality of long-term goals but this did not reach significance. Instructional objectives were introduced in the final year of the study, and were not part of previous documentation. There was no evidence of implementation of formal monitoring procedures over the time span of the study. The difficulties observed and the changes as a result of the professional learning reflect those reported elsewhere in the literature, and demonstrate that a school commitment to improving program quality can have positive results.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, its diagnosis and its treatment have been controversial since the 1970s (Kean, 2012), with opinions differing with respect to the diagnostic process, whether it in fact exists, or if it is an excuse for poor parenting and teaching (Maras, Redmayne, Hall, Braithwaite, & Prior, 1997). There are currently few studies that directly examine demographic characteristics as an indicator of teacher knowledge of ADHD and their attitudes towards ADHD-type behaviours. In this pilot study of teachers in Sydney public schools, we examined teacher knowledge about ADHD, their attitudes towards students who exhibit behaviours associated with ADHD, and the impact of demographic characteristics on their opinions and attitudes. We set out to discover the levels of overall knowledge teachers possess regarding ADHD, the attitudes teachers hold towards ADHD and its associated inattentive/hyperactive behaviours, and if any demographic characteristics can predict these attitudes.

Exploratory factor analysis and multiple regression analysis were performed to establish the existence of groups of variables with respect to teacher knowledge of ADHD and teacher attitudes towards ADHD-type behaviours and any demographic predictors of teacher attitudes. Analysis showed that, overall, teachers exhibit an adequate (50–85% correct responses to knowledge test questions) knowledge of ADHD, but less sound knowledge in some areas than others, for example, aetiology. Analysis also demonstrated that there are some significant demographic predictors of teacher attitudes; however, further research is needed to verify these preliminary findings.

Decades of research on social skills assessment and intervention indicates the importance of social skills in improving academic achievement. Additionally, a strong evidence base promotes the inclusion of social–emotional learning into the whole school curriculum. In recognition of this evidence, the new Australian Curriculum, under Personal and social capability, calls for students to develop social skills. For many students with additional needs, it is hoped that the development of social skills will enable increased connectedness and a greater sense of inclusion. To meet developmental expectations of social skills, teachers need to measure these skills, develop effective teaching strategies for them, and evaluate their progress. The multi-tiered assessment and intervention components of the Social Skills Improvement System (SSiS; Elliott & Gresham, 2007) seem to offer a comprehensive system to support this process (Elliott, Frey, & Davies, in press).

Identifying and using preferred items and activities to increase motivation and participation of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been an important and frequently used intervention strategy. Preferred objects, typically identified through a preference assessment, are most frequently used during instruction as reinforcers. These objects may be offered contingent upon a correct response or following a set period of work or may be made available continuously by incorporating them into the learning task. This alternating treatment design study examined the effects of offering preferred items during a word-learning task on learning and on-task behaviour under 2 conditions: following the completion of a set of learning trials (sequential) or continuously during a set of learning trials (embedded). Participants were 3 children with ASD aged 3–5 years. Results showed that children were more on task when preferred items were embedded, but the sequential condition led to superior learning of target behaviours for 2 of the children. Implications of using preferred items to enhance learning and on-task behaviour are discussed.

Hearing parents of deaf children face stresses and demands related to parenting a deaf child, including difficult choices about language, technologies, education and identity for their children (Marschark, 1997). To date, few researchers have discussed the unique challenges faced by this group. Through a series of semistructured, in-depth interviews with 18 parents, this study investigated the experiences of hearing parents of deaf children spanning various life stages. A phenomenological approach identified 5 themes most pertinent to understanding their experiences. Each theme offers insight, particularly for professionals, into the distinctive issues that might arise at the time of diagnosis of deafness and reveals the challenges hearing parents face when confronted with a barrage of decisions, including choice of oral or sign language, mainstream or special deaf education, and identity with the hearing or Deaf community. The central message from this work is to inform hearing parents of deaf children and professionals working with these parents of the likely challenges that they may face.

Although home–school collaborations are important for inclusive education, most studies have identified the problems experienced by parents whose children have additional special needs. The aim of this study was to present the views of Australian parents, with children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, regarding what they considered to be the enablers for inclusion, within the context of their experiences of a program of support in inclusive schools (a Victorian State Government initiative called the Inclusion Support Program). Four focus group interviews were conducted, within a phenomenological, qualitative paradigm, with 14 mothers, in rural and urban primary and secondary public schools. Parents identified various innovations including the provision of a safe space, structured school and free time, flexibility around timetable, curriculum and staffing and the provision of socially attractive activities. Another theme was the potential for schools to be a ‘catalyst point’ to bring together parents, teachers and community agencies. The importance of eliciting parental expertise is highlighted here.