The Literature on the effects of segregated vs. integrated school experience for mildly intellectually handicapped children is considered in the light of four questions: (1) What is the effect upon the person of being labelled and segregated? (2) Does segregation provide a better learning experience? (3) Does segregation provide for better social and emotional adjustment? and (4) What alternatives are available? In general, the literature supports the view that integration is more desirable both in terms of intellectual and emotional gain.

The history of special education is conceived within the integration debate in a way which lends credibility to two broad claims. The first is that governments have been lax in providing educational facilities for children with disabilities, while the second comprises an argument for shifting definitional control of the notion of ‘disability’ from the medical to the educational arena. The recent Report to the Australian Schools Commission on Integration in Australia exemplifies this stance by pointing to the initial reluctance of governments to assume responsibility for educating children with special needs, followed by their eventual involvement in establishing segregated educational facilities. With segregated schooling becoming the norm, the problem now confronting educators is how to integrate these students and their supporting resources into the regular school system.

Facilitating the learning and engagement of students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in any classroom can be challenging. In this study, we examined the use of online daily behaviour report card (DBRC) to decrease off-task behaviour in students with ADHD who were studying at a public school for at-risk youths in Singapore. Using a multiple baseline design across participants, the study involved 3 adolescents with ADHD who exhibited a high level of off-task behaviour and had received numerous office discipline referrals. Aside from the involvement of classroom teachers, the online DBRC intervention was modified to involve an additional school mentor who supported the parents in monitoring and guiding the students. Results indicated that the online DBRC intervention had been effective in decreasing off-task behaviour in the 3 students. Implications of findings and directions for future studies are discussed.

Classroom management remains one of the greatest challenges for teachers. In this study, with 52 general and special education teachers, we examined the effectiveness of a screencast-delivered professional development program focused on classroom management practices in the first 3 days of school. Results suggest that after participating in the program, teachers report a positive change to the start of their school year across 12 different areas. Further, teachers’ classroom management self-efficacy increased significantly after completing the program, and there was a significant correlation (r = .41) between increases in classroom management self-efficacy and rate of implementation of new practices. Implications for practitioners and future directions for research are included.

This paper focuses on the concerns facing families of young children with disabilities as their child approaches transition to school. Three families were interviewed to gain insight into a) their feelings and concerns about their child’s transition to school, b) their understanding of the supports that currently exist and those that are needed to facilitate transition, and c) the influence of society on the development of the family’s values and attitudes which affect decisions about transition to school.

The results of the three interviews confirm earlier research findings which indicate the necessity to involve parents fully in the transition to school planning process. The anxiety and stress expressed by these families highlights the need for systematic planning, regular communication with families about the processes available to support them and the provision of opportunities to share information about their child with staff in the school setting.

By listening and reflecting on the feelings and concerns expressed by these three families, the complexity of the transition to school period is highlighted. Each family’s uniqueness needs to be respected. The perceptions they have developed about the situation, guide their beliefs and actions at this time. Such perceptions develop over time resulting from previous experiences, the influence of friends and family, and the attitudes and acceptance of members of the community.

Resource Teachers: Learning and Behaviour (RTLB) work with teachers to identify learning and behaviour needs of students who experience barriers to educational success. The language RTLB use can have a significant impact on teachers’ response to the inclusion of students with special learning needs and is key to improving educational outcomes for all learners. We examined the extent to which RTLB in New Zealand used inclusive, strengths-based language in initial meetings with teachers and whether shifts could be made through professional learning and development (PLD). Data collected included audio recordings, transcripts of initial meetings pre- and post-PLD, RTLB reflections on both transcripts, and questionnaires. Results indicate limited use of inclusive, strengths-based language prior to PLD. However, PLD that provided targeted opportunities to reflect on evidence of language behaviour and to practise requisite skills markedly increased RTLB awareness, knowledge, and skills with respect to inclusive, strengths-based language. Findings indicate that change often requires disrupting long-held beliefs and practices and a need for evidence of these to be able to do so. The findings have implications for the type of in-depth PLD needed to facilitate change in the language RTLB use when working with teachers.

A demonstration study is described in which self-recording was implemented with an upper primary class of ten children with learning difficulties. Following a baseline period, an alternating conditions design was employed which demonstrated a mean rise in on-task behaviour of 10% as a result of the self-recording intervention employed.

In the last decade, the 1980s, we have witnessed the consolidation and maturing of Special Education, a far cry from the post-Karmel era which saw a frantic rush to expand Australian Special Education, particularly in the area of teacher preparation. It is an appropriate time to review some of the key topics and issues which have shaped Special Education in Australia in the last decade and it should be a useful exercise, on the basis of mat review, to make recommendations for the next decade.

One of the first steps toward meeting the educational needs of the increasing number of students who display high risk behaviours is to identify who these students are and how many exist in public school classrooms. The purpose of the present study was twofold in nature: (a) to use teacher ratings to determine the proportion of students who were judged to be high risk for academic and social behaviour failure; and (b) to determine the efficiency and accuracy with which a screening instrument, the High Risk Screening Survey, could determine the proportion of students judged to be high risk. This paper provides a preliminary examination of the usefulness and efficiency of teacher reports and the High Risk Screening Survey. Three hundred and nine teachers, representing 29 schools in a large metropolitan area in Western Australia, rated 8,722 students in preschool and first through seventh grades. Preliminary field validation results indicated that the High Risk Screening Survey appeared to be an efficient, useful, and descriptive tool for assessing the general risk status of students in preschool and grades one through seven. In addition, across seven variables, most students were seen by their teachers as about or above average; in reading, math, and language arts, approximately 7% of all students were judged by their teachers as significantly behind their peers; and in self-management and social interactions with peers and adults, approximately 2% of students were judged by their teachers as significantly behind their peers. Additional findings, limitations, and recommendations are discussed.

Schools today are faced with an increase in problem behavior. Behavioral challenges often take extreme forms such as violence and aggression toward teachers and students. Even minor behaviors such as non-compliance are becoming chronic to the point of limiting educator’s ability to effectively teach. For a myriad of reasons, traditional “discipline” procedures are not effective in re-directing students toward more appropriate behavior. This article outlines and describes features of an alternative model that encourages educators to move from a reactive, consequent based system of behavior management to a pro-active instructionally focused system. Examples from on-going research with schools who are currently implementing systems of Effective Behavioral Support (EBS) are also provided.

Children with disabilities, and those with physical and intellectual disabilities in particular, need co-ordinated multidisciplinary approach as no single profession can hope to achieve very much single-handed. In order to provide appropriate services we should work with and through others who interact with these children. While one of the hallmarks of the good professional is collaboration, collaborative practices are all too infrequent. Some related problems currently affecting the development of services for children with special needs in the U.K. are outlined. Examples of actual and possible productive practice between and among teachers and other professionals are provided, with the desirability of active and systematic joint planning and problem solving, emanating from a base of shared training, stressed.

Australian mainstream school teachers report a severe shortage of accessible autism-focused resources, strategies, and professional development (PD). This 2-part mixed methods study investigated the effect of using a web-based model of practice (MoP) for PD. The MoP contains evidence-based, autism-specific educational practices and resources designed for mainstream teachers of students on the autism spectrum. The aim was to examine teacher responses to using the MoP and the impact of the mode of delivery. In Part 1, 3 PD delivery conditions for using the MoP were trialled (8 weeks): face-to-face support, online support, or web-based access to detailed resources only. Support was provided by expert autism educators. Teachers (N = 15) reported that the MoP was an accessible, comprehensive, and practical support for educational decision-making, and that support encouraged implementation of the MoP practices. Part 2 trialled a hybrid PD model in 6 regional schools. Limited face-to-face and online support plus access to the MoP was trialled. Interview data indicated that a hybrid model can be an effective method of providing immediate support for teachers.

Recent sociometric research has described students with special educational needs (SEN) as less accepted and experiencing more social difficulties than their classmates without SEN. This study addresses the social participation of students with moderate learning difficulties (MLD) in regular schools while also focusing on the quality of their best friendship. In this longitudinal study, 313 secondary students, including 46 with MLD, were first examined while at Grade 7 (T1) and 2 years later at Grade 9 (T2). In line with previous studies, the students with MLD held reduced peer acceptance, had fewer friendships, and engaged less often in social interactions with peers than their typically developing classmates on both administrations. However, students with MLD held positive perceptions of social self-concept and friendship quality, with the two measures being positively associated. At T2, students with MLD reported poorer socio-emotional skills, which were positively correlated with their perceptions of both social self-concept and friendship quality. The paper concludes by outlining the importance of supporting students’ socio-emotional development through implementing relevant school-based interventions.

Special education is usually defined as provisions made for children on the basis of particular and atypical physical or behavioural characteristics they have or manifest. Most current and widely used special education textbooks adopt such a definition, and Havill and Mitchell’s (1972) book — so far the only general New Zealand reference book in this area, is no exception: ‘Special education refers to the facilities, materials and teaching resources provided for children who because of exceptional physical, intellectual, emotional or social characteristics, can not receive maximum benefit from a regular school programme (Havill & Mitchell, 1972 [p.9])’; ‘….provisions brought to bear for children whose teaching needs are beyond the resources usually available in an ordinary school (Ross, 1972 [p. 17]). There is nothing wrong with defining special education in this way. Indeed the fact that a number of children have or show exceptional physical or behavioural characteristics (or can be reliably predicted to do so) is the very foundation upon which special educational provisions are planned and made. What needs equal recognition, however — and is frequently overlooked, is that such provisions will be necessary to the degree that regular classroom provisions are inadequate to accommodate children with special needs. It is possible — indeed probable, that many children are receiving special educational provisions mostly because of the inadequacies of their particular school/classroom situation and not primarily because of any special teaching needs they may have. In this sense, special educational services can be viewed as a type of “Band-Aid” facility — available when regular class provisions are inadequate for particular children because of inadequacies on the part of the teacher (i.e., in teaching ability, understanding of the special needs and learning/behavioural characteristics of the children concerned, etc.) or inadequacies in resources available to the teacher (i.e., equipment, time, etc.). The fact that it is very difficult to ascertain in any particluar case whether a child is receiving special education primarily because of characteristics he/she has or primarily because of characteristics or resources his/her teacher does not have, makes it very difficult to specify the special educational needs of such children, or to design or evaluate special educational provisions vis-a-vis the needs of the children concerned.

This research study was designed to investigate the effects of inclusion on regular class teachers in Queensland schools. While education departments promote inclusion there is frequently insufficient notice taken of the impact of such programs within the classroom context where inclusion actually happens. For the majority of children, and for most of the time, inclusion occurs within the four walls of a regular classroom. This paper reports the findings of focus group interviews with primary school teachers involved with inclusion. The research was undertaken in 1997 with 17 teachers from 13 primary schools within one region in Queensland. All teachers involved in this study taught in regular classrooms that included a child with either an intellectual or physical disability. Discussion of the analysis of the interviews focuses on three main areas within the classroom context: (1) the children in the classes (2) the classroom learning environments; and (3) the teachers. This project is highly significant as policies of inclusion rely on teachers’ acceptance of them, belief in their worth, and ability to cope. It is essential to determine if the reality of the current situation is likely to support further trends towards greater inclusion.

Decision-making regarding intensive instructional support for children with special needs should build from children's instructional needs, and not from diagnostic labelling and criteria for funding eligibility. Cognitive referencing, the use of results on intelligence and language quotients to decide children's academic options and funding eligibility, is established as inappropriate practice yet continues to be used by many education systems. This paper discusses systemic practices in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, and then details four cases of children ‘framed’ by their tests, that is, experiencing unwarranted disadvantage due to how they were positioned by their tests and diagnoses. The final section makes recommendations for considerations needed in the improving of Australian education of children with special needs.

The Resource Teachers Learning and Behaviour (RTLB) program is a unique special education development in New Zealand. The aim of this program is the creation of a nation-wide network of more than 700 RTLB operating as itinerant consulting teachers providing support in inclusive classrooms. The principles underlying the program are described and an outline provided of the curriculum and methods of delivery. The program also acknowledges the need to address the important bi-cultural elements of New Zealand society. The paper reports on RTLB demographic profiles and the initial responses of teachers to their training. Preliminary indices of program effectiveness are also presented. The paper indicates ways in which the RTLB initiative is likely to develop and notes issues within the New Zealand education system that will both strengthen and constrain the overall development of the program.

The Pyramid Model (PM) is an evidence-based, early educational framework designed to promote all young children’s social-emotional-behavioural (SEB) learning. The tiered PM early education practice framework, developed in North America, embeds strategies for children with exceptional needs naturally and coherently integrates apparently divergent approaches to promoting young children’s SEB skills. Responsive teaching, which is fundamental to early education practice, is shown to link with positive behaviour support practices by means of incidental and planned intentional teaching. These early education PM practices are intended to promote children’s SEB skills when used together purposefully, consistently, and intensively. The PM’s potential application in Australia was investigated with 4–5-year-olds in 4 Victorian preschools. Quantitative data from the study suggested that after training and subsequent coaching in the PM, there was significant change in intervention educators’ behaviour, which was independently observed and rated using the Teaching Pyramid Observation Tool. Concurrently, the SEB skills of the children in the intervention groups were shown to have developed at a significantly greater rate than the children in the contrast groups as assessed using the Social Skills Improvement System Rating Scales.