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This research evaluates the process of providing an inclusive education in a market culture. It investigates the experiences of eight young people with learning difficulties and disabilities who are students in a further education college. As it applies a focus to one specific case study example, in order to generalise from the literature and two other sample colleges, it represents ethnographic methodology. This is appropriate for the purposes of the study, which are to explore the implications of such processes, within an institutional and organisational structure which is subject to significant changes and restraints. The period under examination is one in which provision for this group of learners is influenced by a multiplicity of factors, not always evident on surface examination. Consequently, a focused ethnographic case study allows for a level of detailed analysis which can illuminate the effects of organisational changes upon individual development. The context in which the case study is set includes the plethora of Further Education Funding Council documentation during the 1990s, the critiques offered by academics of a narrowly competence-based and outcomes-related system, and the implications for students with special educational needs in further education colleges of the recent Dearing Report (1996) and soon to be published Tomlinson Report (1996). The case study provides an illustration of issues raised in recent literature and is set within the broader framework of recent initiatives. Through the use of detailed evaluation of a sample of students progressing through the assessment process in one college, recommendations and reflections contribute original evidence of the influence of legislation on current practice. Using the model of further education, tensions between an inclusive ideology and the demands of a market economy are evaluated and the case-study evidence has application beyond this sector to other areas of educational developments.

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This research investigated the views of nineteen learners with learning difficulties in a special school in the Netherlands on their transition from school to work. Their views were explored in a setting represented by the views of five parents, six teachers, four employers and the way in which their position is described in school documents. The wider context is Dutch society, education and policies regarding special education and policies to enhance the participation of learners with disabilities into employment. Main aim of the research was to give the learners a voice in the transition from school to work. The theoretical framework contains an interpretation of the concept of voice and its implications for listening to the learners. It is also discussed how different perspectives on disability influence education of the learners, how this affects their transition from school to work and ultimately their chances of employment. The research has characteristics of both interpretive and critical educational research. Data collection took place in different ways. The learners were mainly interviewed in focus groups. This method was also used for the parents while teachers and employers were interviewed individually. Data from focus group and individual interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. Conceptual analysis was used for analysis of the school documents. The findings suggest that the learners have a sharp understanding of their position in the transition from school to work. They do not deny their learning difficulties but argue that impairments are part of human diversity and should not be a reason to make it more difficult for them to access employment. Findings related to the other participants suggest a discrepancy between views of the learners and views of others regarding their capabilities to participate in the transition process to employment.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Occupational Therapy Johannesburg, 2017 / Occupational therapy for adolescents with learning difficulties (LDs) is still a relatively undeveloped area of practice in contrast to paediatric services for younger populations. The purpose of the study was to explore the perceptions of adolescents with learning difficulties and their parents regarding their most important current and future occupational performance priorities (OPPs), current occupational difficulties as well as intervention and supports that have been helpful thus far. A descriptive, explorative, qualitative study design was utilised. Eighteen adolescents aged 13 – 21 years with LD and nine parents were interviewed or included in a focus group. Data was inductively coded and analysed, identifying three main themes. The main needs in terms of OPPs included understanding the adolescent perspective and developmental needs, occupational needs and preparing for the future. Occupational difficulties included developmentally-related difficulties, occupational difficulties and intervention-related difficulties. Current and previous effective support and interventions as reported by the participants entailed support and mentoring, direct interventions and the promotion of self-determination. Recommendations for implementing occupation-based practice for this population are made. / GR2018

Focal epilepsy in childhood is associated with increased risk for developing behavioral, emotional, cognitive and social–adaptive impairments. The present thesis focused on mental health difficulties in paediatric refractory focal epilepsy. It undertook a detailed evaluation of the predictive power of several demographic (gender, age at assessment), clinical (age at onset and duration of epilepsy, seizure frequency), localization (lobe and lateralization of pathology) and cognitive variables (performance in intellectual, memory and academic attainment measures) for mood, conduct, inattention/hyperactivity and peer relationship difficulties, as assessed by parental report. Data from a population of 282 children and adolescents, previously collected for clinical purposes, were examined, using a series of univariate and multivariate analyses. Mental health difficulties were found to be highly prevalent, with peer relationships the most frequently reported area of difficulty, followed by inattention/hyperactivity and emotional difficulties. Different patterns of associations between the variables examined here and individual emotional/behavioural difficulties were revealed, partially confirming and extending previous findings in the literature. Longer duration of epilepsy was found to increase the risk for developing emotional difficulties; male gender and earlier age at onset the risk for conduct difficulties; male gender, earlier age at onset, longer duration and frontal lobe localization the risk for attention/hyperactivity difficulties; and finally longer duration, higher seizure frequency and right hemisphere lateralization the risk for peer difficulties. Lower cognitive functioning was found associated with overall increased mental health difficulties and a lower VIQ was predictive of all types of difficulties. Developing a firm understanding of the risk factors that contribute to mental health comorbidities in focal paediatric epilepsy can help identify and provide assessment and intervention to children who are at higher risk earlier, thus significantly improving quality of life.

In this thesis I set out to explore the area of specific learning difficulties, an area of conflicting theories, understandings, policies and provision. The purpose of this comparative research in such a heavily debated area was to illuminate the commonalities and differences which can be observed across countries. Comparative research in a policy related area has a long tradition. However, Greece and Scotland provided two different cultural and educational backgrounds which made the comparisons particularly interesting. The nature of, as well as the provision for, specific learning difficulties is investigated in this research through the eyes of those involved. The perceptions of policy agents, head teachers, learning support teachers, mainstream teachers, parents and pupils, as well as the underlying constructs evident in policy documentation and literature in both countries, provided the data on which this thesis was based. This thesis seeks to compare current policies and provision in Scotland and Greece, to investigate the discrepancies between policy and provision, to highlight the differences in perceptions about the nature of specific learning difficulties among the different groups within and between the countries, and to identify factors which might have influenced these perceptions and the current provision. In addition, as both countries are members of the European Union, the impact that the EU had in forming the current policies or provision is also examined. The case-study schools were selected by policy agents in Scotland and from a list provided by the Ministry of Education in Greece. Case-study pupils were selected by the learning support teachers of the schools selected, or the head teachers using the learning support teachers files. The aim was that no preconceptions held by the researcher about the nature of specific learning difficulties influenced the selection of the case-study schools and/or pupils, consistent with the ethnographic principles of investigation. The data was gathered through semi-structured interview schedules which, although they maintaineda structure, allowed the respondents to play the leading role. The interviews were supported by observation of the case-study pupils, from which examples were drawn to use as exemplification during the interviews. Relevant policy documents and literature, not only those explicitly about specific learning difficulties but also those rather more generally about special educational needs were also studied and compared with the constructs held by professionals and consumers. The findings of this study indicated that culture, societal and educational context had influenced the perceptions of, and the provision for, specific learning difficulties. This was highlighted by the fact that the differences among the various groups within the same country were substantially less distinctive than those between Scotland and Greece. These differences highlighted the `inclusive' Scottish society, supporting the notion of `rights' of individuals, whilst in Greece the attitudes were focused on `exclusion' and the `protective' role of the family. The educational systems also played a significant role; the Greek system is heavily hierarchical, with a prescriptive curriculum based on knowledge and delivered by common-to-all books which focus on the `average' child. In contrast, the Scottish system has been characterised as task-oriented and able to differentiate according to children's needs. In addition, the Scottish curriculum is designed for all pupils, and includes guidelines for 'support for learning' targeted at those with special educational needs. The distinctiveness of the Greek and the Scottish societies and educational systems was reflected in the different understandings of special educational needs. In Scotland, they were seen as a continuum of needs including specific learning difficulties. In relation to specific learning difficulties the location of problems was perceived to be to a large extent within the learning environment and, in conjunction with the dominance of the `rights' discourse, responsibilities were placed explicitly on mainstream and head teachers as well as learning support. The latter's role was perceived as co-operative teaching and consultancy. In Greece, concerns were raised about the system itself and its limitations. Characteristics of this system were the lack of clear responsibility on the part of head teachers, and the lack of co-operation between learning support teachers (regarded as responsible for specific learning difficulties) and mainstream teachers. The construct of special educational needs as set of categories of impairment, the distinctive special and general education systems, the provision for specific learning difficulties in 'special classrooms' and the locus of the problem perceived to be within the child, all reflected the dominant position of the 'medical and charity' discourses in the society. In conclusion, although the aim of the education systems has been stated as being `inclusive' education in both Greece and Scotland, I argue that the two countries are at different points, closer or further apart, from their goal. However, the complexity of the various factors involved in the educational development of the two countries presented in this thesis makes a linear comparison a simplistic one, and hence unsuitable. Nevertheless, as both Greece and Scotland reiterate their objective towards "one school for all", a goal set also by the EU, the latter's impact in Greece is stronger. EU acts through its role as `expert' and co-ordinator of exchanges and by funding projects to support inclusive education. This comparative research has indicated how studies of this kind can raise the awareness of the impact of characteristics of national societies on an area of education which has common rhetoric ('inclusion') across countries but where practice and provision can look very different `on the ground'.

Children with reading difficulties (RD) are also likely to experience psychosocial problems. However, a significant proportion (30-50%) are indistinguishable, in psychosocial terms, from their typically-achieving (TA) peers. The aim of the current study was to identify aspects of social information processing which serve a protective function for children with RD, in terms of their at-risk status for concomitant psychosocial problems. Method: The sample comprised 42 children (21 with RD, and 21 TA), aged 9-11 years, with 11 boys and 10 girls in each group. A multifactor procedure was used to classify children as RD, based on the inclusionary criteria of teacher selection, and reading achievement below the 25th percentile, as well as several exclusionary criteria. The reading subtests of the WIAT-II, and the KBIT-2 (non-verbal IQ) measures were used to identify the presence of RD according to these criteria. The dependent variable, behavioural symptoms, was assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, which was rated by both parents and teachers. Children (RD and TA) completed measures of theory of mind, understanding emotions in facial expression and tone of voice, attachment style, and affective experience. Results: As expected, RD were correlated with increased levels of psychosocial problems, and poorer theory of mind skills predicted increased psychosocial problems. Consistent with hypotheses, emotion understanding, positive affect, and secure attachment, moderated the link between RD and psychosocial problems. That is, better emotion understanding, more positive affect, and secure attachment status, functioned as protective factors for children in the RD group, but not those in the TA group. Conclusion: The findings are discussed in relation to extant findings, as well as within a risk and protective framework. Finally, strengths and limitations of the current study are described, and implications for psychosocial interventions suggested.