This paper examines how remedial teachers and subject teachers in two secondary schools talk about pupils with special education needs (SEN) both in general, and more specifically about boys and girls who need special education. The study is based on 6 interviews with teachers in two secondary schools in the Stockholm area. In the analysis of the interviews, two different theories have been used. Firstly, the teachers´ speech has been analyzed based on three perspectives; a compensatory-, a critical- and a dilemma perspective (see Nilholm, 2007). Secondly, discourse analysis has been used to examine how the teachers in the study talk about boys and girls in the special education. The two categories "boys" and "girls" have been analyzed regarding which qualities and actions they are associated with. The result shows that there are two different discourses about pupils with SEN that are used by teachers today, a medical-psychological discourse which fits into the compensatory perspective, and a socio-political that goes along the critical perspective, and focuses on environmental reasons for problems that occur in school, rather than laboring the individual as the problem. Also the dilemma perspective is found explicitly in one informant´s speech. All teachers but one can immediately name differences between boys and girls with SEN. The differences that are mentioned are for example that boys mature slower, need more practical support in remembering to sit still and bringing the correct material to class, and more often than girls, boys show their difficulties by being noisy in the classroom. Girls are described as the opposite. They mature more quickly, are able to focus in school, are more motivated and able to sit still and work effectively. One teacher feels uncomfortable in speaking about gender differences in behavior, and most teachers think that these differences are cultural and social, not biological. Even so, all teachers seem to have thought about gender differences and can name many. Generally the teachers seem quite aware of the order of the discourse that is what is okay to say about gender differences and pupils with SEN and what is not.

Human enhancement continues to be hotly debated by both 'professionals' and academics, and increasingly also by the general public. This is no surprise, given that the idea of making human beings better - individually and collectively - has existed for centuries. Parents appear to be especially receptive to new ways of improving the qualities of their offspring - first and foremost their cognitive abilities - in the hope of giving them the best life possible. At the same time, children as not-yet autonomous persons are vulnerable to the decisions made on their behalf. This dynamic has led to a long-running philosophical debate about the moral permissibility of paediatric enhancement. Unfortunately, this debate has somewhat stalled at the point of disagreement on general permissibility, with both sides strongly relying on the notion of well-being to support their respective positions. Rapid progress in the sciences, including the development of the new CRISPR-Cas9 technique, holds much promise for effective cognitive enhancement in children, and this makes proper ethical assessment an urgent matter. Arguing that enhancement is here to stay and that prohibition is not a feasible option in a globalised world, I suggest that the debate should instead focus on what cognitive enhancement in children is likely to mean for the welfare of children. Addressing the question of whether enhancement of intellectual abilities in children is likely to lead to the creation of 'superhuman' disabled children - that is, children with superior or even yet-unseen cognitive capacities but a disability in some other sense (medical, social or both) - I draw on evidence from various fields, including education, law, disability studies and sociology, to demonstrate that the positive effect of cognitive ability on individual well-being is frequently overestimated and can thus not serve as a moral justification for cognitive enhancement. Furthermore, the current legal environment with regard to children with higher intellectual abilities gives cause for concern about the well-being of future cognitively enhanced children and urges us to address prevailing shortcomings in educational provision before deliberately engaging in the creation of more cognitive potential. Suggesting that any moral judgment about cognitive enhancement should focus strongly on the ends pursued, I argue that the welfare of children is endangered not so much by the new possibilities and methods of enhancement as by the failure to fully appreciate children's need for the provision of appropriate opportunities to match their individual abilities.

Magister Scientiae (Physiotherapy) - MSc(Physio) / The number of children with disabilities under the age of 18 years around the world varies from 120 to 150 million. In many countries, throughout the world, the majority of children with disabilities either do not receive any form of education or, if they receive any, it is often inappropriate. UNESCO estimates that more than 90% of children with disabilities in developing countries do not attend schools. Rwanda has recently started inclusive education in a number of schools around the country for ensuring that children with disabilities have access to education. Despite this, in Rwanda, many children with disabilities do not attend school and this number is not known. This study aimed to identify the barriers to school attendance by children with disabilities in Rwanda. / South Africa

Behaviour difficulties displayed in childhood and adolescence have pervasive and long term effects into adulthood and across various domains of functioning (Healey, et al. 2004, Woodward, et al. 2002). The numbers of children who suffer with them remain worryingly high (Green et al. 2005). Children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are considered particularly at risk of displaying behaviour difficulties; however, despite representing around one fifth of the school population (DfE 2011), little research to date has explicitly investigated these problems in this population. The present study therefore aimed to investigate risk, promotive and protective factors for behaviour difficulties in children with SEND across multiple ecological levels. Data were collected through a concurrent research project evaluating Achievement for All (Humphrey et al. 2011). The sample comprised children identified with SEND in years 1, 5, 7 and 10, from ten local authorities deemed representative of England. A final sample consisted of 2660 primary pupils nested in 248 primary schools and 1628 secondary pupils nested within 57 secondary schools. Predictor variables were measured at the individual and school levels at baseline, along with a teacher reported measure of behaviour difficulties which was assessed again eighteen months later. Analyses were carried out using multi-level modelling revealing that primary schools accounted for 15% and secondary schools 13% of the total variance in behaviour difficulties, with the remainder being at the individual level. Significant risk factors for these problems across both school types were: being male; eligibility for FSM; and being a bully. Risk factors specific to primary schools included being autumn born, being older in the school, having poor positive relationships, and attending schools with lower levels of academic achievement. Risk factors specific to secondary schools included being younger in the school, having poor attendance, having poor academic achievement, being a bystander to bullying and attending a larger school. Results showed evidence for a cumulative risk effect that increasing numbers of contextual risk factors, regardless of their exact nature, resulted in heightened behaviour difficulties. This relationship was non-linear with increasing risk factors in an individual’s background having a disproportional and detrimental increase in behaviour difficulties displayed. The specific type of risk was however, more important than number of risk factors present in an individual’s background in accounting for behaviour difficulties displayed. Finally, results revealed significant protective factors at the school level; specifically attending primary schools with high academic achievement and with more children on the SEND register at school action can protect against the display of behaviour difficulties when these children are at risk in terms of having poor positive relationships. Attending urban secondary schools can also protect against the display of behaviour difficulties, when these children are at risk in terms of having poor academic achievement. The implications of these findings are discussed along with directions for future research.

Nationally and internationally the integration of people with disabilities into mainstream society is gaining attention. Leisure and sport play important roles in this integration process. Few services and opportunities, however, exist for people with disabilities to participate equally in society. It seems that recreation providers focus primarily on recreation programs for able-bodied people in communities. These inequalities are realized. It is also documented in the National Sport and Recreation Act (1998) that the development of sport and recreation opportunities for people with disabilities is important. Due to the numerous health benefits of leisure participation, lifelong participation needs to be encouraged when leisure opportunities are developed and implemented in communities. It is important that people with disabilities derive maximum benefit from sport and recreation involvement to ensure continued participation throughout the lifespan. Individuals derive maximum benefits from sport and recreation activity involvement when they perceive freedom during these activities. These activities range from athletics and soccer to chess and art. “Perceived freedom” is the central indicator of leisure functioning. Freedom can only be experienced when the learners with physical and learning disabilities experience satisfactory levels of leisure competence, control during leisure activities, needs satisfaction and depth of involvement as components of leisure functioning. The following hypothesis was formulated for the study: “Leisure functioning of learners with learning and physical disabilities does not contribute to an independent leisure lifestyle”. The aims of this study were to determine the following components of leisure functioning through the use of the standardised Leisure Diagnostic Battery (LDB): <ul> <li>leisure competence of learners;</li> <li>being able to control the process and outcomes of leisure participation ;</li> <li>needs satisfaction and</li> <li>depth of involvement in leisure activities.</li></ul> Data collected in this study were processed by means of quantitative research. Research methods included an external environmental analysis (literature reviews), an internal environmental analysis (internal policies and programs and interview), and a questionnaire. The questionnaire was administered to a sample of learners (38%) with physical and learning disabilities at an ELSEN (Education for Learners with Special Education Needs) School in Tshwane. It was found that learners at the ELSEN School had an 85% (63.73/75) leisure functioning rate. The learners with learning disabilities had a slightly higher leisure functioning rate of 85.32% (63.99/75) than the learners with physical disabilities with an 84.27% (63.2/75) rate. The high level of leisure functioning indicated that the learners perceived high levels of freedom during their leisure participation at the school. The formulated hypothesis could therefore not be accepted. The leisure functioning of the learners are high and should therefore contribute to an independent leisure lifestyle. In order to utilize the full potential of the leisure activities at the school the following aspects are suggested for further research: <ul> <li>In order to increase leisure participation at the school, constraints hindering participation need to be determined.</li> <li>Assessment of a broader base of learners (including all the grades) would be recommended for further planning of programs and activities.</li></ul> / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Biokinetics, Sport and Leisure Sciences / unrestricted

The transition to at-home learning during the COVID-19 lockdowns across Canada was challenging for many students, particularly those with special education needs (SEN). Parents faced various challenges and adopted multiple roles in supporting their children with SEN. While research exploring the experiences of families of children with SEN during COVID has begun to emerge, much is unknown about the involvement of parents during school closures. The current study analyzes interviews with 14 Canadian parents of children with SEN, exploring their experiences with virtual learning. The study is framed by the Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler model of Parent Involvement, which theorizes the 'why' of parent involvement beginning with motivational and life context variables and moving to higher levels such as student self-efficacy and, ultimately, to student achievement. Specifically, in this study, I explored a) how parents of children with special education needs viewed and enacted their role in at-home learning during the first COVID-19 lockdown, b) how parents' beliefs about learning were reflected in the ways in which they were involved in their children's at-home learning, and c) how, if at all, did parents' beliefs about their child's learning shift throughout the COVID-19 lockdown? Thematic analyses of the interview data identified three main themes: a) Common Involvement Actions: What Do We Need to Do to Make This Happen? b) Factors and Contexts That Influence Involvement and c) How Involvement Actions and Experience Influence Learning Beliefs. Many similarities are noted between the current findings and those emerging studies exploring parent experiences in various countries during the first COVID-19 school closures. Several unique aspects also emerge, particularly the learning-specific beliefs of parents concerning at-home learning. Results are considered in relation to the Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler model, which was relevant in many respects but limiting in its linear, hierarchical progression. A more cyclical, ongoing and dynamic relationship between parent and contextual variables is suggested.

From autumn 2008 Sweden has reinstalled the Special Education Needs teacher education. For future special education teachers and active teachers in the field, it is important to know the history and be aware of future visions to create a good role for the Special Education Needs teachers. This study examines attitudes towards special education and Special Education Needs teachers amongst school principals and classroom teachers at seven schools in Umeå municipality. School principals were interviewed, and a survey was handed out amongst the selected General Education teachers. From this it appears that school principals have a picture of special needs education and Special Education Needs teachers' work that corresponds well with the objectives of the school's governing documents. The study shows that General Education teachers' expectations of Special Education Needs teachers are to work with single students or small groups of students. The Special Education Needs teachers who are now examined can easily be trapped working with these small groups or single students and must ensure that they work according to the guidelines of governing documents. The study also shows that school principals support inclusive methods. / Från och med hösten 2008 finns i Sverige åter en speciallärarutbildning med delvis nytt innehåll. För blivande speciallärare och aktiva på fältet är det viktigt att känna till historia och vara medveten om visioner för att skapa en så bra speciallärarroll som möjligt. Studien undersöker attityder till specialpedagogik och speciallärare hos rektorer och klasslärare vid sju skolor i Umeå kommun. Rektorer intervjuades och en enkät lämnades ut bland klasslärare. Utifrån detta visar det sig att rektorer har en bild av specialpedagogiken och speciallärarnas arbete som stämmer väl överrens med målen i skolans styrdokument. En slutsats som dras i studien är att klasslärarnas förväntningar på speciallärarna innehåller mer enskild undervisning och testning. En annan slutsats som dras är att de speciallärare som examineras riskerar att falla in i en roll där de arbetar med enskilda elever och små grupper och bör bemöda sig om att ha examensförordningens ord som ledstjärna för sin yrkesutövning. Studien visar också att ett inkluderande arbetssätt stöds av rektorerna.

Syftet med denna studie är att få ta del av speciallärares erfarenheter kring sitt arbete med elever i matematiksvårigheter. Jag valt att göra en livsberättelsestudie, där fyra speciallärares berättelser kring sitt arbete med elever i matematiksvårigheter är i fokus. Genom deras egna berättelser om sitt liv som speciallärare vill jag komma åt hur de jobbar med sina elever och varför de väljer att jobba på just de sätten de gör. Jag vill få fram speciallärarens tankar kring varför dessa elever hamnar i matematiksvårigheter och vad det kan bero på.Resultatet visar att de speciallärare som deltagit i studien är ganska samstämmiga i hur de idag jobbar med sina elever och varför de gör som de gör. Resultatet visar att det är en komplex fråga hur man får dessa elever inkluderade i den ordinarie undervisningen. Speciallärarna i studien ser att elever i svårigheter ofta kan vara rumsligt inkluderade, då de är i klassrummet med sina klasskamrater, men att de inte har något utbyte av det som sker, då de inte hänger med i undervisningen. Speciallärarna ser då att det är större möjligheter att klara dessa elever om de plockas ut i mindre grupper eller enskilt. Det är många faktorer som spelar in för att en elev ska lyckas med matematik och en viktig del i speciallärarnas arbete handlar om att skapa en lugn och trygg miljö för dessa elever. Det visar sig att endast en mindre del av deras berättelser handlade om att arbeta med matematiksvårigheter, då fokus i deras arbete oftast ligger på andra områden. Det centrala i allas berättelser handlar om hur viktigt det är för dem att skapa en bra miljö för sina elever, där eleverna får chans att bygga upp sin självkänsla och att få dem att våga tro på sig själva. / The purpose of this study is to gain access to Special Education Needs (SEN) Teachers experiences in their work with students with mathematical difficulties. I have decided to do a life story study, with four SEN Teachers' stories about their work with students of mathematical difficulties in focus. By their own stories about their life as a SEN Teachers, I would like to find out how they work with their students and why they choose to work the way they do. I want to get the SEN Teacher`s thoughts about why these students end up in difficulties with mathematics and what the reason might be.The results show that the SEN Teachers who participated in the study are fairly consistent in how they currently work with their students, and why they work the way they do. The results also show that it is a very complex issue to get these students included in the regular curriculum. The SEN Teachers see that students with difficulties can often be spatially included when they are placed in the classroom with their classmates, but cannot keep up with what is happening in the classroom, and they won’t gain the right knowledge. SEN Teachers will see that there are better chances of success with these students if they are placed in small groups or individually. There are many factors that come into play for a student to succeed in mathematics, and an important part of the SEN Teachers' work is about creating a peaceful and safe environment for these students. I found that only a small part of their stories was about the actual work with mathematics difficulties, the main part of their work were often needed in other areas. The core message of all the stories is the importance to create a good environment for their students, where the students have a chance to build their self esteem and to believe in themselves.

Individual Education Plans and the means of creating a sustainable platform for children with learning difficulties is a subject of vast discussion. The original idea was to create a system in which the documentation of certain students with learning difficulties would lead to precautions being taken in order to eradicate difficulties and improve student’s abilities to excel in studies. However, in practice, the IEPs proved less functioning and the special needs of students were not attained accordingly to the theoretical approach. In some aspects the IEPs were a helpful tool to create sustainability for students with special needs, but in the long term the IEPs seemed to provide less support and more segregation. The usage of individual education plans in the Swedish school, as well as Irish- and British schools, had its own theoretical standpoints within each faculty. For some schools the IEP was used as a tool to reflect that the institution indeed followed the guidelines set for special education, in order to protect institutional activities. For other schools there was a normative behavioral standard to be measured through IEPs, in these certain scenarios the IEP served as a tool to create a “normal” behavior for the students that showed certain social “problems”. In many regards these behavioral precautions did not have any actual relation to said student’s special education needs. In this study we examine how the theoretical approach to the IEPs was regarded and how these theoretical ideas have been implemented in practice. In this study we also present a discussion about how the theoretical and practical usage of IEPs is in any form regarded as positive or negative, in accordance to the scientific approach of special education.

A inclusão escolar de alunos com necessidades educacionais especiais, embora amparada por lei, tem sido objeto de grandes questionamentos no que se refere às condições básicas necessárias para efetivá-la. Porém, entre estes alunos, destaca-se a dificuldade para inclusão daqueles com seqüela de paralisia cerebral que, por apresentarem um conjunto de comprometimentos associados, como o sensorial, o motor e/ou cognitivo, acabam encontrando barreiras ao serem inseridos nas classes de ensino regular. Partindo deste pressuposto, a presente pesquisa teve como objetivo investigar, a concepção de professoras do Primeiro Segmento do Ensino Fundamental da rede regular de ensino, de diferentes escolas públicas e privadas, dos municípios do Rio de Janeiro, sobre a inclusão escolar do aluno com seqüela de paralisia cerebral. Para tal foi realizado um estudo qualitativo tendo sido evidenciados aspectos que demonstram, segundo seu ponto de vista, as principais dificuldades encontradas pelo professor e por esses alunos no favorecimento da proposta inclusiva. Foram realizadas entrevistas com treze professoras do ensino regular, com prévia experiência em inclusão escolar deste alunado (n=10) ou, que apenas conheciam pessoas com seqüela de paralisia cerebral (n=3). As entrevistadas são alunas (cursando entre o terceiro e o último anos do curso de graduação em Pedagogia) de duas universidades do Rio de Janeiro. Os dados obtidos, através de análise das entrevistas, revelaram, entre outros aspectos, um desconhecimento sobre o que efetivamente seja a paralisia cerebral, bem como sobre suas complicações e/ou deficiências associadas. Além disso, verificou-se sua concepção sobre o aluno com paralisia cerebral, preservação dos estigmas e dos estereótipos, além de terem sido apontadas várias dificuldades encontradas pelo educador para a efetivação do processo de inclusão escolar deste. Dentre estes destacamos a falta de capacitação profissional, falta de recurso pedagógico, superlotação de alunos no ensino regular. Acreditamos que estes achados poderão contribuir para a promoção de uma análise reflexiva sobre o tema paralisia cerebral e sobre, como tem sido vista a inclusão destes alunos no ensino regular pelos seus mediadores. / School inclusion of bearers of deficiencies, eventhough supported by law, has been always a challenge specially in which concerns its basic conditions in order to accomplish it. However, among these students, children with cerebral palsy have even more difficulties in the regular educational inclusion process probably due to he diseases characteristics such as cognitive, motor and sensorial disorders. Based on this facts the aim of this study was to evaluate the actual concepts of primary school teachers from public and private schools in Rio de Janeiro, about inclusion of this students. On this purpose were analysed different points of view, according to the interviews, about the most essential needs and limitations of this children and the teachers in this procedure. The study was carried out with 13 teachers that either had previous experience in school inclusion of children with this type of disease (n=10) or knew any person with the disorder (n=3). The teachers were attending between 3rd and last year of Pedagogy graduation from two different Universities in Rio de Janeiro. The results showed that there is a lack of knowledge about cerebral palsy and also about its complications and associated deficiences. Besides that, the interviews revealed the misconception because of the stereotype and stigmas maintenance. Furthermore, several needs and difficulties were identified as inappropriate professional capacity, absence of pedagogic tools, high number of students in regular education. In summary, this study demonstrates the potential of the data analysed as a form to contribute for an accurate reflexion and analysis of cerebral palsy and how this issue is being treated by authorities.