Purpose: To validate and assess the feasibility of using an assay of oral neutrophils to measure periodontal inflammation in uncooperative patients with special needs. Methods: Periodontal examination and neutrophil counts derived from oral swabs were performed on patients with special needs having comprehensive dental treatment under general anaesthesia (GA). The conventional periodontal measurements were compared to neutrophil levels while patients were under GA, and later at their recall examination. Results: Forty-nine patients were assessed under GA and 30 (61%) returned for recall examination. Spearman’s correlation allowed for comparisons between periodontal parameters and oral neutrophil counts. Despite limited cooperation, it was possible to acquire neutrophils (using swabs) for all patients that presented for recall examination in the ambulatory dental clinic. Conclusions: Oral neutrophil levels correlated significantly with conventional parameters of gingival inflammation and may serve as a standardized method for clinical assessment of periodontal diseases in the special needs population.

Policy guidelines of the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) state that accommodations and participation decisions on the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) do not threaten validity. However, these issues are contentious in American large-scale testing. New approaches integrate test access, administration, accommodation and participation within a unified fairness and validity construct. The current study, based on demographic and outcome data for the entire population of OSSLT-eligible students from 2006 to 2009, demonstrates changing patterns in accommodations and participation decisions across schools and years. In particular, English language learners are found to be considerably underrepresented among students receiving special needs accommodations. This has implications for the valid interpretation and fair use of test scores. Recommendations are proposed for improving fairness, consistency, and validity in administering accommodations and participation.

Purpose: To validate and assess the feasibility of using an assay of oral neutrophils to measure periodontal inflammation in uncooperative patients with special needs. Methods: Periodontal examination and neutrophil counts derived from oral swabs were performed on patients with special needs having comprehensive dental treatment under general anaesthesia (GA). The conventional periodontal measurements were compared to neutrophil levels while patients were under GA, and later at their recall examination. Results: Forty-nine patients were assessed under GA and 30 (61%) returned for recall examination. Spearman’s correlation allowed for comparisons between periodontal parameters and oral neutrophil counts. Despite limited cooperation, it was possible to acquire neutrophils (using swabs) for all patients that presented for recall examination in the ambulatory dental clinic. Conclusions: Oral neutrophil levels correlated significantly with conventional parameters of gingival inflammation and may serve as a standardized method for clinical assessment of periodontal diseases in the special needs population.

Based on my experience and the available literature I believe that many art teachers perceive that they are unprepared to adequately teach special needs students in their art classrooms. The review of literature supports the visual arts for individuals with disabilities. The inclusion movement in schools increases the likelihood that a teacher will have students with disabilities in their art classroom. It is suggested that art educators would benefit from at least one course in their pre-service training that specifically addresses art education for students with special needs. This content analysis of pre-service art education programs reveals that 5 of 18 programs studied, (28%), require such a course, with no other option, to fulfill the special education requirement. Using the published literature, my own experience, and current practices a proposed curriculum was created for an undergraduate course in art education for special needs in the inclusive art classroom.

A child with a severe disability intensifies the demands facing a family (Beck, Hastings, Daley, & Stevenson, 2004; Martin & Baker, 2001; Withers & Bennett, 2003). Mothers specifically face an intense challenge, a concern as a mother’s wellbeing directly impacts her child’s emotional well-being (Kobe & Hammer, 1994), physical development, and progress within treatment (Lessenberry & Rehfeldt, 2004). These challenges are further heightened for women living in rural communities as little has changed for individuals with disabilities in rural communities over the past twenty years (Letvak, 2002). Although heightened stress among these mothers is significant, it is unclear how best to minimize stress and facilitate adaptive coping and resiliency among these women. This qualitative dissertation was an exploration into the stressors, coping resources, and resiliency of rural mothers of children with severe disabilities. Ten mothers of children with severe disabilities living in rural, Southeastern communities participated in a semi-structured interview. Supplementary sources of data include member-checking interviews, participant observation, and reflective journaling. Data derived from these sources include stressors, coping resources, and resiliency factors. Identified stressors include the absence of services, the insufficiency of available services, the effort required to locate and access services outside the community, social stressors, financial demands, and stressors stemming from personal attributes. All of the coping strategies listed by the participants shared similarities with those utilized by mothers of children with special needs not living in rural areas (Baun, 2002; Ferguson, 2002; Keller, & Honig, 2004). However, social support and spirituality, two identified coping techniques, are highly reflective of traditional, rural culture (Letvak, 2002; Nordal & Hill, 1999; Slama, 2004b; Wagenfeld, 2003). The mothers also identified their primary sources of resiliency to be external to them, their child/family service providers or God. All of the participants had recommendations for additional, beneficial resources for themselves and their children. These results are informative and significant to research, practice, and advocacy. Ultimately, it is hoped that this study may assist in empowering members of this marginalized group, advancing beneficial governmental policies, and informing interventions to enhance the wellbeing of these mothers and children.

7 % of children in preschool have some sort of language disorder. How should preschool teachers best help these children? In a small special group where they can focus on the child´s individual linguistic development or in an ordinary group were the other children can be linguistic models for the child and help his or hers development? The purpose of this paper is to see what preschool teachers, who work with children who has language impairment, says about working with these children in a special group as compared with working with them in an ordinary group together with children without language impairment. What are the advantages and the disadvantages related to the different ways of working? Another focus point is how the children collaborate with each other. I have used theories about integration and peer collaboration to understand the results. I have conducted interviews with two preschool teachers with experience in both working with solely language impaired children in a small group as well of work in a mixed group of children with and without language impairment. Furthermore, I have also observed how the children collaborate with each other. The result of the interviews and observations show that there is not an easy way to answer the question about which way is better. One conclusion I can make is that it requires more work from the teachers working in a mixed group. They have to be aware of the variation in the children´s needs and they have to work active with the children´s collaboration in order to prevent that language impaired children are excluded in play.

A pilot-study was used to investigate, types of assistance, assessed needs, outcomes and effects of special-needs assistance given to a subsample of compulsory school pupils in an effort to develop an evaluation strategy for identifying educational impacts of specific special-needs inputs.  Preliminary results indicate a tendency for postive outcomes for most pupils in the pilot group (n = 11) but also that many pupils have residual difficulties.  Pupils with residual difficulties mostly required special education asssitance with Maths, English or Swedish.  More pupils also needed support with behavioral difficulties.  More research and an expanding knowledge base is required in order to effectively evaluate outcomes of teacher support.  Schools need help in devising different methods of assistance and particularly for pupils with behavioral difficulties.

Genom intervjuer och observationer har innehållet i tre specialpedagogers matematik-undervisning, enskilt eller i liten grupp, studerats utifrån vad de arbetar med, varför och hur. Det visade sig att specialpedagogerna anser att de arbetar med uppnåendemålen istället för strävansmålen medan observationer visar att även strävansmålen finns med i arbetet. Det matematiska innehållet som främst behandlas är taluppfattning. Faktorer som konkretisering, organisation, motivation, självkänsla och att använda tiden till lärande är också viktiga faktorer i undervisningen. Pedagogerna känner stort stöd från forskningsbaserade handböcker. Dialogen med klassläraren kring klass screeningar är viktig då den kan innebära det enda tillfället till samarbete kring innehållet i undervisningen för eleven i behov av särskilt stöd. / By interviews and observations the contents of three special education teachers education in mathematics, as one-to-one tuitition or in small groups, have been studied from what they work with, why and how. The tutor aims from the lowest goals to achieve in the curriculum while observations and written goals showed that also the goals to pursue were used. The most common content of mathematics was numbersense. Concretization, organisation, motivation, self-esteem and time on task are also important factors for the tutoring. Handbooks based on science are good support for the tutors. The dialog with the class teacher while analysing class screenings is important though it could be the only opportunity for collaboration about the contents for pupils in special education needs.

This study is a qualitative study of two primary schoolteachers and two special teachers approach to children with special needs, and which procedures according to these teachers can be applied to support these children in their progress at school. Building on key concepts such as segregated integration, including integration, diagnostic and children with special needs. This was then analyzed with information collected from the four formal interviews. The study also sheds light on key concepts such as special support, diagnosis, segregated integration and including integration. The conclusion explains the concept of including integration as an approach that works well for both students with special needs in a short period of time yet also students with diagnoses. This is presented in the end of this study with different suggestions for a continued research on children with special needs.

The play materials designed for special education are commonly used by children with various disabilities. This study overviews these materials from the perspectives of special needs, special user groups and special education. Furthermore, the effects of different disabilities on the interactions of the children with the same toys are investigated, within the light of those special cases. The base of the study is constructed with a literature review on toys, play and special education, followed by observations that are performed in a special education centre with six subjects having different disabilities, namely Rett&rsquo / s syndrome, mental retardation, hyperactivity, Down&rsquo / s syndrome, cerebral palsy and autism. The study is concluded with compared results of the observations and design implications derived from the interactions between the toys and children.