This survey-based, quantitative research investigated Early Intervention teachers' perception about Early Intervention services in Mecca Region in The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This research focused on three dimensions of Early Intervention including attitude toward Early Intervention services, the cultural influences in the provision of services, and the recommended practices that were used by professionals. Two options were offered to subjects to complete the survey: 1) an online survey and 2) a hard copy of the survey which was distributed to teachers in Early Intervention Centers. The majority of the participants completed the online survey. Data was collected and analyzed. The results showed that the teachers in Mecca Region in Saudi Arabia did not follow recommended practices. However, they had positive attitudes about Early Intervention services and indicated that they considered the culture of the children and families when determining curriculum and services in their programs.

Submitted by Sandra Pereira (srpereira@ufrrj.br) on 2017-02-15T13:37:24Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2016 - ?rica Costa Vliese Zichtl Campos.pdf: 3654972 bytes, checksum: 4a6c6369379078062b589e13c247e3eb (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-02-15T13:37:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2016 - ?rica Costa Vliese Zichtl Campos.pdf: 3654972 bytes, checksum: 4a6c6369379078062b589e13c247e3eb (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-02-24 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior - CAPES / Talking about inclusion implies in a change of attitude in relation to the actual social order, contemplating differences such as the point of reflection about the school and the performance of its roles. It means a physical, pedagogical, organizational, and philosophical restructuration of the school. However this process is far away from the reality faced in the Brazilians schools, specially the public ones. With rare exceptions, our schools are not prepared to guarantee an effective participation and development in the school activities for our students with intellectual disability. Because of this reason and the urgency of a further approximation of the public policies of inclusion with the school reality, the objective of this research is to analyze the elaboration and implementation of the Individualized Educational Planning (IEP) for students with intellectual disability in a school of the municipal educational system of Nova Igua?u (state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), from its own curriculum. The investigation is inside the research project ?The schooling of students with intellectual disability: public policies, cognitive processes, and learning evaluations?, with the financial support of The Observatory Program of Education of CAPES. The qualitative research, based on methodological assumptions of the research-action was adopted as methodological procedure. For this purpose it was realized meetings with teachers to reflect about the implementation of the IEP (PEI) in the educational formation of the students with intellectual disability. Data collection procedures used the participant observation (with registry of field diary), documental analysis (files, reports), and semi structured meetings. As the theoretical referential, it was adopted the historical-cultural perspective of Vigotski. The data obtained showed the complexity and fragility which the process of schooling inclusion of these students has been realized in regular classes, as well as the remoteness and difficulty of a collaborative working possibility with the multifunctional resources teacher. It was also noticed that the traditional practices, which have no relation with the curriculum proposal, keep running in the daily activities of students with intellectual disability, making even harder their learning process and development. Concluding, it is important to emphasize the importance of the IEP (PEI), elaborated during the intervention, as an instrument which can help the inclusion of these students. / Falar sobre inclus?o implica numa mudan?a de postura frente ? ordem social vigente, contemplando as diferen?as como um ponto de reflex?o sobre a quest?o da escola e do desempenho de seus pap?is e fun??es. Significa reestrutur?-la f?sica, pedag?gica, organizacional e filosoficamente. No entanto, este processo est? longe de ser uma realidade no cotidiano das escolas brasileiras, sobretudo as da rede p?blica de ensino. Com raras exce??es, nossas escolas n?o est?o preparadas para garantir aos alunos com defici?ncia intelectual, a possibilidade de efetiva participa??o e desenvolvimento nas atividades escolares. Diante do exposto e da urg?ncia de maior aproxima??o das pol?ticas p?blicas de inclus?o com a realidade escolar, o objetivo desta pesquisa ? analisar a elabora??o e a implementa??o do planejamento educacional individualizado (PEI) para alunos com defici?ncia intelectual em uma escola da rede de ensino Municipal de Nova Igua?u, a partir do curr?culo adotado na mesma. A investiga??o est? inserida no projeto de pesquisa ?A escolariza??o de alunos com defici?ncia intelectual: pol?ticas p?blicas, processos cognitivos e avalia??o da aprendizagem?, com apoio financeiro do Programa Observat?rio da Educa??o da CAPES. A pesquisa qualitativa, baseada nos pressupostos metodol?gicos da pesquisa-a??o, foi adotada como procedimento metodol?gico. Para tal, realizamos encontros com as docentes para refletir sobre a proposta do PEI na escolariza??o de alunos com defici?ncia intelectual. A coleta de dados utilizou como procedimentos a observa??o participante (com registro em di?rio de campo), an?lise documental (fichas, relat?rios) e entrevistas semiestruturadas. Como referencial te?rico, empregamos a perspectiva hist?ricocultural de Vigotski. Os dados obtidos revelaram a complexidade e a fragilidade com que o processo de inclus?o escolar desses alunos vem sendo realizado em salas de aula comum, assim como o distanciamento e dificuldade da possibilidade de trabalho colaborativo com o professor de sala de recursos multifuncional. Observamos que pr?ticas tradicionais e sem rela??o com a proposta curricular continuam povoando o cotidiano dos alunos com defici?ncia intelectual, dificultando ainda mais todo seu processo de aprendizagem e desenvolvimento. Por ?ltimo ressaltamos a import?ncia do PEI, elaborado durante a interven??o, como um instrumento que pode auxiliar a inclus?o destes alunos.

Thesis (M.A.)--Miami University, Dept. of Speech Pathology and Audiology, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 39-45).

The aim of this thesis was to describe teenage girls’ experiences and perceptions of participation and influence during learning processes. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the view that children are social actors with their own agency were central to the study. The girls, who were 13 years old when the study began, and 16 when it ended, were interviewed once per semester for three years. Classroom observations formed the basis of the interviews, which provided insight into the learning environment and its working methods. These, in turn, were discussed during the interviews. Nine girls were selected through the IEPs that the school had established for them. They attended regular classes for most of the school day, but received at least one session of special education in smaller groups each week. Their special needs were due to reading and writing difficulties. All of them received special support in English, while seven of the girls also received special support in mathematics. The girls described current events in their life, regarding both school and their spare time, as well as their thoughts about the future, and how efforts to accommodate their special educational needs have affected their schooling. In addition to the girls’ narratives, the IEPs and grades provided the school’s narrative about the girls. The theoretical basis of the thesis comprises cultural-historical ideas of teaching and learning, and the importance of relationships to group-based learning. Descriptive qualitative analyses were based on the teenage girls’ narratives and resulted in five themes; a sixth theme discussed the school’s assessment of the girls through the IEPs and their grades from lower secondary school. Feeling included or not in the group was the overarching theme of all the stories, which involved the girls’ perceptions of how they were treated by the people around them. The results indicate that the girls needed to have instructions repeated to them. There was also a need for continuous encouragement and affirmation in order for them to dare to take on assignments. When it came to collaborative learning together with classmates, the girls preferred to hide their perceived weaknesses, which only made them more dependent on the teacher’s aid. In addition, the girls felt that the teachers were unhappy with the way they handled their school work, and felt overlooked rather than “seen”. In both the stories and the IEPs, concentration difficulties were highlighted as a consistent problem. The analyses show that it is not possible to speak of concentration difficulties without further specification. Since the girls also explained that they were able to maintain concentration, it is necessary to identify which conditions allow pupils to maintain their skills, and when these skills are lost. One finding was that experiences of playing sports created unexpected development opportunities for performing under pressure, even in test situations. According to the girls, visual strengths could compensate for difficulties remembering comprehensive information. The teaching provided opportunities to demonstrate an understanding of facts through visual expression, but creative elements were not included in graded assessments. The study shows that the girls’ leisure-time experiences created opportunities for generalisation regarding learning strategies in school situations.

No description available.

Mémoire en psychopédagogie / L’école québécoise d’aujourd’hui occupe de nombreux rôles au sein de la société et dans le processus développemental de l’enfant québécois. Ses rôles multiples et différents sont accrus en complexité surtout, car ils doivent s’adresser à divers profils d’apprenants, dont les élèves handicapés ou en difficulté d’adaptation ou d'apprentissage (HDAA). À la tête de l’écosystème qu’est l’école, on retrouve un leader communément appelé une direction d’école. Son rôle fait appel à une panoplie de compétences, de connaissances et d’habiletés pour mener à bien les opérations pédagogiques, logistiques, ou financières quotidiennes, tout en assurant le bien-être et la réussite de tous les élèves à travers un leadership réfléchi et soucieux des enjeux relatifs à l’éducation pour tous. À l’égard des élèves HDAA, le plan d’intervention (PI) est reconnu comme un cycle de vie pour la planification, l’élaboration et la révision des interventions fondamentales à leur inclusion, tant scolaire que sociale. Selon la Loi sur l’instruction publique, la responsabilité des PI revient à la direction d’école. Cependant, les différents rôles de la direction ainsi que son leadership au regard du cycle de vie de PI ne sont pas toujours évidents. Pour cette raison, notre recherche spécifique de type exploratoire, vise, dans un premier temps, à documenter et à analyser les formes et les niveaux d’implication de la direction d’école dans le cycle de vie d’un PI. Dans un deuxième temps, cette étude tente d’explorer l’évolution des pratiques de leadership de la direction d’école dans le cycle de vie de PI suite à l’implantation d’un programme de formation et d’accompagnement à l’élaboration (FADéPI) des PI. Globalement, nos résultats nous ont permis d’établir que le leadership de la direction d’école dans le cycle de vie de PI se présente sous différentes formes d’implication directes et indirectes qui s’articulent à travers des compétences, des connaissances et des habiletés politiques et ce, à différents niveaux de ce cycle. Aussi, nous avons pu observer une évolution, soit un changement ou une bonification de ces pratiques suite à l’implantation du programme FADéPI. Enfin, la finalité de cette étude est de rapporter des formes d’implication de la direction d’école dans le cycle de vie de PI qui permettraient d’actualiser un leadership pour et envers l’inclusion et la réussite de l’élève HDAA. / The quebecor school, as it is today, holds numerous roles within society and in the developmental process of the child. Its multiple and different roles are continuously growing in complexity, while needing to address and service various learning profiles, precisely special needs students. At the head of the school’s ecosystem, there is a leader commonly called a school principal. The role of this individual calls for a wide array of skills, knowledge and abilities to perform daily educational, logistical and financial operations, all while ensuring the well-being and success of all students through a reflective leadership which cares for matters related to an inclusive education. In the case of students with special needs, the intervention education plan (IEP) is recognized as a life cycle for the planning, elaborating and reviewing of interventions. Taking into account the growing proportion of students, whose success depends on the quality of the interventions they benefit from, the IEP has become a fundamental tool for their inclusion, both educational and social. According to the Public Instruction Act, within the school, the responsibility for IEPs goes to the school principal. There are many projects, programs and support systems to successfully complete the IEP life cycle, Myara (2011). However, the different leadership practices in relation to the IEP life cycle are not always clear. For this reason, our specific exploratory research aims, first of all, to document and analyze the forms and levels of involvement of the school principal in the IEP life cycle. Secondly, this study attempts to explore the evolution of the leadership practices in the IEP life cycle following the implementation of a training and support program for its development (FADéPI). Overall, our research results have enabled us to establish that the school principal’s leadership in the IEP life cycle comes in different forms of involvement (direct and indirect) that are in fact a set of knowledge, abilities and skills. In addition, our results have also enabled us to witness an evolution, rather a change or an improvement of these leadership practices. Finally, the purpose of our study is to suggest forms of involvement and leadership practices in the IEP life cycle that can help promote inclusion and success for the student with special needs.

The two research questions that guided this qualitative, descriptive case study were: 1. What staff development and training occurred since IDEA 1997 and what would be recommended in the future in a selected Virginia school district regarding the discipline problems of students with disabilities. 2. How had one Virginia school district responded, implemented and resolved disciplinary problems (including barriers) as related to IDEA 1997 for specific students with disabilities who were in need of disciplinary measures during the 1999-2000 school year? The seven selected students with disabilities were chosen based on their disciplinary actions as related to five interview guide questions that focused on some new IDEA 1997 disciplinary regulations. Sources came from a review of formal and informal records, interviews, observations, and follow-up based on data analysis. These questions dealt with the disciplinary issues involving: 1. Multiple short-term removals. 2. Change of placements. 3. Interim alternative settings. 4. Removal for more than ten days. 5. Disciplinary change of placement. 6. Discipline whereas a functional assessment and behavioral implementation plans, strategies and supports were reviewed for students with disabilities in need of disciplinary action. Themes, patterns and recommendations were given at the school district and at the state level. Recommendations for further study were made. Within this school district, three surfaced themes as part of lessons learned were noted. These themes were a) the revolving door of homebound placement, b) monitor and compliance issues, and c) documentation concerns for students with disabilities as mandated by IDEA 1997. Ten patterns were noted as related to the seven students with disabilities due to their disciplinary actions. All seven students with disabilities had a long history of special education placements, attendance problems and were recommended for counseling. Six of these student's parents were minimally involved with their child's progress. Six of these students were drug involved. Positive interventions, strategies and supports were utilized for five of these students when receiving disciplinary consequences. Five of these students with disabilities had other difficult family issues. Four of these students with disabilities were court involved while one student was involved with the community services board. Three students had work experiences and three students had low to average intelligence. Other noteworthy considerations involving climate and culture, money and safety were discussed. / Ed. D.

This phenomenological study investigated the nature and extent of the support parents received during IEP development. The study was informed by Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory. Participants, located in a Northeastern state, were 10 hearing parents of children who had been diagnosed with hearing loss at birth and were between ages 5 and 12. Data were in-depth interviews that were analyzed, coded, and organized into themes using an inductive approach to analysis informed by Hatch. Results indicated that parents believed they needed more guidance on what to expect during the first IEP meeting, that advocating for appropriate accommodations for their child was important, and that education professionals communicate in a more compassionate and less business-like manner when speaking with parents. Parents also indicated increased anxiety due to their perceptions that education professionals have inadequate knowledge about issues relating to hearing loss and hearing amplification technology. Based on these results, special education professionals and policy makers can focus on increased understanding of hearing loss and amplification use in order to help children with hearing loss achieve more positive educational outcomes effecting positive social change.

The goal of this study was to examine the professional development experiences of two participants while they were creating standards-based individualized education plan (IEP) goals using a virtual world called TeacherSim. The focuses of the study were how did special educators engage with the task of creating standards-based IEP goals using TeacherSim and how did TeacherSim support or hinder this? This research used a descriptive case study selecting two participants from the larger data set of seven participants. The data was analyzed using qualitative coding which compared the observed experiences with the case propositions. This case study demonstrated that special education professionals can work at a distance to learn the process of creating standards-based IEP goals while using the technology of a virtual world. Similarly, the use of virtual world technology appeared to facilitate feelings of physical and social presence, which aided in online collaborative activities.

Participation of minority parents in the Special Education IEP process continues to be a concern for public school administrators. With the disproportionality of African American males placed in special education and the mandatory involvement requirement in the IEP process, administrators and schools would benefit by understanding the obstacles that prevent the meaningful participation of parents/guardians of African American high school males in the special education IEP process. The purpose of this qualitative study was to analyze the obstacles faced by parents/guardians of African American males, grades 9-12, in the special education Individual Education Plan (IEP) process. This study involved interviewing ten parents/guardians of African American males receiving special education services, attending high schools in Contra Costa and Alameda counties in California. The results found the following themes that prevented the parents/guardians from meaningful participation in the IEP process: (1) Communication between home and school, (2) Knowledge of special education, (3) Parental rights and involvement in the IEP process, and (4) Attitudes of teachers. The strategies there were recommended to increase parental involvement were: (1) Engagement in active listening to parents and guardians at IEP meetings, (2) Changing of IEP meetings to work with parents' work schedules. (3) Improve overall communication with parents and guardians, and (4) Provide special education training for parents and guardians to teach them special education terminology and jargon. Lastly, the study provided various recommendations for further study.