Search results for ‘Subject term:"learning disabilities"’ Sort:
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That 'special' divide
- Author:
- STENNER Eve
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work Today, 12.10.89, 1989, p.24.
- Publisher:
- British Association of Social Workers
Reviews the legal framework of the 1981 Education Act on integration in schools.
To be labelled, or not to be labelled: that is the question
- Author:
- HO Anita
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 32(2), June 2004, pp.86-92.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Discusses the dilemma of diagnosing and labelling learning disabled people. Argues that a commitment to inclusion and equality requires an acknowledgement of various categorization problems, and a realization that various contexts may contribute to people's different learning patterns. Pathologizing learning difference may be unnecessary or even counterproductive if we presume that all children learn in their unique ways. Argues that it is more productive to design flexible curricula that can accommodate learning diversity.
Characterisation of multisensory environments: why do teachers use them?
- Author:
- STEPHENSON Jennifer
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 15(1), 2002, pp.73-90.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Special educators are increasingly using multisensory environments even though there is a lack of evidence for their effectiveness as an educational intervention. This paper explores the way multisensory rooms are presented on the World Wide Web in an attempt to understand why they are being used by teachers. Searches of the World Wide Web were carried out to locate 48 relevant sites. The contents of the sites were analyzed in terms of aims or purposes, purported benefits and outcomes, use of research, confidence of claims, emphasis on student behaviour and building interpersonal relationships. The aims included sensory stimulation and relaxation. A wide range of purported outcomes were identified that were confidently claimed with little reference to the existing research base. Many sites did claim benefits for student behaviour and building up of relationships. There is an uncritical presentation of the purported benefits of multisensory environments with a belief that sensory stimulation is, in itself, a good thing. It seems that a teacher's desire to build positive relationships and provide pleasant experiences may be an important factor in the use of these environments.
An educational inconvenience
- Author:
- JONES Keith
- Journal article citation:
- Community Care, 3.1.91, 1991, p.7.
- Publisher:
- Reed Business Information
The Education Act 1981, which applied to children with learning difficulties or disabilities, set out to revolutionise the educational provision made for them by local education authorities. Radio 4's investigative programme Face the Facts has raised suspicions that LEAs are tailoring statements of need to fit what they can provide.
Sociological theories of learning disabilities: understanding racial disproportionality in special education
- Author:
- ANYON Yolanda
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 19(1), January 2009, pp.44-57.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
In 2001 in the United States more than half of students in special education were identified as having specific learning disability more than any other qualifying disability. Although many researchers have applied sociological theory to concepts of physical disability, leading to the social model used by disability advocates and activists, less work has been done to provide a sociological frame for learning disabilities. This paper describes how students with learning disabilities have constituted the fastest-growing special education population in public school districts, particularly students of colour. Though the overrepresentation of students of colour in special education programmes is well documented, few efforts have been made to apply sociological theories to expand our understanding of this phenomenon. The author provides an overview of this application to the study of learning disabilities and special education, with particular attention to the disproportionate involvement of minority youth in educational programs for students with disabilities.
Help to move on - but to what? Young people with learning difficulties moving on from out-of-area residential schools or colleges
- Authors:
- HESLOP Pauline, ABBOTT David
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 37(1), March 2009, pp.12-20.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
This article describes research undertaken between 2004 and 2006 about the issues faced by 15 young people with a wide range of learning difficulties in out-of-area residential schools and colleges at transition. The process of transition planning was hampered by the distance between the school/college and the 'home authority' of the young person; there was a wide variation in who took the lead on co-ordinating planning for transition; and involvement in decision-making by the young people was often a passive, rather than active process. Four of the fifteen young people left their school/college without knowing where they were going to move on to. None moved into any accommodation other than the family home or residential accommodation. Half moved on to attend a mainstream FE college, with little or no sense of future progression into work for most. The key messages of the article relate to the importance of continuity to young people, the need for more creativity in minimising the effects of distance, and how vital good forward planning is to help young people 'move on'.
Leisure activities during school break among children with learning disabilities: preference vs. performance
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 34(1), March 2006, pp.42-48.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Participation in leisure activities may contribute to the development of social, motor, and language skills, and is therefore especially important for children with learning disabilities. The purpose of the study was to examine break activities of children with learning disabilities, through exploration of the correlation between their preferences for break activities and the activities in which they actually engaged. The study found no such correlation. It is therefore suggested that leisure education should provide students with the skills they need in order to choose leisure activities and evaluate the efficacy of the choice they had made.
Waiting games
- Author:
- NOBLE Laura
- Journal article citation:
- Community Care, 30.10.97, 1997, p.9.
- Publisher:
- Reed Business Information
Reports on how one woman's experience of fighting for her autistic son's rights illustrates some of the pitfalls in the government's approach to special education needs.
Permanent exclusions and special school pupils
- Authors:
- PARSONS Carl, ORLOWSKA Danuta
- Journal article citation:
- Tizard Learning Disability Review, 2(3), July 1997, pp.43-45.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Considers permanent exclusions from schools, giving data for the overall pattern of exclusions from schools in England, with specific attention to exclusions from special schools. Looks at two case histories of exclusions of pupils with learning disabilities from a residential special school. Also considers the impact of exclusion on young people and their families.
Commentary on: “Ordinary lives” means ordinary schools: towards a unitary 0-99 years policy for adults and children with learning disabilities
- Author:
- HARDIMAN Becky
- Journal article citation:
- Tizard Learning Disability Review, 25(1), 2020, pp.47-52.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to reflect on some of the challenges faced by caregivers when making decisions relating to school placements for their child with a learning disability. Design/methodology/approach: Quotes from parents and caregivers, contacted via a national syndrome support charity, are shared, along with broader perspectives gained through the charity’s helpline service. Findings: A number of themes are discussed, including friendships and role models; expectations and educational targets; training, speciality and capacity of staff and managing a widening gap. Originality/value: When considering the future of education provision, it is important to consider some of the tensions between an ideology of inclusion and the current realities of service provision. To create effective solutions to achieving more effective inclusion, the concerns and experiences of families, as well as children, must be considered. (Edited publisher abstract)