The relationships among verbal skills of primary school students with learning disabilities and a typically developing comparison group were studied and compared with written tasks carried out in Estonian classrooms. Word defining, categorising/justifying, guessing, and memorising tasks were used. The participants were 251 students in Grades 2-4;…

Schools in the United States and schools across majority of countries around the world today face two critical issues: "Inclusion of students with disabilities in general education classrooms" and a contributing factor to success of this inclusion, teachers prepared to use best practices. "Best practices" in education are approaches to teaching,…

Aim: To explore factors associated with students' attitudes towards their peers with disabilities. Method: All 7th grade students (aged 12-13y) from 12 schools in the Toulouse area were invited to participate (n = 1509). Attitudes were measured using the Chedoke-McMaster Attitudes Towards Children with Handicaps (CATCH) questionnaire (affective,…

This study examined the sense of coherence and loneliness of 19 children aged 12-14 years with severe to profound hearing loss. These feelings and their interrelations with speech intelligibility (SI) were examined in 2 settings: in special classes within regular schools (group inclusion) or individuals integrated into regular classes (individual…

Students identified with emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBD) present a special case within special educational needs (SEN) and inclusion. EBD is perhaps the only category of SEN that exposes a child to increased risk of exclusion as a function of the very SEN identified as requiring special provision in the first instance. Students…

Guy M. Whipple, a psychologist, best known for his work in mental testing, was the author of 1910 seminal two-volume "Manual of Mental and Physical Tests," which stood as the exclusive reference of psychological testers for nearly 20 years. Whipple was known for having described democratic education as the "equity of opportunity," and he asserted…

The author points out the benefits of segregated settings or sheltering for the developmentally disabled or mentally handicapped individual. (SBH)

Gifted programs should not be developed only to compensate for inadequate regular classrooms. Instead, the principles of gifted education should be applied to the total environment, with enrichment activities for gifted students requiring intensity of effort in specialized areas. (CL)

This study analyzes the effects of ability grouping on self-concept measures in a sample of 211 German students in their 1st year at the top track of secondary school (grade level 5; mean age: 10.46 years). 156 students, 55% of whom were female, attended regular classes, while 46 students, of whom 33% were female, attended special classes for the…

The terrain of inclusion studies in discussed in this paper from the perspective of policy discourses and teachers' constructions on student diversity. We start by discussing the concept of inclusion from normative and analystic perspectives. We then look at the kinds of discourses that can be found in the Finnish and Norwegian curricula, as well…

Separating children out of the mainstream into special education classes has gained too much momentum. It is here suggested that special'' may be an iatrogenic disease, that is: caused by the presumed cure. (Author)

Gifted children in regular schools can be served without excessive costs in three ways: withdrawal for special lessons; acceleration, especially differential acceleration in which students may take some lessons with an older group while still remaining identified with their own age group; and enrichment provided within the normal lesson framework.…

This brief report describes recent data on the enrolment of students in New South Wales (NSW) government special schools and special classes. There has been an increase in both special school and special class enrolments since 1998 with large increases among students with emotional disturbance. This pattern is briefly discussed in relation to…

The handbook for parents of children in the mentally gifted minor program of Oceanside, California, explains the district plan, selection of students, classroom activities, and the parent role. Also noted are program purposes, program organization, instructional materials, special interests of pupils, special activities parents can provide,…

TO ASSIST SCHOOL SYSTEMS IN SETTING UP CLASSES FOR THE EMOTIONALLY HANDICAPPED, THE LEGAL BASIS FOR MICHIGAN STATE-APPROVED PROGRAMS IS IDENTIFIED, STATE RULES AND REGULATIONS ARE REVIEWED, AND RELATIONSHIPS TO OTHER SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY SERVICES ARE INDICATED. INCLUDED ARE PROGRAMS AND THEIR GOALS, AND ADMINISTRATIVE DEFINITIONS AND PROCEDURES.…