This paper details a qualitative study which examined the influence of the nature of children's disabilities on stigmatisation experienced by their parents. To explore stigmatisation, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 parents of children with a range of disabilities. Findings highlighted that differential treatment was experienced…

Drawing on social cognition frameworks, we experimentally examined preservice teachers' implicit attitudes toward students with special educational needs (SEN) from different ethnic backgrounds and preservice teachers' explicit attitudes toward inclusive education. Preservice teachers (N = 46) completed an evaluative priming task and…

In support of their recommendations, recent policy pronouncements in England on behaviour (DFE (Department for Education). 2010. "The Importance of Teaching-The Schools White Paper". London: TSO) and on reform of special educational needs and disabilities make reference, respectively, to educator perceptions of poor behaviour by children…

Over the last decade the mandated "push" for full inclusion has changed the dynamics of our general education classrooms to the extent that our general education teachers do not feel adequately prepared to teach. The lack of preparation may affect the pre-service teachers' attitude and perception of students with disabilities in a…

Torey Hayden's teacher stories are first-person accounts of being a teacher in classrooms for students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Hayden's books offer readers a real-world look at the joys and challenges of teaching children whose lives are marked by emotional and behavioral disorders, child abuse and trauma, anger and defeat.…

When looking for answers to the question of academic (non)achievement of regular pupils and pupils with special needs, it is necessary to take into account the extraordinary complexity of factors, ranging from psychological across instructional to home environment variables. The academic achievement is not only a reflection of the pupil's…

Describing students with disabilities as presenting "challenging behavior" is common in US schools. The purpose of this paper is to reveal the discourse utilized by teachers in order to understand their beliefs and practices surrounding young students considered to present challenging behavior. This study examines teachers' language in…

In the Netherlands and the USA, the assessment process is changing for children who present learning and behavioural challenges in school. Evaluations for eligibility determinations and support planning are shifting along with disability models and tensions over the provision of inclusive schooling. Legislative edicts influence the assessment…

Research has demonstrated that humans form perceptions as a result of a variety of complex cognitive processes. The purpose of this pilot study is to demonstrate the potential use of perceptual mapping as a means to capture the perceptions of groups of individuals who work closely with people with disabilities and examine their perceptions in a…

Teachers in general education are expected to cope with students with diverse needs. They might not always be ready or sufficiently supported to meet these challenges. The current study aims at identifying child, teacher and environmental barriers to inclusion. Specifically it addresses the importance of preschool teachers' attitudes as the human…

Children with learning and behavior problems often have difficulty getting through their day, to a great extent because they have difficulty organizing themselves and understanding the organization of the environment around them. Neurotypical children and adults organize themselves in many ways by using calendars, planners, lists, and so forth.…

The purpose of this policy brief is to describe the usage and trends of discipline for students with disabilities in Indiana to help inform local and state policymaking. The brief begins with a review of national and Indiana studies, followed by data that illustrate (1) how general and special education students compare with respect to suspension…

Both law and pedagogy require that educators address behavior interfering with educational progress for students with disabilities. The reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA, 2004) and its predecessor, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 1997a), require individualized education program (IEP)…

Currently, students in early childhood special education programs experience social isolation. To ameliorate the inappropriate behaviors that often contribute to this isolation, it is imperative that educators begin to include instruction in appropriate social interaction in the general education early childhood curriculum for children with…

Peer-assessed problem behavior was examined in relation to peer-group membership and social-network centrality in 59 fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade classes. Most students with high peer-assessed problem behavior were students without disabilities, but students with disabilities were over represented at the highest levels of problem behavior.…