The aim of this study is to identify if children's play behaviour, temperament, and special educational needs (SEN) are interrelated. It is important to increase the awareness of the joint effects of temperament and SEN on behaviour so that early childhood special education (ECSE) teachers can provide the appropriate support for children with SEN…

Check in-check out (CICO) is a widely used and studied behavioural intervention. Although CICO is an effective way to support pupils' behaviour in a school context, not all pupils benefit from basic CICO. A single-case experimental study was designed to evaluate the effects of CICO Plus support (CICO Plus) for participants whose behaviour was…

The aim of this study was to analyse and compare teachers' attitudes towards inclusive education in two culturally different countries: Finland and Japan. A sample of 362 Finnish and 1518 Japanese teachers participated in this survey. The teachers' attitudes varied and were rather critical. The Finnish teachers were more worried about teachers'…

Prior studies have shown that young adults with severe physical and multiple disabilities are less likely to complete upper secondary education. This study aimed to identify whether these students' type of multiple disability, gender, location and literacy skills were associated with completion of upper secondary education. The participants were…

It has been indicated that teachers' perceptions of the most suitable educational environment for students with different disabilities depends on the type and severity of students' disability. Although the perceptions are found to be different by country, research comparing Japanese teachers' perceptions and perceptions of teachers from other…

The aim of this study was to investigate children's social communication abilities and play to reveal possible changes during a one year period in the context of Finnish early childhood special education. The data we collected during 2012-2013 consisted of assessments of play behaviour (Preschool Play Behavior Scale) and social communication…

This article examines the implementation of new special education legislation in Finland among students with significant disabilities. The data consist of a nationwide survey and field observations. In the analysis, a policy implementation framework is utilized as a theoretical lens. The findings suggest that schools and municipalities that had…

Implementation of medical rehabilitation for children with severe disabilities, arranged by the Social Insurance Institution of Finland, is based on collaboration of the family with several professionals and organizations providing the necessary services. Therefore, it sets special challenges for service provision. Parents' experiences of shared…

Background: Often communication training has been directed at the communication practices of staff members working with people with multiple learning disabilities. To date, the thinking habits of staff members, which also influence interactions, have not been addressed. We identified the issues staff members perceived as important for their…

Play is a central facilitating element of early development. As a child plays, he or she practices spontaneously cognitive, emotional, and motor abilities. This research project, part of a larger project on early intervention with young disabled children, investigated the play of children with a motor handicap. The sample consisted of 61 disabled…

A survey assessed attitudes of 1636 Zambian and Finnish teachers towards inclusive education and consequently the perceptions of appropriate educational environment for children with different disabilities. On the whole, attitudes varied but were quite critical. Structure of the attitudes was similar in both countries; factor analyses extracted…