One important goal of Swedish educational policies is to integrate all pupils within regular education, irrespective of disability or difficulties in school, and to adjust education to individual needs. The aim of this paper was to explore how schools "socially construct", i.e. identify and support, pupils with special educational needs.…

The inclusion of students with special education needs in regular schools in Mexico is slowly gaining momentum. Likewise, teacher training for inclusion is increasingly becoming an important aspect of preservice training. This research investigates the perceptions of 286 preservice teachers who are about to complete their general teacher training…

In 1997, the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandated that students with disabilities have access to the general education curriculum. Access means more than being exposed to language arts, math, and science; access means academic progress. In addition, the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 requires that all students have…

Only a handful of states address children with disabilities in their early child care quality rating systems. As a result, few states are evaluating the quality of inclusive programs and services. This problem is compounded by a lack of consensus on dimensions that define high quality inclusion and a need for additional measures of quality…

This study investigates the use made of humour by teachers during classroom interventions with adolescent students with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD). Literature mentions the use of humour as a key tool in successful classroom interventions with students with SEBD and yet there is little quantified research on this topic.…

This study examined the self-reported strategies of exemplary language arts teachers during their day-to-day interactions with second language learners. Descriptive, case study methodology was used to reveal those strategies employed by exemplary secondary language arts teachers working in mainstream classrooms with limited English proficient…

In the late 1960s and 1970s, the author was falsely labeled as a student with mental retardation, a label that controlled her educational experience for 8 years. In the early 1980s, she completed traditional university licensure programs to become both a general and a special education teacher. In this article, the author provides the perspective…

The purpose of this case study was to find out the attitudes of parents towards mainstreaming children with special needs into 2 regular private elementary schools in Sidon-Lebanon. A total of 15 parents were interviewed out of 35 whose children have learning disabilities. Sampling was purposeful where the subjects were chosen to facilitate…

Inclusion of students with disabilities in general education classes is at the forefront of policy and practice; however, many general educators do not feel prepared to provide meaningful education to students with disabilities. It is critical, therefore, that administrators determine the specific professional development needs of their teaching…

In order to help teachers understand the importance of intentional design for inclusive education, this article describes the design process an engineer might use when designing a new project. If teachers learn to think like engineers, it is possible for them to design inclusive education. This conceptual design can then be combined with…

The purpose of this article is to analyze assistive technology literature for students with disabilities. The literature search rendered N = 57 literature and n = 17 manuscripts were identified in the special education technology field studies. Each source was evaluated according to the following criteria: types of disability, learning objectives…

Special education has been gaining intense attention from governments and educators throughout the world. As a developing country, and official candidate for the European Union, Turkey has been working on issues related to special education provision and inclusive education to improve the quality of services for citizens with disabilities. This…

Two professors of reading redesigned, merged, and co-taught their respective methods courses (one elementary, one special education) to foster "literacy for all" through interdisciplinary content and collaboration. The characteristic needs of students with learning disabilities and the instructional strategies that promote their literacy…

Attitudes and concerns of pre-service teachers regarding implementation of inclusive education were examined. The participants consisted of 480 pre-service teachers enrolled in a one year Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) program at Pune University, in the state of Maharashtra. The results of the study showed that participants had somewhat negative…

In the UK, exclusions from school because of behaviour problems usually occur when other alternatives have proved unsuccessful. There is some evidence to suggest that behaviour problems and resulting school exclusions are associated with language impairment. In older children who are permanently excluded, expressive rather than receptive language…