Special education used to be a place--sometimes a separate school, more often a classroom down the hall where students labeled as such disappeared for hours at a time, out of sight and out of mind for the typical classroom teacher. That's still sometimes the case, but increasingly, special education is front and center in the regular education…

The present quasi-experimental study examines the outcomes for a group of 102 children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder at age 2 who attended an inclusive toddler program (described by Stahmer and Ingersoll, 2004) until age 3. Outcomes on standardized developmental assessments indicate significant improvement, with large effect sizes, in…

The incidence of brain injuries, as well as their impact on individuals who sustain them, has received growing attention from American media in recent years. This attention is likely the result of high profile individuals suffering brain injuries. Greater public awareness of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) has also been promoted by sources such as…

A qualitative research project was carried out in order to explore the views of Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) and mainstream school staff regarding the process of re-integration of secondary school age pupils from the PRU to mainstream school. The views of 11 PRU staff members, six mainstream staff members and a member of the Behaviour Support Service…

Over the last decade the idea of inclusion of students with disabilities and special educational needs (SEN) in general schools has become increasingly the focus of national and international policies. Inclusive education has also made enormous progress in Greece recently. The purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes of Physical…

This paper examines research findings concerning the loci of the pervasive academic underachievement among deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children and issues associated with interventions and instructional methods that could help to reduce or eliminate it. Investigators have hypothesised that at least 50% of the variability in DHH students'…

A major problem facing educators in the United States is how to determine when the nation's five million English language learners (ELL) are ready to exit language-learning programs, i.e. to be "reclassified" as fluent English proficient (R-FEP) and placed in mainstream classrooms without additional language support. No Child Left Behind…

"Special Schools as a Resource for Inclusive Education" examines inclusive education reform efforts by the Open Society foundation in Armenia in communities with special and mainstream schools. These efforts evolved into a project to transform three special schools for children with disabilities into resource centers to help mainstream…

Little is known about factors that affect teacher and special educational assistants' (SEA) relationships with students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). In this study, participants were 15 students with ASD receiving inclusive education in Kindergarten through Grade 3, their classroom teachers, and SEAs. Teachers and SEAs completed rating…

The current study examined the impact of school placement in mainstream or special settings on the behavioural functioning of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Children were assessed at the start of the school year and then again at the end of the school year using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and the Vineland Adaptive…

This article reports on a quantitative research study designed to examine the impact of organizational climate on burnout among homeroom and special education teachers working in Israeli state (non-religious) schools. The research literature identifies various causes for teacher burnout, offering evidence that special education teachers experience…

School leaders are charged with responding to the challenges presented by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the education of students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment. The idea of least restrictive environment moves schools from educating students with disabilities in special education to regular education…

Inclusive education is one of the most important issues in education in Hong Kong, China. Because the role of teachers is critical to the success of inclusive education, this study investigated some of the elements that determine the success of implementing inclusive education. Teachers' perceived definition of inclusive education, the…

Education reform towards a whole school approach to catering for diversity within Hong Kong government schools has seen the initiation of several strategies to support mainstream schools in this transition. One of these approaches is the use of a resource school model. Special and mainstream schools in Hong Kong are being invited to establish…

The purpose of the "Teachers, Families, and Communities Supporting English Language Learners" (TFC) project was to implement and evaluate a sustainable model of high-quality professional development focused on improving inclusive pre-kindergarten services for English Language Learners (ELL) and their families. The professional…