Addressing the needs of children with disabilities experiencing disaster or terrorism

Purpose of review: This paper reviews the empirical literature on psychosocial factors relating to children with disabilities in the context of disaster or terrorism. Recent findings: Research indicates individuals with disabilities experience increased exposure to hazards due to existing social disparities and barriers associated with disability status. However, studies on the psychological effects of disaster/terrorism on children with preexisting disabilities are exceedingly few and empirical evidence of the effectiveness of trauma-focused therapies for this population is limited. Secondary adversities, including social stigma and health concerns, also compromise the recovery of these children post-disaster/terrorism. Schools and teachers appear to be particularly important in the recovery of children with disabilities to disaster. Disasters, terrorism, and war all contribute to the incidence of disability, as well as disproportionately affect children with preexisting disabilities. Summary: Disaster preparedness interventions and societal changes are needed to decrease the disproportionate environmental and social vulnerability of children with disabilities to disaster and terrorism

Transculturalism in parents' experiences of caring for an autistic child

In the UK there has been a marked increase in children from minority ethnic families receiving an autism diagnosis but there continues to be a dearth in research that has explored the diversity of families’ lived experiences. The research sought to address this under-representation by using a transcultural approach to understand how families are drawing on multiple cultural influences in response to having an autistic child. Eleven parents from nine families who lived in one London borough were interviewed using a non-directive narrative approach. The families included two parents who were born in the UK, five who migrated to the UK as children and four who came to the UK as adults. All the families had a child with autism aged between four and seventeen years old, who attended either a special school or a mainstream school in the same London borough. Combining transculturalism with a narrative interview approach made it possible to pay attention to the ways in which families’ lives are transformed when they have an autistic child, how parents develop multiple identities in their interactions with professionals and family members across different social and cultural contexts and the impact this has on their sense of belonging to the community and networks of support. Analysing the interviews followed a case-based approach with themes examined within and across all cases. A thematic analysis of the families’ transcultural experiences showed that there were commonalities in their experiences of parenting children with autism as well as distinct and relevant cultural values and resources which influenced their individual responses to having an autistic child. The families wanted teachers in mainstream schools and those in their community to have more understanding and knowledge about how autism affected their lives and positive recognition of the solution-focused strategies that they were using to advocate for their autistic child’s healthcare and education. The findings from this research supported the development of a transcultural model that will be of value in developing culturally responsive pedagogical practice in autism education. The recommendations are that there is a need to further address culture and ethnicity in research on autism and special education, encouraging teachers to think about how they work with autistic children and the social and cultural realities that are an essential aspect of families’ transcultural lives

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF TEACHERS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS INCLUSION OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS ACCORDING TO GENDER, NATIONALITY AND TEACHING EXPERIENCE AT THREE SCHOOLS IN BANGKOK, THAILAND

The purpose of this study is to find out about the attitude of teachers towards inclusion of children with special educational needs according to demographics at three schools in Bangkok. The objectives of this research are (a) To identify the level of teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion of children with special educational needs according to gender, nationality and teaching experience at three schools in Bangkok, Thailand (b) To compare the significant difference of teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion of children with special educational needs according to demographics at three schools in Bangkok, Thailand. The study was conducted using a survey at three schools in Bangkok. The researcher studied teachers attitude towards the topic at hand under five subscales, teachers’ understanding of general philosophy of IE; classroom behaviour of students with disabilities; classroom management; impact of inclusion on academic and social growth of students with disabilities; and teachers’ perceived ability to teach students with disabilities, according to demographics. Analysis of the data showed that the teachers attitude towards the five subscales, were positive with the highest positive attitude towards impact of inclusion on academic and social growth of students with disabilities and the lowest positive attitude towards and teachers’ perceived ability to teach students with disabilities. The analysis of the t-test showed the p value to be more than 0.05 for the effects of gender and teaching experience, which led to the conclusion of no significant difference in the teachers’ attitude towards the five subscales according to gender and teaching experience. The analysis of from the t-test that compared the nationality’s influence on teachers’ attitude towards IE program, showed a p value of less than 0.05 for the attitude towards teachers’ understanding of general philosophy of IE and classroom behaviour of students with disabilities, which led to the conclusion of a significant difference in the teachers’ attitude towards the 1st and 2nd variable with teachers of Asian descent had a more positive attitude towards the understanding of general philosophy of IE and while the results showed that teachers of non- Asian descent had a more favourable attitude towards classroom behaviour of students with disabilities. The P value of the t test of the other variables mentioned above was more than 0.05 which led to a conclusion of no significant difference in teachers’ attitude towards the variables according to teaching experience. Further research can be done on the influence of nationality on the teachers’ attitude towards the IE program

Experiences of self and belonging among young people identified as having learning difficulties in English schools

Young people identified as having special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEN/D), remain some of the most marginalised learners in the English education system. These young people are one of the most likely groups to face exclusion from school and evidence suggests that discrimination against disabled adults and children, in England, is on the rise. Within research debates on education, the voices of those identified as having SEN/D remain on the margins. Six story-telling case studies were undertaken, exploring the experiences of young people identified as having learning difficulties in a mainstream, mainstream faith and special school in England. Specifically, the way in which the young people described themselves and experienced a sense of belonging was examined. An ethical and robustly inclusive methodology using arts-based methods was developed to empower the young people to share their experiences on their own terms. Embracing the potential of video voice, self-portraiture and life-mapping as ethical, participatory and inclusive research methods, this study has captured multi-sensory narrative data. Offering a detailed description of how the methods operated inclusively contributes to the field and, supports other researchers to undertake inclusive research alongside young people identified as having learning difficulties. The voices of the six young people are examined to show the ways in which they demonstrate a resistance to othering discourses in society, through describing themselves and articulating their sense of belonging. The young people’s reflection on difference and disability demonstrated that their knowledge of disability and specific ‘diagnoses’ was limited. Moreover, the way in which they described themselves and their peers reinforced a dichotomy of ‘normal’ and ‘other’. Hence, I argue within this thesis for the further development and dissemination of a social model of learning difficulty. This model rejects the notion of essential difference and offers an understanding that learning difficulty, similarly to disability, can be viewed as socially constructed. Based on the young people’s reflections on belonging, I also problematise the use of special educational needs (SEN) labels within school settings arguing that, discussions around the use of labels must involve the voices of young people. In relation to SEN labels, I also examine the geographies of SEN/D using the young people’s reflections to underline how nurture or inclusion units can have the potential to both offer refuge and reinforce notions of difference.My thanks to the School of Humanities and Social Sciences for generously awarding me a three-year PhD bursary

The Development and Evaluation of a Culturally Appropriate Home-based Intervention for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The limited research regarding Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) suggests a serious lack of understanding of the disorder, a scarcity of ASD services, and few trained professionals. In addition, there are few studies of evidence-based practices to support families of children with ASD which are culturally appropriate in KSA. Research on families’ experiences of raising children with ASD indicated an urgent need for professional support. Home-based interventions (HBIs) administered by parents of children with ASD have been found to be an effective method to receive ASD services within the naturalised home environment. The purpose of this project was to develop and evaluate a culturally appropriate HBI to support families and their children with ASD in KSA

Exploring the Experiences of Bangladeshi Parents Whose Children Have Been Diagnosed with Autism

This research sought to explore the subjective experiences of Bangladeshi parents of a child with a diagnosis of autism. The study was underpinned by a social constructivist research perspective, an exploratory design and a narrative methodology. Unstructured interviews were used with five Bangladeshi participants who were asked to share their experiences and perceptions. Participants’ interviews were ‘restoryed’ using Clandinin & Connelly’s (2000) Three-Dimensional Framework. This offered a rich and in-depth insight into parental experiences. In the second phase of analysis, narrative themes and sub-themes that featured across parental stories were discussed. The findings indicate that participants are not only navigating and making sense of their child’s diagnosis themselves but also facilitating the understanding of extended family members. Participants employed multiple and varied explanatory models that suited their context. Not having a word in Bengali for autism was a barrier to sharing the diagnosis with Bengali speaking family members; in addition, the variation in the presentation of autism also created mistrust in the label. The lack of intergenerational understanding was identified by participants as a key barrier, however, all participants expressed a desire for raising awareness in the Bengali community and saw this as a way to address perceived difficulties. Having a child with a diagnosis of autism required all participants to advocate for their child in the domestic sphere, sometimes challenging culturally expected roles in the wider family and school context. The research illustrates the complexity of experiences associated with being a Bangladeshi parent of a child with autism. The thesis concludes by discussing the implications for Educational Psychology practice

21st Annual Andrew B. Conteh Student Academic Conference

Minnesota State University Moorhead Student Academic Conference abstract book.https://red.mnstate.edu/sac-book/1020/thumbnail.jp