Conceptualising social inclusion and examining its relationship with social competence

Previous research has attempted to examine specific social aspects of the school inclusion of students with vision impairment, such as the development of social relationships with their teachers and peers and their participation in school activities. Based on Bronfenbrenner’s ecological system theory, this article presents a socio-ecological model that aims to embrace the different elements of social inclusion in school. Considering the components of this socio-ecological model, the findings of an empirical study that examined the school engagement of adolescents with vision impairment and its effect on their social competence are presented. Thirty-seven adolescents, with and without vision impairment, aged 12–14 years, participated in this study. Adolescents were divided into three groups: adolescents with severe sight impairment (previously ‘blindness’), adolescents with sight impairment (previously ‘low vision’) and sighted adolescents. Participants completed a questionnaire about their school engagement and disengagement, and their parents completed a quantitative scale about their children’s social competence. There were no significant differences found between the three participant groups in terms of school engagement, disengagement and social competence. Neither school engagement nor disengagement was a significant predictor of social competence. The findings of this empirical study revealed remarkable similarities in school engagement and social competence between adolescents with and without vision impairment. These findings may also suggest that other clinical and social factors, independent of visual functioning, affect the school inclusion and social competence of adolescents with vision impairment. Overall, the socio-ecological model developed for the purposes of this research can lead to the development of evidence-based interventions that will aim to improve the social inclusion of adolescents with vision impairment. Furthermore, the rationale of the empirical study may promote further investigation of the critical role of promoting less-intrusive classroom interventions to facilitate the school inclusion of students with vision impairment

The UK National Recovery Survey:nationally representative survey of people overcoming a drug or alcohol problem

BackgroundAlcohol or drug (AOD) problems are a significant health burden in the UK population, and understanding pathways to remission is important.AimsTo determine the UK population prevalence of overcoming an AOD problem and the prevalence and correlates of ‘assisted’ pathways to problem resolution.MethodStage 1: a screening question was administered in a national telephone survey to provide (a) an estimate of the UK prevalence of AOD problem resolution; and (b) a demographic profile of those reporting problem resolution. Stage 2: social surveying organisation YouGov used the demographic data from stage 1 to guide the administration of the UK National Recovery Survey to a representative subsample from its online panel.ResultsIn stage 1 (n = 2061), 102 (5%) reported lifetime AOD problem resolution. In the weighted sample (n = 1373) who completed the survey in stage 2, 49.9% reported ‘assisted’ pathway use via formal treatment (35.0%), mutual help (29.7%) and/or recovery support services (22.6%). Use of an assisted pathway was strongly correlated with lifetime AOD diagnosis (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 9.54) and arrest in the past year (AOR = 7.88) and inversely correlated with absence of lifetime psychiatric diagnosis (AOR = 0.17). Those with cocaine (AOR = 2.44) or opioid problems (AOR = 3.21) were more likely to use assisted pathways compared with those with primary alcohol problems.ConclusionNearly three million people have resolved an AOD problem in the UK. Findings challenge the therapeutic pessimism sometimes associated with these problems and suggest a need to learn from community-based self-change that can supplement and enhance existing treatment modalities

Social support for students with visual impairments in educational institutions : an integrative literature review

Students with visual impairments often experience emotional problems and encounter difficulties in forming and maintaining social relationships. Research indicates that the social support provided to these students by staff members and their peers in educational institutions may have a positive impact on their academic learning and socioemotional development. The purpose of this integrative literature review was to synthesise the results from 17 academic articles published during 1998 and 2018, which examined the topic of social support for students with visual impairments in educational institutions. This review reveals that for students with visual impairments cooperation, empathetic behaviour, and practical assistance are the main components of social support. These students actively seek social support from staff members and peers, but they face many challenges, such as the lack of training and awareness. Support from staff members contributes to students’ academic learning and social inclusion, whereas peers’ social support enhances their self-esteem and social acceptance. The outlined positive effects of educational interventions on students’ social skills and social interaction support the need for implementing more interventions. The limitations of the studies reviewed and recommendations for future research are discussed

The social inclusion of adolescents with visual impairments : a multidimensional approach

Most studies focusing on the school inclusion of adolescents with visual impairments have shown numerous challenges in developing social relationships with teachers and classmates, as well as difficulties in participating in curricular and extra-curricular school activities. Previous literature has shown that these challenges may negatively affect other aspects of their school lives, such as their academic learning. However, there seems to be a limited number of studies that has attempted to provide a coherent understanding of the social dimensions of the inclusion of adolescents with visual impairments in school. Therefore, this thesis attempted to conceptualise the social inclusion of adolescents with visual impairments and consists of three empirical studies that examined the three following aspects of the social inclusion of adolescents with and without visual impairments: their school belonging, the social relationships they develop with their favourite teachers/teaching assistants and closest school friends and their participation in school activities. These three quantitative studies also investigated the predictive role of social inclusion in academic inclusion, domain-specific (individuals’ perceptions of their specific abilities) and global (overall feelings that individuals develop for themselves) self-esteem and social competence. The findings of this thesis indicated that adolescents with sight impairment (low vision) may feel significantly less socially included compared to their sighted peers and peers with severe sight impairment (blindness). School belonging was found to significantly affect specific areas of self-esteem as well as global self-esteem in all three groups. The findings of this thesis also indicated that the relationship between school belonging, and self-esteem was moderated by the importance that adolescents attached to specific areas of their self-esteem. Certain negative qualities of the social relationships that adolescents with visual impairments had developed with their closest school friends were found to significantly affect their academic inclusion. This thesis highlighted the school experiences of adolescents with visual impairments and underlined the positive role of school inclusion in their academic experiences and socio-emotional development. The findings of this research added an original contribution to current literature based on empirical findings that can inform future research and practice as well as current SEND policy