Education for all- Inclusive education

Education for all is the slogan of UNESCO. During the last decades a worldwide movement towards inclusive education is taken place. The idea is to make the school accessible to all children, whatever their differences or background. Not only accessible but also to give every child, together with its peers, a good education. Inclusive education also means that children with special needs and/or disability are integrated into regular education settings. Article 24 of the 2006 United Nations Convention on the rights of people with disability states that children with a disability have the right to be educated in regular school settings together with non-disabled peers, and that governments should take measures to grant them that right. A number of countries have adapted their laws to make education more inclusive. But practice is lagging behind policies: teachers hardly know how to deal with the diversity of student´s needs and performance levels and there are many organizational gaps

Identification of Allodynic Migraine Patients with the Turkish Version of the Allodynia Symptom Checklist: Reliability and Consistency Study Allodini Varlığının Migren Hastalarında Allodini Semptom Anketi Tükçe Versiyonu (ASC/T) ile Saptanması: Geçerlilik

Introduction: Cutaneous allodynia is regarded as an expression of central sensitization in migraine. Although the gold standard is quantitative sensory testing, several practical assessment questionnaires have been developed to assess allodynia in migraine. We aimed to establish the first valid Turkish allodynia assessment questionnaire based on a 12-item allodynia symptom checklist and to evaluate the associated factors. Methods: The first part of the study included the translation and cultural adaptation of a Turkish version of the checklist. The Turkish version of the questionnaire was administered to 344 episodic and chronic migraine patients, who were chosen according to the International Classification of Headache Disorders -III beta criteria. Results: The total checklist score showed excellent test-retest reliability (r=0.821). The internal consistency of the checklist was assessed using Cronbach alpha values and was found to be acceptable (Cronbach alpha for the checklist=0.767). Data analysis revealed that 10 items of the questionnaire adequately identified allodynic subjects. Cutaneous allodynia was present in 218 (63.4%) migraine patients. Allodynia was more prominent in patients experiencing migraine with aura (p=0.008) and in females (p<0.001). Multiple logistic regression analysis found that female gender, aura existence, longer headache duration, and higher attack frequency were the major determinants of cutaneous allodynia. Conclusion: Allodynia is common and has clinical significance in migraine; therefore, establishing a validated Turkish questionnaire for the assessment of allodynia was necessary. In this study, a Turkish version of the allodynia symptom checklist was validated and found to be convenient for the identification of allodynia in migraine patients. Keywords: Migraine, cutaneous allodynia, checklist, validity ABSTRACT Amaç: Kutanöz allodini migrende santral sensitizasyonun göstergesi olarak kabul edilmektedir. Altın standart kantitatif duysal test olmasına ragmen, migren hastalarında allodini araştırılması için geliştirilmiş çok sayıda anket bulunmaktadır. Bu çalışmada 12 madde içeren allodini semptom anketinin (ASC) Türkçeye uyarlanması ile ilk Türkçe geçerliliği gösterilmiş anketin geliştirilmesi ve ilişkili faktörlerin araştırılması amaçlandı. Yöntem: Çalışmanın birinci aşaması anketin Türkçe'ye çevirisi ve kültürel adaptasyonunu içermektedir. İkinci aşamada, geliştirilen Türkçe anket Uluslarası Başağrısı Cemiyeti Başağrısı Sınıflandırması-3 beta (ICHD-3 beta)'ya göre tanı almış 344 epizodik ve kronik migren hastasına uygulandı. Bulgular: Toplam anket skoru test-tekrar test değerlendirmesinde mü-kemmel güvenilirlik gösterdi (r=0,821). Anketin içsel tutarlılığı Kronbach Alfa Değeri ile değerlendirildi ve kabul edilebilir tutarlılık gösterdi (Anket Kronbach Alfa değeri: 0,767). Veri analizleri ankette bulunan 10 maddenin allodinik bireylerin tespit edilmesinde yeterli olduğunu gösterdi. Kutanöz allodini 218 migren hastasında (%63,4) saptandı. Allodini auralı migren hastalarında (p=0,008) ve kadınlarda daha sıktı (p<0,001). Çok-lu lojistik regresyon analizinde kadın cinsiyet, aura varlığı, uzun başağrısı süresi ve sık atak sayısının kutanöz allodini varlığının başlıca belirleyicileri olduğu gösterildi. Sonuç: Allodininin migrende sık görülmesi ve klinik açıdan önemli olması nedeniyle geçerliliği gösterilmiş bir Türkçe allodini anketi bulunmasının gerekli olduğunu düşünmekteyiz. Bu çalışmada ASC-Türkçe versiyonunun geçerliliği ve migren hastalarında allodinin saptanmasında uygun bir anket olduğu gösterilmiştir

Investigating the Difficulties in Learning Disability within an Educational Perspective

Bu araştırmanın temel amacı, ilk ve ortaokullarda eğitim görmekte olan ve öğrenme güçlüğü (ÖG) tanısı almış çocukların yaşamış oldukları sorunları eğitsel alan çerçevesinde incelemektir. Araştırmanın ikinci amacı, belirlenen zorluk alanlarının cinsiyet ve okul kademesi açısından farklarını ve boyutlarının birbiri ile ilişkisini incelemektir. Araştırmada, Rehberlik ve Araştırma Merkezleri’nde tanılanmış ve kaynaştırma yoluyla eğitim uygulaması yapan okullarda bireyselleştirilmiş eğitim programı kapsamında eğitim gören 261 çocuğun öğretmenlerinden Öğrenme Bozukluğu Belirti Tarama Testi kullanılarak veri toplanmıştır. Araştırma sonucunda öğrencilerin testin tüm boyutlarında sorun yaşadığı, en sık sorun yaşanan alanların, ‘akademik başarı’, ‘yazma’, ‘sosyal-duygusal’, ‘aritmetik’, ‘sıralama’, ‘organize olma’, ‘okuma’, ‘dikkat’, ‘motivasyon’ ve ‘çalışma alışkanlığı’ olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Ayrıca bazı alanlarda hem cinsiyet, hem de okul seviyesi (ilkokul ve ortaokul) açısından öğrenme güçlüğü belirtilerinde anlamlı farklılıklar bulunmuş; ölçeğin boyutları arasında da anlamlı ilişkiler belirlenmiştir. Araştırma sonuçlarının ÖG olan çocukların sorun alanlarının tespitine ve uygun okul stratejileri ve öğretmen uygulamalarına rehberlik edeceği öngörülmektedir

Quality of Life of Children with Learning Disabilities: A Comparison of Self-reports and Proxy Reports

This study aimed to explore how children with learning disabilities (LD) perceive their quality of life (QoL) and to compare self-reports and proxy reports regarding their QoL. Children with LD, their typically developing peers, their parents and teachers responded to the child, parent, and teacher forms of KINDLR Questionnaire for Measuring Health-Related Quality of Life (Ravens-Sieberer & Bullinger, 1998). Findings showed that children with LD reported significantly lower QoL scores than those reported by typically developing peers. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and t-test results showed that agreement between child reports and parent-proxy reports was either low or moderate on each QoL dimension. Findings of the study may be used to raise awareness regarding the social and educational needs of children with LD in Turkey

Identification of Allodynic Migraine Patients with the Turkish Version of the Allodynia Symptom Checklist: Reliability and Consistency Study

WOS: 000412669100013PubMed: 29033640Introduction: Cutaneous allodynia is regarded as an expression of central sensitization in migraine. Although the gold standard is quantitative sensory testing, several practical assessment questionnaires have been developed to assess allodynia in migraine. We aimed to establish the first valid Turkish allodynia assessment questionnaire based on a 12-item allodynia symptom checklist and to evaluate the associated factors. Methods: The first part of the study included the translation and cultural adaptation of a Turkish version of the checklist. The Turkish version of the questionnaire was administered to 344 episodic and chronic migraine patients, who were chosen according to the International Classification of Headache Disorders -III beta criteria. Results: The total checklist score showed excellent test-retest reliability (r= 0.821). The internal consistency of the checklist was assessed using Cronbach alpha values and was found to be acceptable (Cronbach alpha for the checklist= 0.767). Data analysis revealed that 10 items of the questionnaire adequately identified allodynic subjects. Cutaneous allodynia was present in 218 (63.4%) migraine patients. Allodynia was more prominent in patients experiencing migraine with aura (p= 0.008) and in females (p< 0.001). Multiple logistic regression analysis found that female gender, aura existence, longer headache duration, and higher attack frequency were the major determinants of cutaneous allodynia. Conclusion: Allodynia is common and has clinical significance in migraine; therefore, establishing a validated Turkish questionnaire for the assessment of allodynia was necessary. In this study, a Turkish version of the allodynia symptom checklist was validated and found to be convenient for the identification of allodynia in migraine patients

A Preventive Approach in Inclusive Education. Differentiating classroom practice for primary scholl teachers

Education for all is the slogan of UNESCO. During the last decades a worldwide movement towards inclusive education is taking place. The idea is to make the school accessible to all children, whatever their differences or background. Not only accessible but also to give every child a good education, together with itspeers. Inclusive education also means that children with special needs and/or disability are integrated into regular education settings. Article 24 of the 2006 UN Convention on the rights of people with disability states that children with a disability have the right to be educated in regular school settings together with non-disabled peers and that governments should take measures to grant them that right. A number of countries have adapted their laws, in order to make education more inclusive. But practice is lagging way behind policies: teachers hardly know how to deal with a diversity of students’ needs and performance levels and there are many organizational gaps. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD, 2012), who monitors education in different countries, found that one in five children, on the average, does not reach the minimum educational achievements. There are large differences between countries, but the low achievements are highly related to low socio-economic status (SES). Many urban schools have a majority of low SES children and struggle with a high percentage of low achievers. These children, although they do not carry the label “special educational needs”, definitely have “additional education needs”. Some of them have a really “invisible disability”: they may have an unrecognized learning disability or often present a behavioural challenge or have difficulties with attention. There is a variety of causes for the children learning difficulties that must be understood in an ecological framework, involving not only the child but also home and parents , school, curriculum, teachers and siblings, culture and values and the interaction which occurs in these settings between the child and others within it. Children often do not get (enough or adequate) support, not at home and not at school or community. The problem of inclusive education should be regarded in a wider perspective than letting all children, whatever their difficulties or needs, participate and learning up to their potential in a mainstream school. The real issue is to solve a dilemma: how to create conditions of inclusive education, and simultaneously create optimal conditions of learning for many different children, many of whom have learning and behaviour challenges who need to be activated, stimulated, or regulated, with little resources? How to teach children with widely varying differences (not only with visible disability but all kinds of different experiences, levels of competencies and knowledges, learning speeds, possible difficulties and needs? Educating everyone to its potential in finding adequately stimulating activities to develop learning and promote cognitive, socio-emotional, acommunicational- , academic learning, creativity and thinking competencies, must be a fundamental educational goal Do we need super(wo)men teachers? Up till now the dilemma has been “solved” by referring those who cannot keep up the standards to special educational institutions or special needs classrooms. This is no longer feasible. The present school system creates many drop-outs and despite counter measures their number is still on the increase. These are called the “educationally at risk pupils”. There still is an overrepresentation of children from poor socio-economic backgrounds to special education, i.e. that among the children labelled with special educational needs there is a higher proportion from low socio-economic backgrounds than in the general population (Muijs et al, 2009). This reinforces the vicious circle: poor schooling, poor employment, poor social opportunities, social exclusion, and repetition in the next generation. Fortunately there are alternatives. In many countries there are examples of good practices which have shown that the dilemma can be solved in an inclusive way, and not by sacrificing the “lesser child” or the “more blessed child”. Classroom teachers often lack necessary support, training and skills to provide appropriate practices forall these students. As a result of it, many students with additional or specific education needs can not benefit from regular classroom practices. It is nice to talk about equal opportunities, but how equal are your opportunities if nobody is enabling you to acquire even basic learning prerequisites and good learning conditions? Consequently, it is crucial for regular classroom teachers to be prepared to make a mind-shift towards becoming really inclusive, and then, from that different perspective, develop competencies and self-condifence to try and use the most effective methods, strategies, and techniques for inclusive practices. The DISTINC project wants to answer part of these educational needs

Preliminary findings of a home visiting program on stimulating parenting and child vocabulary in a sample of economically-disadvantaged families

Background: Drawing on the family stress model (Conger and Donnellan in Ann Rev Psychol 58:175–199, 2007. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.58.110405.085551), parenting programs typically support caregivers’ nurturing and cognitively stimulating practices to mitigate the effects of poverty on child development, with small-to-moderate intervention effect sizes. Objective: This study evaluated a nonrandomized parenting program in Turkiye for low-income pregnant women and mothers of infants. The program utilized home visiting (HV) implemented by local municipalities for the first time. It was hypothesized that program mothers would engage in cognitively-stimulating practices more often at child age 9 months, and thereby expand their child’s vocabulary at 18 months of age. Subgroup analyses based on maternal depression were also conducted. Methods: Using a quasi-experimental design, 526 mothers were allocated to one of two groups: HV intervention (n = 282, 77% pregnant) vs. control (n = 244, 69% pregnant). Mothers completed questionnaires on family and environmental risk at enrollment (T1), on depression and stimulating parenting at infant age 9 months (T2), and child vocabulary at 18 months (T3). Results: HV mothers reported stimulating parenting more frequently than controls at T2. Enrollment in HV predicted larger child vocabulary at T3 through stimulating parenting at T2. Subgroup differences were not detected. Conclusions: Results suggested that HV is a promising strategy to offer parent coaching to economically disadvantaged Turkish families. Though the present study made statistical adjustments to minimize group nonequivalence in baseline, selection bias might pose a threat to internal validity. A randomized controlled trial is warranted to examine its impact more rigorously prior to wider scale implementation