Inclusion & the Special Educational Needs (SEN) Resource Base In Mainstream Schools: Physical Factors to Maximise Effectiveness.

As a society, we have a responsibility to provide an inclusive built environment. As part of the need to promote inclusion, there is now a growing trend to place pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEN) into a mainstream school setting. This is often facilitated by providing a specialist SEN resource base located within the mainstream school. If so, the following paper outlines why the whole school should be considered when locating and implementing a SEN resource base. It also highlights the wider opportunities for enhancing inclusion for SEN pupils if giving holistic thought to the wider context of the resource base. It then indicates a four-stage approach, using the ASD pupil as an illustrative example, to help evaluate the optimum SEN resource base location within a mainstream school setting. Finally it highlights in conclusion, some benefits and challenges for an enriched school environment for all pupils, if considering genuine inclusion.

Special educational needs : a parent's guide.

Esta guía proporciona una somera visión de la diversidad de las necesidades educativas especiales más comunes. Contiene información y asesoramiento para que profesores y padres puedan tener las estrategias necesarias para utilizar con los niños en la vida cotidiana, cómo manejar en la escuela y en el hogar comportamientos difíciles, qué hacer o adónde ir para obtener más información y para obtener la mejor educación del niño según sus necesidades especiales.

Special educational needs in practice.

Este recurso ha sido revisado para tener en cuenta a todos los profesionales que trabajan con niños con necesidades especiales. Trata la función y responsabilidad de la SENCO (Special Educational Needs Code of Practice), establece sus procedimientos y propone numerosas estrategias para todos los que trabajan en este campo. Incluye cómo apoyar mejor a los niños en diferentes condiciones, la forma de desarrollar y gestionar la política de necesidades educativas especiales en línea con los requisitos del gobierno y cómo utilizar los recursos y el apoyo disponible; así como, también una sección de terapias para presentar nuevas ideas y conceptos que promuevan la relajación, la creatividad, la concentración y la imaginación a través del ejercicio, el tacto, el sonido y la experiencia.

Assessment of dispositional and contextual variables in educational settings : IEPA and AYES scales

Resumen tomado de la publicaci??n

Special educational needs across two decades: survey evidence from English primary schools

The article considers the perceived prevalence of special educational needs in English primary schools and changes in this prevalence over two decades and relates these to issues in education policy, teacher practice and the concept of special educational needs. The studies considered are two major surveys of schools and teachers, the first conducted in 1981 and the second conducted in the same schools in 1998. Important features of both studies were their scale and the exceptionally high response rates achieved. Two central findings were the perception of teachers that special educational needs were widespread and of an increase in special educational needs over time: perceived levels of special educational needs were one in five children in 1981, which had risen to one in four children in 1998. Learning difficulties were by far the most common aspects of special educational needs but many children had multiple difficulties, and behavioural difficulties were seen by teachers as the main barriers to inclusion. The very high figures for prevalence raise questions about the continued usefulness of the concept of special educational need distinct from broader issues of achievement.

Children with Special Educational Needs as film makers: Using digital video to support Understandings of Narrative

The literature has identified issues around transitions among phases for all pupils (Cocklin, 1999) including pupils with special educational needs (SEN) (Morgan 1999, Maras and Aveling 2006). These issues include pupils’ uncertainties and worries about building size and spatial orientation, exposure to a range of teaching styles, relationships with peers and older pupils as well as parents’ difficulties in establishing effective communications with prospective secondary schools. Research has also identified that interventions to facilitate these educational transitions should consider managerial support, social and personal familiarisation with the new setting as well as personalised learning strategies (BECTA 2004). However, the role that digital technologies can play in supporting these strategies or facilitating the role of the professionals such as SENCos and heads of departments involved in supporting effective transitions for pupils with SEN has not been widely discussed. Uses of ICT include passing references of student-produced media presentations (Higgins 1993) and use of photographs of activities attached to a timetable to support familiarisation with the secondary curriculum for pupils with autism (Cumine et al. 1998).

Introducing children with special educational needs to theatre through ‘Relaxed Performances’

This short chapter explains how a growing number of theatres are beginning to offer families living with autism and other disabilities opportunities to attend without fear of alienation or rejection by other audience members. Using one small theatre as a case study, the chapter illustrates the sort of adaptations that are made to the performance and front of house arrangements.