Developing social interaction and understanding in individuals with autism spectrum disorder: a groupwork intervention

Background: Difficulties with social interaction and understanding lie at the heart of the communication disorder that characterises the autism spectrum. This study sought to improve social communication for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by means of a groupwork intervention focusing on social and emotional perspective-taking, conversation skills, and friendship skills. It also aimed to address some of the limitations of previous interventions, including a lack of generalisation to other settings, so as to maximise inclusion in the community. Method A group of 46 high functioning children and adolescents with ASD (38 boys, 8 girls, age range 6-16 years) were allocated to one of 6 intervention groups. Each group met over a period of 12-16 weeks for a minimum of one 1 1/2-hour weekly session aimed at promoting key areas of social interaction and understanding, supported by home-based practice. Results: Significant gains were achieved in comparison with a normative population, and individual parent ratings showed marked and sustained changes in the key areas targeted in the group sessions. Conclusion: Social communication in children and adolescents with ASD can be enhanced through the use of a groupwork intervention addressing social interaction and understanding.

Training to address attitudes and behaviour of rural bank managers in Madhya Pradesh, India: a programme to facilitate financial inclusion

Given their physical presence in India, banks are arguably well-placed to improve financial inclusion in rural areas. However, uncertain repayment capacities and high transaction costs mean formal financial institutions are often reluctant to lend to the rural poor. Conversely, high transaction costs in dealing with banks are also incurred by clients, through, for example, lengthy, cumbersome and potentially ignominious procedures. Negative attitudes towards poor clients can be an important component of such transaction costs. An applied research project funded by the Enterprise Development Innovation Fund (EDIF-DFID) developed an innovative training programme designed to encourage more positive attitudes of bank staff towards poor clients, and towards their own role in rural poverty alleviation and development. This paper examines the development of the training programme, its implementation, and the results of its evaluation. It is shown that training can bring about attitudinal change, which in turn is reflected in behaviour and social impact. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Teaching assistants and pupils' academic and social engagement in mainstream schools: insights from systematic literature reviews

The last 20 years have seen a huge expansion in the additional adults working in classrooms in the UK, USA, and other countries. This paper presents the findings of a series of systematic literature reviews about teaching assistants. The first two reviews focused on stakeholder perceptions of teaching assistant contributions to academic and social engagement. Stakeholders were pupils, teachers, TAs, headteachers and parents. Perceptions focused on four principal contributions that teaching assistants contribute to: pupils’ academic and socio-academic engagement; inclusion; maintenance of stakeholder relations; and support for the teacher. The third review explored training. Against a background of patchy training provision both in the UK and the USA, strong claims are made for the benefits to TAs of training provided, particularly in building confidence and skills. The conclusions include implications for further training and the need for further research to gain an in-depth understanding as to precisely the manner in which TAs engage with children.

‘That’s definite discrimination’: practice under the umbrella of inclusion

Inclusive practice is well embedded across society and has developed over time. However, although policy and public view have moved forward, the way organisations address the agenda for inclusion often represents a superficial interpretation of this concept. Qualitative data were gathered using new ethnography to explore the experiences of a library-based reading group for visually impaired readers. The voices of the individuals shed light on the individual and collective experience of reading. These insights challenge the traditional views of distinct provision that are designed to address targets for inclusion of individuals with disabilities. We argue for a clearer focus on the unintentional consequences of practice in the name of inclusion that leave individuals feeling marginalised. This paper suggests the alternative focus on social justice as offering a discourse that focuses on society and away from the individual.

Assessing the ability of rural agrarian areas to provide Cultural Ecosystem Services (CES): a Multi Scale Social Indicator Framework (MSIF)

Assessing the ways in which rural agrarian areas provide Cultural Ecosystem Services (CES) is proving difficult to achieve. This research has developed an innovative methodological approach named as Multi Scale Indicator Framework (MSIF) for capturing the CES embedded into the rural agrarian areas. This framework reconciles a literature review with a trans-disciplinary participatory workshop. Both of these sources reveal that societal preferences diverge upon judgemental criteria which in turn relate to different visual concepts that can be drawn from analysing attributes, elements, features and characteristics of rural areas. We contend that it is now possible to list a group of possible multi scale indicators for stewardship, diversity and aesthetics. These results might also be of use for improving any existing European indicators frameworks by also including CES. This research carries major implications for policy at different levels of governance, as it makes possible to target and monitor policy instruments to the physical rural settings so that cultural dimensions are adequately considered. There is still work to be developed on regional specific values and thresholds for each criteria and its indicator set. In practical terms, by developing the conceptual design within a common framework as described in this paper, a considerable step forward towards the inclusion of the cultural dimension in European wide assessments can be made.

‘Open sesame!’ How panto can pave the way for inclusion in theatre

This paper examines how ‘relaxed performances’ are being offered by an increasing number of mainstream theatres so children with complex individual needs and their families can enjoy the social and cultural experience of live theatre. The paper explains the origins of the relaxed performance initiative, what such performances entail and how they can contribute to both children’s learning and the cause of social justice. A case study is made of how one medium sized provincial theatre offered a relaxed performance of its annual pantomime in the 2013-14 season and the impact its subsequent 2014-15 production has had on families living with autistic spectrum disorder.

Gestão social do desenvolvimento: a exclusão dos representantes dos empresários? o caso do programa Territórios da Cidadania norte-RJ

A incorporação do enfoque territorial como fundamento para as políticas de desenvolvimento rural ocasionou, dentre outros avanços, no rompimento com a tradição vertical e centralizadora das estratégias de desenvolvimento, e na consequente valorização das iniciativas e dos atores locais. Tal abordagem acolhe a gestão social, e seus princípios da inclusão, relativo à incorporação dos atores excluídos do processo decisório, e do pluralismo, que diz respeito à multiplicidade de atores na tomada de decisões sobre as políticas públicas. No caso brasileiro, o enfoque territorial é encampado pelo Programa de Desenvolvimento Sustentável dos Territórios Rurais e pelo seu sucessor, o Programa Territórios da Cidadania. No entanto, a trajetória das políticas de desenvolvimento rural é francamente setorial, ao privilegiar as organizações vinculadas à agricultura familiar e excluir as organizações representantes dos empresários, apesar dos princípios portados pela gestão social e da adoção da abordagem territorial, que implicam na mobilização das forças sociais dinâmicas presentes nos territórios. Assim, considerada a importância da participação empresarial para o êxito das políticas dessa natureza, este trabalho analisa as possibilidades de inclusão das representações dos empresários para o pluralismo no âmbito do Programa Territórios da Cidadania. Para tanto, realizou-se um estudo de caso no Norte- RJ, no qual foram entrevistados representantes da sociedade civil, dos empresários, do SEBRAE e do Ministério do Desenvolvimento Agrário, cujas informações foram complementadas por análise documental, e tratadas por meio de análise de conteúdo com grade mista elaborada com base no conceito de cidadania deliberativa habermasiano. Os resultados relevam que as representações empresariais não estão inseridas no colegiado territorial do Norte-RJ, e tampouco conhecem o Programa Territórios da Cidadania. As entidades da sociedade civil, que consideram o colegiado como Fórum da Agricultura Familiar, rechaçam indistintamente a inclusão dos empresários por conta de diferenças sócio-políticas, agravadas pelo histórico da região. O pluralismo também é atravancado pelos processos de formação do território, de composição do colegiado e de elaboração e avaliação dos projetos. As representações empresariais, por seu turno, já estão inseridas em outras instâncias de participação social, como conselhos municipais de políticas públicas, e aceitam a dinâmica que rege estes espaços pautados na racionalidade substantiva. Sua inserção pode ser facilitada pelo SEBRAE/RJ que, além de gozar de prestígio dentre os empresários, tem fomentado a articulação dos atores territoriais. Não obstante as possibilidades para a inclusão, o modelo de gestão social em vigor não é capaz de promover a concertação social das forças dinâmicas em prol do desenvolvimento do território Norte-RJ. Palavras-

Agenda social nos territórios pacificados: um estudo sobre o Programa Territórios da Paz à luz da construção teórica em gestão social

O objetivo desta pesquisa foi analisar o Programa de Gestão Social em Territórios Pacificados – Territórios da Paz à luz da construção teórica da Gestão Social na academia. Com base na literatura sobre Gestão Social, buscou-se identificar as diferentes vertentes que orientam a sua discussão. Somado a isto, foram discutidos ao longo do referencial teórico questões que favorecem o entendimento do contexto no qual está inserido o Programa Territórios da Paz, tais como as favelas, política de segurança pública e o projeto de pacificação em curso na cidade do Rio de Janeiro. Tendo em vista o discurso adotado pelo Programa Territórios da Paz, optou-se por analisa-lo a partir de algumas categorias de avaliação de processos participativos deliberativos, quais sejam: Processos de Discussão, Inclusão, Pluralismo e Bem Comum. Os dados foram coletados, em um primeiro momento, por meio de pesquisa bibliográfica. Em seguida, foram realizadas entrevistas junto aos gestores sociais responsáveis pela condução do programa estudado nos diferentes territórios. Em suma, os resultados apontam para a existência de espaços para discussão, contudo sem capacidade deliberativa. Em alguns momentos, as características do que foi denominado um Programa de Gestão Social se aproximam das características da Gestão Estratégica, cujo arcabouço conceitual e instrumental se apoia sobre mecanismos de tomada de decisão baseados na hierarquia e conhecimento técnico.

Vulnerabilidade social e vulnerabilidade de trabalho em famílias de baixa renda no município de São Paulo

Diante da necessidade de incorporação de indivíduos de baixa escolaridade e renda à força de trabalho brasileira e, por conseqüência, ao crescente consumo destes indivíduos e melhoria no bem-estar, propõe-se analisar neste estudo a vulnerabilidade de trabalho e social destes indivíduos. Os resultados encontrados devem ser úteis à formulação de políticas públicas de inclusão e re-qualificação profissional, bem como incentivar situações que levem a uma melhoria no bem estar destes indivíduos.

Responsabilidade social empresarial: uma avaliação do Projeto Escola de Informática e Cidadania da Mineradora Y situada no Estado do Pará

The subject Responsibility Enterprise Social (RSE) is relatively recent in the half national academic and the world of the management businesses as practical. For the lack of socialization of experiences and clarity of concepts, shunting lines in the agreement of the subject and the conduction of the interventions occur. It was looked to inquire, in this research, the development of the project of Social Responsibility Enterprise ―School of Computer science and Citizenship‖ of a situated company in the State of Pará, objectifying to evaluate it and later to understand it. For this, one searched to describe the characteristics and structure of the School, to identify to the lines and lines of direction adopted for this Project and to identify to the influence and results of the same in the life of pupils, professors and egresses of the School. It is characterized for a study of case with qualitative boarding of descriptive character, carried through interviews structuralized in a sample of 21 divided members of the School between professors, pupils and egresses. It was used of the analysis of categorical content, having as axle for the interpretation of the data the Social Responsibility, the Digital Inclusion and the Education. The gotten results inform that the infrastructure has challenges to face, point disparities between the conception and practical of the categories characterized in the Politician-Pedagogical Project of the EIC and the influence that, exactly under limits, the life of the professors, pupils reaches and egress. One evidenced that Social action for damages of this company when come back toward this project, they had not been evidenced. For this prism, these actions had only remained in the assistencialist speech and not structural, being thus, the company is not fulfilling its paper of transforming element of the reality of its clientele and the population that lives in it s around

Desenvolvimento Urbano e Cidades Inclusivas: Estudo Analítico do Princípio Constitucional da Função Social das Cidades

The reality of Latin America points out that the industrialization and urbanization are complementary processes associated each other. Thus, by consequence of the demographic growth, observes the aggravation of an urbanization completely disordered and without infrastructure capable of guaranteeing rights and basic services to the population. In parallel, the dissemination of information, the valorization of human dignity, promoted by social welfare, and expectations of consumption aggravates the tensions among social actors, leading to the Theory of the Right to Development to worry about the (re)construction of cities. Before this reality, the Federal Constitution of 1988 proposed a participatory urban policy, grounded in the ideal of confrontation of social exclusion of a more comprehensive, represented by the principle of the social function of cities, which must be stratified into four inclusion´s central axes, namely: the social in the strict sense, the economic, the cultural and the policy. The Analysis of each of these dimensions, keeping the focus on reality and the Brazilian legal system, composes specific objectives of this work. Thus, through deductive research, with use of technique bibliographical and interdisciplinary, this dissertation aims to make connections between social function and development, proposing an analytical concept for the proposing an analytical concept for the principle of social function of cities, through the study of its basic elements. With this, purports to demonstrate how results, firstly, that the juridical study, to fully understand the process of marginalization, must maintain multidisciplinary perspective, own social sciences. Also aims to demonstrate that the dimensions of inclusion are formed by fundamental rights, individual and collective, of liberties and of social guarantees and that without respect to all of them there is no way to talk about implementation of urban development and nor, consequently, about inclusive cities. At the end, after checking the main legal instruments of urban policy that emphasize the community participation, provided for in the Statute of the Cities, and that potentiate the breakup of the circles of exclusion, the work want contribute to the clarification and the awaken to the importance of a new perspective democratic of development in the country, grounded in the appreciation of the individual for realization of modern management, decentralized and that, therefore, inserts the effective participation of urban communities in the acting of the State

Serviço social na educação: saberes e competências necessárias no fazer profissional

The Theory analyzes what should know and what competes, formally, to the Professional of Social Service to act in the School Education. He/she investigates, starting from studies on the theme, and close to Council Federal and Regional of Social Service, and of the Brazilian Association of Studies and Researches in Social Service, that you know and competences are necessary for the social worker performance in that specific area. Through a research of nature empiric, bibliographical and documental, the analysis focus outlines the glance and the understanding of the professionals' category that represent the defense organs, fiscalization and formation of the profession. The importance of the scientific study is justified for the social worker necessary contribution acting in the School Education, whose political and pedagogic context presents multiple demands, you know and relationships, and when it is lived a social and education picture at the present time with order words in formation, as inclusion, empowerment, competence, that they demand other specialists in the school scenery to work with the varied expressions of the social subject. Since the years 1930 the social worker acts in the area of the Education, with an originating from knowledge the human and social areas that you/he/she makes possible him/it to contribute, undisciplinement, close to the pedagogic team of the School Education. The clarity of the you know and of the necessary competences to intervene in that field of specific work makes possible the legitimation of the identity, of the social worker professionalization and the formalization of his/her practice. The Theory ends that the profissionality and the social worker professionalism is built and it is recognized in the area of the Education starting from the knowledge of the you know and pertinent competences to intervene in that context, beginning that knowledge on the part of the category of the Social Service and of the formation organs and representation of the profession so that the school community - administration and pedagogic coordination, teachers and students - he understands and recognize the social worker necessary intervention in that field. The formalization of those you know and competences are built starting from actions and thought mobilizations and operation in the group of the category, and not for isolated actions and individualized. It is revealed, in the opinion of the ones that represent Regional Council of Social Service, a wide vision of the social worker in that space exercising, among other, functions that don't compete to the professional's profile or restricted to actions and techniques historically exercised in their work fields. A new profile of the professional of the Social Service that it acts in the School Education is possible when his/her action is visualized centered not just in the work with the family, but, doing of the school a proposition space and execution of programs, projects, studies and social researches. He intends, an action politics and of popularization on them know and the social worker competences in the School Education