Principles of scientific data accumulation and evidence‐based practices are vehicles of professional enhancement. In this article, the author argues that a scientific knowledge base exists descriptive of the relationship between teachers’ activities and student learning. This database appears barely recognised however, for reasons including (a) the scientific tradition may not be seen as an appropriate basis for humanistic decision making; (b) personal observations can override impersonal statistics; (c) alternative frames, such as postmodernism, may contribute towards an anti‐science stance; (d) qualitative research may be viewed as representing a sampled universe; (e) educational theorising thrives upon dichotomisations which cannot be mapped against objectively‐secured data; and (f) individuals are relatively unable to undertake the mental processes demanded of theory change. The author also discusses the distinction between scientific reasoning and everyday cognition, as illustrated by research findings into cognitive biases and heuristics.

Behaviour state appears to be a powerful variable in students who experience the most severe and multiple disabilities, impacting upon the effectiveness of educational interventions and ultimately the quality of life experienced by individuals with such high support needs.

Most recently, research attention has been paid to the many qualitative dimensions of behaviour state and although at an early stage, such studies have allowed for the delineation of important influencing factors in state change as well as serving to stimulate many new avenues for further research.

This discussion paper will examine, albeit tentatively, the implications of current research in this area with respect to best practice, including aspects of curriculum design and professional development. How effectively does a functional curriculum articulate with the priorities and directions suggested by such research? How can teachers and others working in this area be supported in the provision of meaningful interventions which promote and produce increases in optimal behavioural states? The paper concludes by suggesting future directions for research and practice.

The effects that historical, philosophical and empirical factors have had upon the development of special education in Australia for children with learning disabilities/difficulties are examined. It is suggested that owing to the early neglect by the various education departments in providing effective services there has been a resultant dearth of professionally competent personnel to implement policies being formulated upon the emerging philosophies in special education. It is therefore argued that Australia requires an effective thrust into research at the classroom, the delivery and the teacher preparation levels so that the relatively diminishing resources for education may be better utilized for the child with a learning problem.

The international literature reflects the significance of transition services for postschool outcomes of students with disabilities. In 2008, the Hong Kong Government introduced a policy to support students with disabilities, especially those with specific learning difficulties (SLD), to transition to postschool life in inclusive settings. This article focuses on the status of policy implementation in Hong Kong and its link to the higher education participation of students with SLD. Analyses are based on expectations of policymakers for school practices in transition services, parental experiences, and a discussion forum involving postsecondary students with SLD, advocacy groups, and university student affair personnel. Findings reveal a lack of expectation for implementation and school accountability from policymakers, an extremely low participation rate of students with SLD in higher education, a slow development of support systems in higher education, and the significant role played by an advocacy group on moving the higher education support forward in the absence of a policy mandate. By focusing on the close relationship between transition services and postsecondary outcomes, the use of legislation for disability policies to ensure the provision of transition services and the role of self and external advocacy to lobby for such legislation are recommended and discussed.

Recent sociometric research has described students with special educational needs (SEN) as less accepted and experiencing more social difficulties than their classmates without SEN. This study addresses the social participation of students with moderate learning difficulties (MLD) in regular schools while also focusing on the quality of their best friendship. In this longitudinal study, 313 secondary students, including 46 with MLD, were first examined while at Grade 7 (T1) and 2 years later at Grade 9 (T2). In line with previous studies, the students with MLD held reduced peer acceptance, had fewer friendships, and engaged less often in social interactions with peers than their typically developing classmates on both administrations. However, students with MLD held positive perceptions of social self-concept and friendship quality, with the two measures being positively associated. At T2, students with MLD reported poorer socio-emotional skills, which were positively correlated with their perceptions of both social self-concept and friendship quality. The paper concludes by outlining the importance of supporting students’ socio-emotional development through implementing relevant school-based interventions.

Australian mainstream school teachers report a severe shortage of accessible autism-focused resources, strategies, and professional development (PD). This 2-part mixed methods study investigated the effect of using a web-based model of practice (MoP) for PD. The MoP contains evidence-based, autism-specific educational practices and resources designed for mainstream teachers of students on the autism spectrum. The aim was to examine teacher responses to using the MoP and the impact of the mode of delivery. In Part 1, 3 PD delivery conditions for using the MoP were trialled (8 weeks): face-to-face support, online support, or web-based access to detailed resources only. Support was provided by expert autism educators. Teachers (N = 15) reported that the MoP was an accessible, comprehensive, and practical support for educational decision-making, and that support encouraged implementation of the MoP practices. Part 2 trialled a hybrid PD model in 6 regional schools. Limited face-to-face and online support plus access to the MoP was trialled. Interview data indicated that a hybrid model can be an effective method of providing immediate support for teachers.

An alternating treatments design was used to compare the effectiveness of activity-based intervention and didactic instruction to teach sight word reading to four young children with developmental delays attending an inclusive child care centre. Following the collection of baseline measures, the two interventions, counterbalanced for word lists and order of intervention, were implemented twice a week for six weeks. Acquisition of the sight words was assessed by the interventionist in pre-teaching probes and also by a special education teacher known to the children but independent of the research team. Maintenance data were collected three weeks after the intervention was completed. The results indicated that there were no differences between the two instructional approaches in relation to acquisition and maintenance of sight word reading for three of the four children. Features of each intervention and the implications of the findings are discussed.

While teachers and researchers of students with disability are commonly interested in individual students and their progress towards individualised goals, traditional approaches to educational research that aim to illustrate generalisation between cause and effect are still commonly used. Traditional approaches, such as group-comparison designs, are used to demonstrate improved performance for the average student; however, they also obscure individual student data. Within special and inclusive education, single-subject designs may provide more appropriate conclusions to particular types of questions than traditional research methods as they allow for the examination of a functional relationship between the dependent and independent variables and rely on the participant serving as their own control. This article provides a summary of the use of single-subject designs within the field of special education over time and the findings of a systematic review conducted according to the PRISMA statement are presented. Through this systematic review, published articles from 7 prominent special education journals that involved intervention for school-aged students with disability were examined. In addition, a sample of exemplar studies that have employed single-subject designs are discussed.

The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of using a tactile cued self-monitoring device (Watchminder) and a self-recording booklet to improve the on-task behaviour of three primary aged students with disabilities during independent work. A multiple baseline across students with reversal design was used. Two of three participants made clinically significant improvements in on-task behaviour, replicating prior research which found that reactivity from self-monitoring is idiosyncratic to student characteristics. No consistent relationship between self-monitoring accuracy and reactivity was apparent.

The generalisation of new language targets has been an elusive outcome for learners with severe disabilities. We analyse generalisation and generalisation failures by examining the influence of motivation and response competition, specifically within the context of communication targets serving a requesting function. Our examination includes a discussion of establishing operations (Michael, 1982), fluctuating reinforcer value, the emergence of communicative functions and forms, response competition, and response class phenomena. We end by offering a novel conceptualisation of generalisation with implications for clinical application.

Children who are admitted to hospital for short or long periods of time are affected by the medical circumstances in which they find themselves, but they are also disadvantaged by their inability to continue attending their local schools. In many Western countries, hospital school services are provided to meet the needs of this group of special students. This paper overviews the development of hospital school services, the role they play in the medical and educational welfare of hospitalised children, and the importance of their existence in fulfilling the social justice goal of education for all students.

With an increasing number of students with special needs being included in regular classroom environments, consideration of, and planning for, a smooth transition between different school settings is important for parents, classroom teachers and school administrators. The transition between primary and secondary school can be difficult for students with special needs, particularly in the areas of organisation and social interaction. Technology can be used to assist students to make this transition more effectively and may work to minimise any difficulties involved in the transition. In this article the authors describe transition considerations, and technology use for students with special needs and how technology may be used to address transition issues. The authors conclude by detailing the initial development process of a mobile-optimised website to support students with special needs who are transitioning from a primary to secondary environment in an Australian context. Future directions for the use of the website are explored.

Although the use of data is important for informing inclusive practice, research into Australian early childhood educators’ data practice is limited. Types of data collected in early childhood settings and the use of these data were investigated. Surveys completed by 105 early childhood educators across Australia indicated that anecdotal written records, photos, and children’s work samples were the predominant data collection strategies used for both children with and without additional needs. More educators reported that they collected counted or timed behaviour data for children with additional needs than for those without additional needs. One third of educators did not indicate that they collect this type of data. The majority of educators indicated that they value the use of data in their practice, reported that they use data for progress monitoring and modification of activities to meet the needs of individuals with additional needs, and perceived that they were confident in using the data collection strategies that they nominated. The data that these Australian early childhood educators used were predominantly qualitative, suggesting that training is needed for educators to collect and utilise both qualitative and quantitative data to assist with instructional decision-making.

A review of research into the acquisition of phonological awareness skills in individuals with intellectual disabilities, the relationship between phonological awareness and reading in these individuals and the effect of phonological awareness training on the development of their phonological skills is presented. Research indicates that children with intellectual disabilities may take a different path to that of typically developing children in the acquisition of phonological skills. Despite this, there is more similarity than difference between the two groups in the relationship between phonological awareness and the acquisition of reading, the indication being that there is a positive relationship between phonological awareness and reading acquisition for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Moreover, the components of phonological awareness that can be associated with the acquisition of reading are similar for both groups. Limited data indicate that, as with typically developing children, the reading related skills of individuals with intellectual disabilities can be developed through explicit instruction that includes a phonological awareness component.

This study investigated the transition of 314 children with disabilities to mainstream kindergarten classes in state schools in New South Wales from the perspectives of parents, sending service providers and receiving teachers. Results indicated that the majority of parents and kindergarten teachers considered the transition and early integration to have been successful, regardless of the child’s disability or the severity of the disability. The factors that related positively and significantly to teacher perception of successful integration were (a) receiving school attitude and school community acceptance of the integrated child, (b) receiving teacher perception of the adequacy of the support received, (c) preparation of the child for the mainstream school placement, specifically classroom skills and self-help skills, (d) preparation of parents of other children in the class, and (e) receiving teacher perception of the value of liaising with parents. The implications of this research for planning and programming for transition to school for young children with disabilities are discussed.

In this study the authors aimed to examine the differentiability of 5 factors that preschool teachers may perceive as essential for successful implementation of inclusive education in regular classrooms. The 5 hypothetically influential factors were teamwork, curriculum, school support, government support, and stakeholders’ attitudes. Teachers from half-day kindergarten and full-day childcare centre settings in Hong Kong with varying teaching experience were surveyed (N = 461). Confirmatory factor analysis defined the 5 distinct factors, all of which displayed high scores (Ms > 4 on a 5-point scale). A 2 (experience: low; high) x 2 (school type: half-day kindergarten; full-day childcare centre settings) multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) found some subtle group differences. Less experienced teachers found stakeholders’ attitudes to be important, and more so than more experienced teachers, whereas full-day childcare centre teachers found teamwork, curriculum, and stakeholders’ attitudes more important than did half-day kindergarten teachers. The findings imply that whereas all 5 factors are perceived by teachers as important for the success of inclusive education, some factors are of greater concern to teachers working in full-day childcare centres than teachers working in half-day kindergartens. The findings provide advice on how best to allocate limited resources across settings with the intention of promoting inclusive education.

Teacher–student relationships are critically important for student engagement and learning. Increasingly, children with additional behavioural, physical, communication, and learning needs are supported in the classroom by teacher aides working alongside teachers. Although the teacher aide role is often described as relational, few studies have explicitly examined the nature of the teacher aide–child relationship. This exploratory study in primary schools in Aotearoa New Zealand addresses this gap. Seven teacher aides were interviewed, and thematic analysis was used to construct common themes. The findings show that aides have time to individually know and care for each child and so develop a special relationship that is distinct from other relationships at school. In addition, the relationship is seen as essential to meet the child’s needs and thus enable them to engage in their learning. The teacher aides impact positively on the child’s sense of belonging, emotions, and wellbeing, which act as pathways to student engagement. Further research is needed to explore how these special and essential relationships can be optimised, and, in collaboration with teachers, improve the short- and long-term psychological, social, and educational outcomes for children.

This paper will address issues associated with the use of suspension and exclusion as an intervention for dealing with disruptive behaviour in schools, with a particular focus on secondary students in Western Australia. There is increasing support for the view that many of the students suspended or excluded from school for disruptive behaviour may be socially/emotionally handicapped and as such are being denied access to an appropriate education on the basis of their handicapping condition. The legal and service delivery implications of this position are discussed within the context of current Australian special education policy and international agreements pertaining to the educational rights of children.

This study compared the prelinguistic communicative behaviors of a boy with developmental delay (aged three years and three months) during structured and low structured interactions with his teacher. Using a videotaped analysis procedure developed by Tait and Wood (1987) four variables (eye contact to the speaker, eye contact to the referent, initiation and turntaking) were investigated. The analysis showed that, in the low structured condition, there was a greater degree of engagement, as measured by increased eye contact overall. More particularly, in this condition there was a greater percentage of eye contact to the referent. In addition to this, the participant took a greater percentage of the conversational turns offered to him by the adult in the low structured condition, although there was no difference between the types of turns taken (vocal, gestural and eye contact). The implications of these results for assessment and intervention are discussed.

A survey of the prevalence and needs of exceptional students was carried out in Queensland Catholic primary (n = 195) and secondary (n = 40) schools. Within the overall population surveyed 3.13% possessed disabilities, 3.83% behavioural difficulties, 4.19% advanced learning characteristics, and 12.80% learning difficulties. The survey indicated that support services fell short of the demand, particularly for students with behavioural difficulties and those considered to be advanced learners. The data obtained was of the same order as that found in other state, national and international studies. The majority of principals and teachers interviewed held positive attitudes towards integration. However, this was qualified by a strong press for additional professional support, inservice training, and resources to enable the necessary enhancement of the educational experiences being offered. The survey identified a continuing need for communication and cooperation with state and private agencies and the desirability of developing a system which marshalls the available resources, both regular and special, into an efficient and feasible service delivery operation.