Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs最新文献

Transforming south African special schools for autism inclusion: Strengthening teachers' knowledge and practices 改造南非特殊学校，使其融入自闭症：加强教师的知识和实践

IF 1.8

Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs Pub Date : 2026-08-23 DOI: 10.1111/1471-3802.70157

H. P. Buthelezi, T. P. Mngomezulu, M. A. Ramatea, L. O. Makhonza, N. P. A. Buthelezi

{"title":"Transforming south African special schools for autism inclusion: Strengthening teachers' knowledge and practices","authors":"H. P. Buthelezi, T. P. Mngomezulu, M. A. Ramatea, L. O. Makhonza, N. P. A. Buthelezi","doi":"10.1111/1471-3802.70157","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-3802.70157","url":null,"abstract":"Implementation of inclusive education in South Africa faces significant challenges, particularly in supporting learners with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). A key issue is the lack of teachers' preparedness to create autism-inclusive learning environments. This challenge remains insufficiently addressed, particularly in under-resourced contexts and limits teachers' ability to practise inclusive education. Guided by Variation Theory, this study utilised qualitative research approach and phenomenological case study design to gain participants' in-depth understanding of ASD and how these influence their pedagogical practices in special schools. The research design was employed in four special schools in the King Cetshwayo District. Data were generated through semi-structured interviews and analysed using a thematic approach. The findings indicate that teachers employ adaptive strategies such as differentiated instruction, visual support, concrete materials, concise instructions, and structured routines for inclusion of learners with ASD. While these strategies enhance learner participation, rigid classroom structures and insufficient resources constrain teachers' ability to implement flexible and inclusive assessment practices aligned with curriculum demands. These challenges limit opportunities for independent learning among learners with ASD. The study highlights the need for sustained professional development, enhanced autism inclusion, improved resourcing, and more flexible assessment frameworks to strengthen autism-inclusive practices in South African special schools.","PeriodicalId":46783,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs","volume":"26 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-08-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1471-3802.70157","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148848759","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

When coping is not inclusion: Practitioner assessment narratives and the sustainability of autistic participation in mainstream schools 当应对不是包容：从业者评估叙述和主流学校自闭症参与的可持续性

IF 1.8

Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs Pub Date : 2026-08-18 DOI: 10.1111/1471-3802.70160

Marc Wheeler

{"title":"When coping is not inclusion: Practitioner assessment narratives and the sustainability of autistic participation in mainstream schools","authors":"Marc Wheeler","doi":"10.1111/1471-3802.70160","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-3802.70160","url":null,"abstract":"Inclusive education is often evaluated through visible indicators such as classroom engagement, behaviour, attendance and academic participation. For autistic learners, however, visible functioning may not fully reflect the accessibility of the educational environment or the regulatory effort required to sustain participation. This paper examines a purposively selected set of cases in which autistic learners were described as coping or participating in mainstream education while assessment documentation also recorded evidence of strain, environmental dependence or difficulty sustaining participation across contexts and time. Drawing on qualitative analysis of nine anonymised practitioner assessment narratives integrating school and family perspectives, the study explores how participation was represented within real-world assessment documentation. Reflexive thematic analysis identified recurring patterns in which participation depended on environmental structuring, behavioural adaptation, adult mediation and sustained self-regulation. Home-school divergence, post-school exhaustion and increased difficulty during transitions suggested that participation was often environmentally contingent rather than inherently secure. The study develops a distinction between observable participation and sustainable participation, arguing that inclusive environments should be evaluated not only by whether autistic learners appear to cope, but by how participation is achieved, what it costs and whether it can be sustained over time.","PeriodicalId":46783,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs","volume":"26 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-08-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148784154","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

‘I'm still guessing what's happening and what I'm meant to do’: Special educator experiences of supporting echolalic students “我还在猜测发生了什么事，我应该做什么”：支持有创造力的学生的特殊教育经验

IF 1.8

Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs Pub Date : 2026-08-15 DOI: 10.1111/1471-3802.70156

Eli G. Cohn, Matthew J. Harrison, Jess Rowlings

引用次数: 0

A call-out for AAC professional development training: Special education teachers speak-up AAC专业发展培训的号召：特殊教育教师发言

IF 1.8

Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs Pub Date : 2026-08-15 DOI: 10.1111/1471-3802.70158

Miriam C. Boesch, M. Alexandra Da Fonte, Hanneh S. Shiheiber, Margaret F. Davis, Stephanie Camacho, Kate E. Ulmer, Barbara N. De La Pena, Grace O. May

{"title":"A call-out for AAC professional development training: Special education teachers speak-up","authors":"Miriam C. Boesch, M. Alexandra Da Fonte, Hanneh S. Shiheiber, Margaret F. Davis, Stephanie Camacho, Kate E. Ulmer, Barbara N. De La Pena, Grace O. May","doi":"10.1111/1471-3802.70158","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-3802.70158","url":null,"abstract":"Evidence suggests that special education teachers are not well-prepared to implement services for students who may benefit from augmentative and alternative communication. The lack of training often emerges during their pre-service teacher preparation programs. To alleviate the knowledge gap, special education teachers may rely on professional development training opportunities. As a result, to better understand the perspectives of special education teachers on the state of AAC professional development training an online survey was conducted across the United States. A total of 772 special education teachers provided their views through five identified themes. These included that AAC professional development ‘training is available,’ there is a ‘need for training,’ there are ‘systemic barriers’ to training, ‘team support’ was used as a means for training, and participants were ‘unclear or did not know’ if AAC professional development training was available. Results suggested that most participants indicated that AAC professional development training is lacking, and that training is needed. Various influencing factors were identified between participants' demographics and their views on AAC professional development training. Practical implications, a call to action and future research directions are discussed.","PeriodicalId":46783,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs","volume":"26 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-08-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148754124","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Ethical challenges in the inclusion of pupils with special needs in mainstream schools: A social ecological model perspective 主流学校接纳有特殊需要学生的伦理挑战：一个社会生态模型的视角

IF 1.8

Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs Pub Date : 2026-08-13 DOI: 10.1111/1471-3802.70159

Tehila Raftar-Ozery, Miri Ben Amram

{"title":"Ethical challenges in the inclusion of pupils with special needs in mainstream schools: A social ecological model perspective","authors":"Tehila Raftar-Ozery, Miri Ben Amram","doi":"10.1111/1471-3802.70159","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-3802.70159","url":null,"abstract":"The inclusion of pupils with special needs in mainstream schools presents complex ethical dilemmas for educational staff, school leaders and families. This research explores these dilemmas through Bronfenbrenner's social ecological model in the context of Israel's 2018 inclusion reform, highlighting the interaction between schoolchildren and their environment across five subsystems. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 83 educators holding diverse school roles across Israel. Using grounded theory analysis, findings demonstrated that although ethical dilemmas appeared across all ecological systems, they were concentrated within the exosystem where organisational structures, resource limitations and policy implementation conditions constrained educators’ ability to enact inclusive practices. Two dominant categories of ethical dilemmas were identified: balancing inclusive participation with effective classroom functioning, and managing tensions between parental preferences and professional educational judgement. The research demonstrates that educators’ experiences are shaped by organisational structures, resource availability, leadership support and policy implementation processes. Findings contribute to the international literature on inclusive education by illustrating how ethical dilemmas are distributed across interconnected ecological systems and by highlighting the importance of systemic support for sustainable inclusion practices. The findings highlight the importance of systemic conditions and organisational support for translating inclusive education policies into sustainable practice.","PeriodicalId":46783,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs","volume":"26 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148753488","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Inclusion matters: Learning in collaboration with students with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities 包容很重要：与有严重智力残疾和多重残疾的学生合作学习

IF 1.8

Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs Pub Date : 2026-08-12 DOI: 10.1111/1471-3802.70154

Elspeth M. Clark, Melanie Nind

{"title":"Inclusion matters: Learning in collaboration with students with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities","authors":"Elspeth M. Clark, Melanie Nind","doi":"10.1111/1471-3802.70154","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-3802.70154","url":null,"abstract":"Children with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities are rarely included in discussions of inclusion/inclusive education. This paper begins from the premise that their inclusion matters and that it is helpful to begin at the level of the classroom where children and teachers have some agency. The aim is to make students with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities the focus of discussion of inclusion and belonging, and to show how, by seeking to research their lived experience with them, we can shed light on matters that are important. The work draws on theory concerning relational belonging encompassing affect, attachment, people, places and temporal rhythms, plus occupational science theory about co-occupation characterised by shared physicality, intentionality and emotionality. From case study research conducted in a special school in England, the vignette method used stresses embodied attentiveness and knowing. The findings show the physical, embodied, time and place, and co-occupation dimensions associated with achieving belonging in a special school classroom that are likely to matter to broader inclusive education. Discussion of these leads to the conclusion that through their different ways of knowing, students with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities draw attention to relational foundations for inclusion that are too readily forgotten.","PeriodicalId":46783,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs","volume":"26 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1471-3802.70154","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148753547","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Perspectives of the COVID-19 pandemic: Views of young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities 2019冠状病毒病大流行视角：有特殊教育需求和/或残疾青年的观点

IF 1.8

Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs Pub Date : 2026-08-12 DOI: 10.1111/1471-3802.70153

Jacqueline Paterson, Michelle McCarthy, Paraskevi Triantafyllopoulou, Glynis Murphy

引用次数: 0

Decoloniality, staff development and the limits of inclusive education in UK higher education: A reflexive case study 非殖民化、员工发展和全纳教育在英国高等教育中的局限性：一个反思性案例研究

IF 1.8

Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs Pub Date : 2026-08-05 DOI: 10.1111/1471-3802.70155

Reece Sohdi

{"title":"Decoloniality, staff development and the limits of inclusive education in UK higher education: A reflexive case study","authors":"Reece Sohdi","doi":"10.1111/1471-3802.70155","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-3802.70155","url":null,"abstract":"Inclusive education in higher education is increasingly framed through commitments to equity, diversity, and epistemic justice, yet the enactment of these commitments remains uneven and contested. This qualitative case study examines a cross-disciplinary staff development initiative at a UK post-92 university that engaged academic and professional services staff with decolonial approaches to curriculum design. Grounded conceptually in praxis, positionality and pluriversality, the initiative comprised participatory workshops and a practical toolkit intended to support critical reflection on colonial legacies in teaching and learning. Data were generated through workshop feedback, reflective testimonies and follow-up consultations with 40 self-selecting participants across education, health, business and professional services. Reflexive thematic analysis indicates that the initiative functioned primarily as a space for conceptual clarification and affective engagement rather than sustained pedagogical or structural transformation. Participants reported increased confidence in articulating decolonial concepts and heightened awareness of epistemic exclusion, alongside persistent constraints linked to assessment practices, institutional regulation and audit cultures. Although framed within inclusive education, issues of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and neurodiversity were largely absent from participant reflections. Rather than treating this as a limitation, the paper interrogates this absence as an empirical finding.","PeriodicalId":46783,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs","volume":"26 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1471-3802.70155","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148752900","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Considerations from a pilot study: Informing future research on gender and sexuality diverse autistic students' perspectives of Internet threats 一项试点研究的考虑：为未来关于性别和性行为的研究提供信息，使自闭症学生对互联网威胁的看法多样化

IF 1.8

Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs Pub Date : 2026-08-03 DOI: 10.1111/1471-3802.70149

Bessie G. Stone, Beth Saggers, Lisa van Leent, Christine Yates, Rachel Aberdein

{"title":"Considerations from a pilot study: Informing future research on gender and sexuality diverse autistic students' perspectives of Internet threats","authors":"Bessie G. Stone, Beth Saggers, Lisa van Leent, Christine Yates, Rachel Aberdein","doi":"10.1111/1471-3802.70149","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-3802.70149","url":null,"abstract":"Autistic students often face unique challenges related to Internet threats. When intersected with gender and sexuality diversity, challenges can compound and lead to increased risk of bullying, discrimination, marginalisation and exclusion. Although there is an intersection between autism and gender and sexuality diversity, the voices of gender and sexuality diverse autistic students about Internet threats remain an underexplored research area. Most studies have focused on neurotypical, heterosexual and cis-gender students or addressed autism, sexuality and gender separately. This paper builds on findings from a recent exploratory pilot study offering new empirical insight into autistic perceived Internet threats—an area currently underrepresented in inclusive education and digital safety. This paper presents considerations from the exploratory pilot study to inform future research on gender and sexuality diverse autistic students' perspectives on Internet threats. The pilot study engaged with autistic voices and employed a D/discourse theoretical framework, the Inclusive New Literacies and 4 CO:RE Classification of Online Risk to Children frameworks when interpreting the data. Recommendations may inform educators, parents/carers, policy-makers and practitioners regarding appropriate Internet safety education to promote positive and safe online learning experiences of gender and sexuality diverse autistic students who are a population with unique neurodiversity, identities and experiences.","PeriodicalId":46783,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs","volume":"26 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1471-3802.70149","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148752488","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Inclusive education in Portugal: 50 years following the 25th April revolution 葡萄牙的全纳教育：4月25日革命后50年

IF 1.8

Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs Pub Date : 2026-08-03 DOI: 10.1111/1471-3802.70152

Manuela Sanches-Ferreira, Catarina Neto, Mónica Silveira-Maia, Sílvia Alves, Rune J. Simeonsson

{"title":"Inclusive education in Portugal: 50 years following the 25th April revolution","authors":"Manuela Sanches-Ferreira, Catarina Neto, Mónica Silveira-Maia, Sílvia Alves, Rune J. Simeonsson","doi":"10.1111/1471-3802.70152","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-3802.70152","url":null,"abstract":"After the 25th of April 1974, Portugal was marked by legislative developments in major areas defining a democratic society, including education. The aim of this paper is to describe a comprehensive analysis of the legislation on education for children with disabilities in Portugal, exploring commonalities with international developments regarding children's rights and access to education. A document analysis was conducted on the chronology of laws on education for children with disabilities over the last 50 years coupled with assessment of quantitative indicators of their access to mainstream schools. Findings confirm the accomplishment of significant legislative developments following the 25th April 1974 affirming and reaffirming the right of children with disabilities to education in mainstream settings and establishing support for them to succeed in school. Legislative developments were analysed within Göransson & Nilholm's framework (2014), describing evolving categories to education from physical placement in mainstream schools towards the building of an inclusive and supportive school community based on principles of equity, care and justice. Legislative developments were consistent with the focus of international conventions as well as the emphasis on access to education in mainstream schools, highlighting that inclusive education for children with disabilities has been mainly a policy-driven process.","PeriodicalId":46783,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs","volume":"26 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148752557","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0