Determinants of students' attitudes towards peers with disabilities

Aim  To explore factors associated with students' attitudes towards their peers with disabilities.
Method  All 7th grade students (aged 12−13y) from 12 schools in the Toulouse area were invited to participate ( n =1509). Attitudes were measured using the Chedoke-McMaster Attitudes Towards Children with Handicaps (CATCH) questionnaire (affective, behavioural, cognitive, and total scores). Personal characteristics, including KIDSCREEN quality of life scores, were recorded. Data regarding information about disabilities received from parents and the media and acquaintance with people with disabilities constituted the 'disability knowledge' factors. The characteristics of the schools were obtained from the local education authority. Multivariate multilevel linear regression analyses were conducted to explore the associations between CATCH scores and these three groups of factors.
Results  Responses from 1135 students (612 females, 523 males; mean age 12y 8mo SD 7mo; age range 10y 8mo–15y) were studied (75.2% of the students approached). Factors independently associated with more positive attitudes were being a female, having a good quality of life, being friends with a child with disabilities, or having received information about disabilities from parents and the media. Presence in the school of a special class for children with cognitive disabilities was independently associated with more negative attitudes.
Interpretation  This cross-sectional study identified different personal and environmental factors upon which interventions aimed at improving students' attitudes towards their peers with disabilities could be based.     

A national study of Chinese youths' attitudes towards students with intellectual disabilities

Background In recent years, there has been a global effort to support the inclusion of students with intellectual disabilities (ID) in schools and classrooms. China in particular has recently enacted laws that provide for inclusive educational opportunities for students with ID. There are many barriers, however, to successfully including students with ID in regular education schools and classrooms, one of which is negative attitudes. Over the past decade, much research has focused on documenting the attitudes of the adult public; however, adults only represent one segment of society as it is youth who play a critical role in the successful inclusion and acceptance of students with ID in schools and classrooms. The aim of this study was to replicate a previous study of middle school‐aged youths' attitudes towards the inclusion of peers with ID conducted with youth in the USA with similar aged youth in China. Methods A survey was conducted with a random sample of 4059 middle school‐aged youth in China on their attitudes towards students with ID. Students' attitudes were measured in terms of their perceptions of the capabilities of students with ID, their beliefs about and expectations regarding the inclusion of students with ID and their willingness to interact with students with ID both in and out of school. Results The findings indicated that youth in China (1) perceive students with ID as moderately, rather than mildly, impaired; (2) believe that students with ID can not participate in their academic classes; (3) view inclusion as having both positive and negative effects on them personally; and (4) do not want to interact with a peer with ID in school, particularly on academic tasks. Structural equation modelling showed that youths' perceptions of the competence of students with ID significantly influenced their willingness to interact with these students and their support of inclusion. Conclusions The findings replicated previous research conducted with middle school‐aged youth in the USA and are discussed from a cultural perspective and in terms of the current special education policies and practices in China.     

The attitudes of Belgian adolescents towards peers with disabilities

This study aimed to explore Belgian adolescents’ attitudes towards peers with disabilities and to explore factors associated with these attitudes. Based on the theory of persuasive communication, this study focused on receiver variables (the “whom”), characteristics of students with disabilities (“concerning who”) and channel (“how”). An online survey was created and published on several popular websites for youngsters. Attitudes were assessed by means of the CATCH questionnaire among 167 adolescents between 11 and 20 years old. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were conducted. Belgian adolescents had fairly tolerant attitudes towards peers with disabilities. Factors associated with more positive attitudes were being female, and viewing a video introduction of a peer with a disability before assessing attitudes. Factors such as having a parent, sibling or good friend with a disability and frequent contact with persons with disabilities did not remain significant in the overall model. The way in which students with disabilities are presented to their peers is very important. Further research is needed among larger samples, including more diverse variables, concerning the former mentioned categories, and also concerning the source (the “who”) and message (the “what”).     

Staff's attitudes and reactions towards aggressive behaviour of clients with intellectual disabilities: A multi-level study

Data were collected from 121 staff members (20 direct support staff teams) on background characteristics of the individual staff members and their teams (gender, age, years of work experience, position and education), the frequency and form of aggression of clients with an intellectual disability (verbal or physical), staff members’ attitudes towards aggression, and the types of behavioural interventions they executed (providing personal space and behavioural boundary-setting, restricting freedom and the use of coercive measures). Additionally, client group characteristics (age of clients, type of care and client's level of intellectual disability) were assessed. Multilevel analyses (individual and contextual level) were performed to examine the relations between all studied variables and the behavioural interventions. The results showed that for providing personal space and behavioural boundary-setting as well as for restricting freedom, the proportion of variance explained by the context (staff team and client group characteristics) was three times larger than the proportion of variance explained by individual staff member characteristics. For using coercive measures, the context even accounted for 66% of the variance, whereas only 8% was explained by individual staff member characteristics. A negative attitude towards aggression of the direct support team as a whole proved to be an especially strong predictor of using coercive measures. To diminish the use of coercive measures, interventions should therefore be directed towards influencing the attitude of direct support teams instead of individual staff members.     

Early language intervention for children with intellectual disabilities: a neurocognitive perspective

For children with intellectual disabilities (ID), stimulation of their language and communication is often not a priority. Advancements in brain research provide guidelines for early interventions aimed at the stimulation of language and communication skills. In the present study, the effectiveness of an early language intervention which draws upon neurocognitive principles of language processing and language learning was assessed. Ten children participated in the intervention and 18 were followed for control purposes. The intervention group showed greater progress than the control group. The higher learning gains for the intervention group were mostly driven by the non-speaking children. However, the progress of the intervention children slowed down significantly following intervention.An early language intervention such as that studied here can accelerate the language development of children with ID. To maintain the effects, however, the intervention should be prolonged in several settings that focus on consecutive learning (e.g., day-care centres and schools).     

Nurses' attitudes towards depression: a study in Slovenia

Our aim was to discover nurses' attitudes towards depression and to test for the impact of education on these attitudes. Negative attitudes towards depression are one of the reasons for underestimation of depressive disorders in the community and the clinical setting. We developed a questionnaire on attitudes towards depression by using the principal component analysis. We observed overall changes in attitudes and differences in each dimension and compared them between nurses who attended education workshops and those who did not. We learnt that nurses have positive attitudes towards people suffering from depressive disorder and towards curing and healing from depression itself, but a somewhat neutral opinion on possible complications caused by depression. Overall, nurses' attendance at education workshops contributed to improvement in their attitudes. This in turn probably led to a decrease in the stigmatisation of depression.     

Teachers' knowledge about epilepsy in Greece: Information sources and attitudes towards children with epilepsy during school time

AimThe aim of this study was to explore the sources of information for the educators in Greek primary and secondary schools with regard to epilepsy, first aid to seizures, and pupils' health conditions.MethodA semistructured anonymous 52-item questionnaire was sent to 100 public primary and secondary Greek schools from all districts. Two thousand thirty-seven teachers were approached; 446 questionnaires returned. The data were analyzed with SPSS20. Also, 70 head teachers were phone-interviewed with an open-ended unstructured questionnaire. The derived data were analyzed using mixed methodology.ResultsTwenty-two percent of the addressed educational community responded to the questionnaire, mostly women (66.6%). More responses came from urban areas (71.5%). The main source for the teachers to obtain information about epilepsy was found to be personal experience (37.75%) and internet (34.93%). Only a small percentage was referred to courses (6.2%). Eighty point three percent of the educators knew what epilepsy is, and 88.1% had the right view about the nature of the illness. However, 92% of the educators replied that they have not had adequate first aid training. Although 80.3% of the teachers believed that the school personnel are aware of the pupils' medical history, 85.48% of the teachers considered that they are informed about the pupils' condition from the parents/carers, and only 5.53% believed that the information came from the family doctor. Ninety-five point seventy percent of the educators declared a wish for further information and training about epilepsy.ConclusionKnowledge and attitudes of the educators towards epilepsy are improved compared with those reported in previous studies conducted in Greece. However, there are still areas of uncertainty which need improvement. The necessity for more information about epilepsy and pupils' medical history along with appropriate training about seizure incidents seems crucial for the Greek educational community. Educational campaigns about epilepsy could improve teachers' knowledge of epilepsy to develop a well-informed and tolerant community. Further research in the field is necessary to provide teachers with accurate information about the illness and the ways to cope with it.     

Role of the school in serving children with learning disabilities

The term "learning disabilities" means different things to different people. Within the educational context, this term is generally interpreted to mean "specific" LDs, as defined in federal legislation mandating school districts to provide services to children with handicaps. The preceding remarks have described the major legal responsibilities of schools with regard to children with handicaps. These responsibilities include identifying and locating children who are suspected of being handicapped, providing a comprehensive evaluation of their needs, planning an individual program for the student cooperatively with the parent or parents, educating children in an environment that is the least restrictive, and providing parents with due process throughout these activities. It is recognized that neurologists count among their patients numerous children whom they have identified clinically as "learning disabled," yet who do not qualify for special education under the "specific" LDs definition employed by the school. This article provides both moral and pragmatic reasons for school districts to develop appropriate means of responding to the needs of such pupils, and examples of accommodations that may be implemented at various levels of the school's organizational structure. Finally, it suggests that by developing effective linkages between their systems, medical and educational personnel can facilitate treatment for children who are having difficulty in learning.     

Teachers' attitudes towards plastic surgery in children with Down's syndrome

ABSTRACT. The problem of whether to improve on the physical appearance of children with Down's syndrome by means of plastic surgery is a much debated question which involves bio-ethical and ideological concepts. In this research, the opinions of a group ( n =132) of Italian elementary and junior school teachers are investigated on the basis of a questionnaire. Data are analysed through the application of log-linear models, and parameter estimates are calculated for each response category and interactions between response categories and types of teachers. Results show a greater acceptance of children with Down's syndrome as they are by people who have daily experience of them and who can get to know them better from all points of view. On the other hand, plastic surgery for children with Down's syndrome is considered with more favour by people who are less psychologically involved with them.     

Focus on function: a cluster, randomized controlled trial comparing child- versus context-focused intervention for young children with cerebral palsy

Aim This study evaluated the efficacy of a child‐focused versus context‐focused intervention in improving performance of functional tasks and mobility in young children with cerebral palsy. Method A randomized controlled trial cluster research design enrolled 128 children (49 females, 79 males; age range 12mo to 5y 11mo; mean age 3y 6mo, SD –1y 5mo) who were diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Children across levels I to V on the Gross Motor Classification System (GMFCS) were included in the study. Children were excluded if there were planned surgical or medication changes during the intervention period. Therapists from 19 children’s rehabilitation centers were block randomized (by occupational therapist or physical therapist) to a treatment arm. Children from consenting families followed their therapists into their assigned group. Children received child‐focused (n=71) or context‐focused intervention (n=57) over 6 months, returning to their regular therapy schedule and approach between 6 and 9 months. The primary outcome measure was the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI). Secondary outcome measures included the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM‐66), range of motion of hip abduction, popliteal angle and ankle dorsiflexion, the Assessment of Preschool Children’s Participation (APCP), and the Family Empowerment Scale (FES). Outcome evaluators were masked to group assignment and completed assessments at baseline, 6 months, and 9 months. Results Ten children did not complete the full intervention, six in the child group and four in context group. GMFCS levels for children in the study were level I (n=37), level II (n=23), level III (n=21), level IV (n=21), and level V (n=26). There were no significant differences at baseline between the treatment groups for GMFCS level, parental education, or parental income. For the PEDI, there was no significant difference between the treatment groups, except for a small effect (p<0.03) on the Caregiver Assistance Mobility subscale between baseline and 9 months. The mean scores of both groups changed significantly on the Functional Skills Scales (p<0.001) and Caregiver Assistance Scales (p<0.02) of the PEDI after the 6‐month intervention. There was no additional statistically significant change on the PEDI during the follow‐up period from 6 to 9 months. A subgroup effect was found for age (p<0.001), with children younger than 3 years changing significantly more than older children. GMFCS level at baseline did not influence the amount of change on the PEDI scales. There were no significant differences between the treatment groups on the GMFM, range of motion measures, APCP or FES assessments. For the GMFM, there was a significant change over time from baseline to 6 months (p<0.001) and no significant change between 6 and 9 months. There was no adverse side effect as range of motion did not decrease in either group. Hip abduction increased significantly (p<0.01) at the 9‐month assessment for both groups. For the APCP, significant changes for both treatment groups were found between baseline and 6 months for play intensity (p<0.04), physical activity intensity and diversity (p<0.001), and total score intensity (p<0.01). Interpretation This study shows that child‐ or context‐focused therapy approaches are equally effective and that frequency of intervention may be a critical component of successful intervention. Further evaluation is required to identify the various ‘dose–response’ relations of amount of treatment and changes in functional abilities.