Developmental differences in understanding the causes, controllability and chronicity of disabilities

OBJECTIVE: The present study explored typically developing children's (n = 77) understanding of the causes, controllability and chronicity of disabilities. DESIGN: Children in each of four age groups (4-5 years, 6-7 years, 9-10 years and 11-12 years) were interviewed to explore their ideas about children with physical disabilities (minor: missing thumb; major: wheel-chair bound), sensory disabilities (blindness and hearing loss), learning disabilities (non-specific and Down syndrome) and emotional/behavioural difficulties (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and lack of social skills). RESULTS: Significant age differences were found in children's understandings of the causes, controllability and chronicity of disabilities. Furthermore, children showed a greater understanding of salient disabilities. CONCLUSIONS: Findings are discussed in terms of developmental changes and the role of experience in shaping children's understanding of disabilities.     

Children's understanding of the physical, cognitive and social consequences of impairments

The present study explored typically developing children's (n = 77) understanding of physical, cognitive and social competencies of children with impairments. Children in each of four age groups (4-5 years, 6-7 years, 9-10 years and 11-12 years) were interviewed to explore their ideas about the abilities of children with physical impairments (minor: missing thumb; major: wheel-chair bound), sensory impairments (vision and hearing), learning disabilities (non-specific and Down's syndrome) and emotional/behavioural difficulties (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and lack of social skills). Significant age differences were found in children's judgements of the capabilities of children with impairments. Furthermore, children's understanding of the consequences of impairments varied as a function of disability type. Findings are discussed in relation to previous research on children's disability concepts and implications for inclusive education practices.     

Individual differences and early school adjustment: teacher appraisals of young children with special needs

Individual differences in temperament and personality influence children's development of self-regulation, social relationships, and adaptation within varied contexts. For young children with disabilities and/or family poverty, early school experiences provide both significant challenges and opportunities. In this study, teachers rated the temperament-related and personality-related behaviors and school adjustment of 176 children with special needs, ages 3-9 years. Overall, temperament dimensions of Negative Emotionality, Task Persistence, Inhibition, and Activity explained 58% of the variance in children's school adjustment ratings. The broader personality dimensions of Extraversion, Manageability, and Openness/Conscientiousness accounted for 71% of school adjustment ratings. These findings support the inclusion of individual difference assessments in intervention planning by interdisciplinary teams to enhance the 'goodness-of-fit' for young children at risk for school adjustment problems. Early intervention that focuses on differentiated supports and accommodations specific to each child's characteristics can enhance children's adjustment and self-regulation and provide the foundation for later school success.     

Measuring children's participation in recreation and leisure activities: construct validation of the CAPE and PAC

There is a need for psychometrically sound measures of children's participation in recreation and leisure activities, for both clinical and research purposes. This paper provides information about the construct validity of the Children's Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment (CAPE) and its companion measure, Preferences for Activities of Children (PAC). These measures are appropriate for children and youth with and without disabilities between the ages of 6 and 21 years. They provide information about six dimensions of participation (i.e. diversity, intensity, where, with whom, enjoyment and preference) and two categories of recreation and leisure activities: (i) formal and informal activities; and (ii) five types of activities (recreational, active physical, social, skill-based and self-improvement). This paper presents information about the performance of the CAPE and PAC activity type scores using data from a study involving 427 children with physical disabilities between the ages of 6 and 15 years. Intensity, enjoyment and preference scores were significantly correlated with environmental, family and child variables, in expected ways. Predictions also were supported with respect to differences in mean scores for boys vs. girls, and children in various age groups. The information substantiates the construct validity of the measures. The clinical and research utility of the measures are discussed.     

Exploring Children’s Perceptions of Two School-Based Social Inclusion Programs: A Pilot Study

Background

Although social exclusion among typically developing school-aged children has been well explored, it is under-researched for children with disabilities even though they are at a higher risk for being excluded. While there are a number of different programs available to improve social inclusion at school, the appeal of these programs to children remains unknown.

Objective

The objective of this pilot study was to elicit children’s perceptions of the desirable components of two commonly used social inclusion programs in Ontario, Canada.

Methods

An exploratory mixed methods design (group discussion, observation notes, and a brief questionnaire) was used to provide an in-depth understanding of children’s perceptions of two social inclusion programs: A group-based game (n = 87) and a puppet show (n = 78).

Results

Children in each program reported that several aspects of the content appealed to them including learning about (1) bullying; (2) disability; (3) building friendships and encouraging social inclusion; (4) preventing social exclusion. The desirable aspects related to the format of the game and puppet show included (1) the interactive components; (2) the relevant topics and characters; (3) the length of the programs.

Conclusions

Children’s insights about social inclusion programs should be considered in development and improvements of future programs.     

Parent perspectives on their toddlers' development: comparison of regular and inclusion childcare

A growing number of community childcare programs are including children with developmental disabilities. While some studies have explored the effects of inclusion for preschool and school‐age children without disabilities, there is little knowledge about inclusion for typically developing toddlers enrolled in such programs or about parent attitudes regarding inclusion. In this study, parent perceptions of the benefits and limitations of their child's toddler program (inclusion or typical) were assessed. Parents from both programs gave comparable responses to a semi‐structured survey with regard to changes in their child's development and parental level of satisfaction. Parent feedback from the inclusion childcare program also provided insight into the advantages of an inclusion program. These findings suggest that there is little differentiation between inclusion programs and regular childcare programs in providing a quality experience for all children, but that there may be additional benefits to enrolling children without disabilities into inclusion programs.     

Getting the complete picture: combining parental and child data to identify the barriers to social inclusion for children living in low socio-economic areas

Background Childhood mental health problems are prevalent in Australian children (14–20%). Social exclusion is a risk factor for mental health problems, whereas being socially included can have protective effects. This study aims to identify the barriers to social inclusion for children aged 9–12 years living in low socio‐economic status (SES) areas, using both child‐report and parent‐report interviews. Methods Australian‐born English‐speaking parents and children aged 9–12 years were sampled from a low SES area to participate in semi‐structured interviews. Parents and children were asked questions around three prominent themes of social exclusion; exclusion from school, social activities and social networks. Results Many children experienced social exclusion at school, from social activities or within social networks. Overall, nine key barriers to social inclusion were identified through parent and child interviews, such as inability to attend school camps and participate in school activities, bullying and being left out, time and transport constraints, financial constraints and safety and traffic concerns. Parents and children often identified different barriers. Discussion There are several barriers to social inclusion for children living in low SES communities, many of which can be used to facilitate mental health promotion programmes. Given that parents and children may report different barriers, it is important to seek both perspectives. Conclusion This study strengthens the evidence base for the investments and action required to bring about the conditions for social inclusion for children living in low SES communities.     

Functional predictors of school participation by children with disabilities

This study examined the functional requirements that significantly predicted participation of US elementary school children with a variety of disabling conditions (N = 266), in seven different school settings: Transportation, Transitions, Regular classroom, Special classroom, Mealtime, Bathroom, and Playground. Performance on a number of setting-relevant tasks was expected to be predictive of meaningful participation in each school environment. Stepwise multiple regression analyses were conducted to identify the order of importance of the relevant variables as well as the smaller set of functional tasks that best predicted children's participation in each setting. The results revealed that successful participation in the different elementary school settings was strongly associated with performance of both physical and cognitive/behavioural activities. Furthermore, each setting had a unique set of predictors, suggesting that some aspects of function are context-specific. Findings from this study may inform therapists about the most relevant areas of function that support social and physical participation of children with disabilities who are included in regular schools.     

Unmet health, welfare and educational needs of disabled children in an impoverished South African peri-urban township

BACKGROUND: Childhood disability in South Africa has failed to receive adequate attention from governmental agencies, such as the health, education and social welfare departments, despite there being more than 1 million disabled children in the country. This study sought to assess the unmet rehabilitation, education and welfare needs of disabled children living in a peri-urban township. METHODS: As no register of disabled children existed, snowball sampling was used to recruit a convenience sample of 156 disabled children living in Orange Farm township near Soweto, South Africa. Children's impairments, their health and educational needs, and the availability and utilization of services were assessed using a structured interview. RESULTS: Few disabled children attended pre-school (35%) or school (44%). Only a quarter (26%) of children in need of rehabilitation received such services. Children with motor impairments were more likely to receive rehabilitation than those with intellectual impairment (44% vs. 8%, P < 0.0001). Of the 233 assistive devices required, only 64 (28%) had been issued. Less than half (45%) of the children entitled to a social assistance grant were receiving it. Lack of money, limited awareness about available services, and bureaucratic obstacles were the main reasons offered by caregivers for the low utilization of available services and resources. CONCLUSION: Children with disabilities living in Orange Farm are not enjoying the rights and services to which they are entitled. Innovative, co-ordinated service delivery strategies, and better-informed caregivers combined with community recognition of, and support for, the needs of disabled children are required to address these unmet needs.     

Extending the School Grounds?—Bullying Experiences in Cyberspace

Background:  Bullying is a national public health problem affecting millions of students. With the rapid increase in electronic or online communication, bullying is no longer limited to schools. The goal of the current investigation was to examine the overlap among targets of, and the similarities between, online and in-school bullying among Internet-using adolescents. Additionally, a number of common assumptions regarding online or cyberbullying were tested.
Methods:  An anonymous Web-based survey was conducted with one thousand four hundred fifty-four 12- to 17-year-old youth.
Results:  Within the past year, 72% of respondents reported at least 1 online incident of bullying, 85% of whom also experienced bullying in school. The most frequent forms of online and in-school bullying involved name-calling or insults, and the online incidents most typically took place through instant messaging. When controlling for Internet use, repeated school-based bullying experiences increased the likelihood of repeated cyberbullying more than the use of any particular electronic communication tool. About two thirds of cyberbullying victims reported knowing their perpetrators, and half of them knew the bully from school. Both in-school and online bullying experiences were independently associated with increased social anxiety. Ninety percent of the sample reported they do not tell an adult about cyberbullying, and only a minority of participants had used digital tools to prevent online incidents.
Conclusions:  The findings have implications for (1) school policies about cyberbullying, (2) parent education about the risks associated with online communication, and (3) youth advice regarding strategies to prevent and deal with cyberbullying incidents.     

An evaluation of a drama program to enhance social relationships and anti-bullying at elementary school: a controlled study

Drama, theater and role-playing methods are commonly used in health promotion programs, but evidence of their effectiveness is limited. This paper describes the development, implementation and evaluation of a school-based drama program to enhance social relationships and decrease bullying at school in children in grades 4-5 (mean age of 10.4 years). Students (n = 190) were recruited from two primary schools with similar demographics and socio-economics in the Southern Finland and purposively allocated either to an intervention group or a control group. The drama program included classroom drama sessions, follow-up activities at home and three parents' evenings concerning issues of social well being during the school year September 2007-May 2008. Data on social relationships in the class room and experiences of bullying were obtained before and after the program using self-completed questionnaire from the same students (n = 134). The response rate was 71%. No differences in socio-demographics existed between intervention group and control group at pretest. The positive effect on social relationships resulting from the intervention approached statistical significance (p = 0.065). Moreover, the positive effect was found to be statistically significant in the high-intensity intervention classes (p = 0.011). Bullying victimization decreased 20.7 percentage units from pretest (58.8%) to posttest (38.1%) in the intervention group (p < 0.05). The study indicates that using applied drama and theater methods in the classroom may improve children's social relationships at school.     

Medical Service Utilization Among Youth with School-Identified Disabilities in Residential Care

Background

Behavioral, social, emotional, and educational risks among children and youth with school identified disabilities served in residential care have been well documented. However, the health care needs and medical service utilization of this high-risk population are less well known. Given the risks associated with children with disabilities, one might expect that medical care usage is elevated and will continue to be a need when children return home or age out of the system. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if medical service utilization differed between youth with and without school-identified disabilities in care, and whether certain correlates (e.g., demographic characteristics and mental health functioning) would be associated with medical service use among youth with disabilities.

Method

Hierarchical multiple regression models were used to explore the role of disability status in the utilization of medical services as well as to predict the effects of mental health functioning on utilization while controlling for other known factors.

Results

Results indicated that medical service usage for youth with school identified disabilities was statistically higher than usage for peers without disabilities after accounting for other factors associated with utilization, and internalizing and externalizing behavior severity were significantly related to medical service utilization for youth with disabilities.

Conclusions

As expected, the findings suggest that youth with disabilities use more medical services than peers without disabilities regardless of the presence of a physical health condition, but might be due to differences in the severity of the physical health conditions.

     

Bullying and suicide. A review

Being a victim or perpetrator of school bullying, the most common type of school violence, has been frequently associated with a broad spectrum of behavioral, emotional, and social problems. Suicide is third leading cause of mortality in children and adolescent in the United States of America and around the world. This paper provides a systematic review of the previous 37 studies conducted in children and adolescents from communities, as well as in special populations that examined the association between bullying experiences and suicide, with an emphasis on the strengths and limitations of the study designs. Despite methodological and other differences and limitations, it is increasingly clear that any participation in bullying increases the risk of suicidal ideations and/or behaviors in a broad spectrum of youth.     

Older Teenagers’ Explanations of Bullying

Background

In accordance with the social information processing model, how adolescents attribute cause to a particular social situation (e.g., bullying) they witness or participate in, influences their online social information processing, and hence, how they will act in the situation.

Objective

The aim of the present study was to explore how older teenagers explain why bullying takes place at school, and whether there were any differences in explaining bullying due to gender.

Methods

Two hundred and fifteen Swedish students in upper secondary school responded to a questionnaire. Mixed methods (qualitative and quantitative methods) were used to analyze data.

Results

The qualitative analysis resulted in three main categories and nine subcategories regarding accounts of bullying causes. According to the findings, the youth explained bullying much more often with individualistic explanations (bully attributing and victim attributing) than non-individualistic explanations (social context attributing). Furthermore, girls tended to provide a greater number of bullying explanations and were more likely to attribute bullying causes to the bully and the victim, as compared to boys.

Conclusions

The findings provide insights into older teenagers’ understanding of why bullying occurs in school. The study also identified some gender differences but also some mixed findings regarding gender differences in comparison with previous research with younger participants. The authors concluded that more research has to be done to investigate age and gender differences.     

Matching Special Olympics registration data with administrative health databases: Feasibility and health status differences in children and youth with IDD

BackgroundChildren and youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) experience health disparities. What is unknown is if data collected from children and youth with IDD who participate in Special Olympics is representative of children and youth with IDD who do not.ObjectivesAim 1: determine the feasibility of matching a database of registrants from Special Olympics Ontario (SOO), with population-based health services databases in Ontario, Canada housed at ICES. Aim 2: evaluate the differences between the database sources with regards to demographic variables and clinical status.MethodsUsing deterministic and probabilistic matching, registration data from SOO were matched to administrative health databases. Established algorithms were used to determine the prevalence of asthma, diabetes, and mental disorder in addition to demographic variables.ResultsThe matching rate was over 90%; 8404 were attributed to children and youth between the ages of 0–19 years. When comparing SOO participants with IDD to non-SOO participants with IDD, children and youth who participate in SOO were, on average, older with no further differences between groups on clinical or demographic variables. When comparing those previously not identified in the health services databases (from SOO) to those with IDD identified by ICES, the SOO participants appear to use the health system less, possibly indicating a better health status.ConclusionsResearch conducted on child and youth who participate in Special Olympics Ontario can be generalized to the broader population of children and youth with IDD in Canada when adjusted for age; however, care should be taken when comparing levels of overall morbidity.     

The role of family,peers and school perceptions in predicting involvement in youth violence

This study explored the relative importance of family, peers and school in predicting youth violence. The analysis was done on a nationally representative sample included 8,394 students from grade 6th-10th in Israel. Measures of youth violence included bullying, physical fights and weapon carrying. The findings suggested that all three social systems had significant relations with youth violence, respectively. Variables found to predict violence were: Family-lack of parental support regarding school; Peers-Lack of social integration or too many evenings out with friends; School-feeling of school alienation, low academic achievement and perceptions of frequent acts of violence in school. School perceptions had the strongest predicting power. Findings emphasized the importance of focusing on improving the daily school experience in reducing youth violence.     

School Practices to Foster LGBT-Supportive Climate: Associations with Adolescent Bullying Involvement

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth experience disproportionate rates of bullying compared to their heterosexual peers. Schools are well-positioned to address these disparities by creating supportive school climates for LGBT youth, but more research is needed to examine the variety of practices and professional development opportunities put in place to this end. The current study examines how school practices to create supportive LGBT student climate relate to student reports of bullying. Student-level data come from the 2013 Minnesota Student Survey, a state-wide survey of risk and protective factors. Ninth and eleventh grade students (N = 31,183) reported on frequency of physical and relational bullying victimization and perpetration and sexual orientation-based harassment. School administrators reported on six practices related to creating supportive LGBT school climate (N = 103 schools): having a point person for LGBT student issues, displaying sexual orientation-specific content, having a gay-straight alliance, discussing bullying based on sexual orientation, and providing professional development around LGBT inclusion and LGBT student issues. An index was created to indicate how many practices each school used (M = 2.45; SD = 1.76). Multilevel logistic regressions indicated that students attending schools with more supportive LGBT climates reported lower odds of relational bullying victimization, physical bullying perpetration, and sexual orientation-based harassment compared to students in schools with less supportive LGBT climates. Sexual orientation did not moderate these relations, indicating that LGBT-supportive practices may be protective for all students, regardless of their sexual orientation. Findings support school-wide efforts to create supportive climates for LGBQ youth as part of a larger bullying prevention strategy.     

Parental Perspectives on Curriculum Priorities for their Young Children with Disabilities

Many parents of children with disabilities in Singapore have enrolled their children in school settings. Local literature is however lacking on what parents would like their children to learn at school. This pilot study examined parental perspectives on how much they valued three different curriculum skill areas for their young children with disabilities: functional academics, functional life skills, and social relationship skills. In addition, parents were asked to indicate whether they expected priority skill items within the three curriculum areas to be performed with assistance or independently. Results indicate differences in the parents' ratings of the curriculum skill areas. Parental expectations of their children's performance of priority skills across the curriculum areas also differed. Implications are discussed concerning parental input into curriculum, teachers' collaboration with parents to address curricular issues, and directions for research and practice.     

Accessibility and usability of playground environments for children under 12: A scoping review

Background: Playgrounds are important outdoor environments in many communities during childhood. However, playground spaces often do not meet the needs of typically developing children or children with disabilities, resulting in social exclusion for many children. Aims/objectives: This study explored the evidence regarding accessibility and usability of playgrounds for children of all abilities, to identify factors that enable or constrain social inclusion in community playgrounds. Materials and methods: A scoping method was used as little research in this area has been collated and synthesized. Scoping reviews are effective for exploring and synthesizing broad and varied methods of inquiry around a phenomenon of interest. Results: A total of 14 key articles were identified and two major themes emerged: (i) accessible playground environments – features and factors; (ii) from excluding to including – making playground environments usable. Findings indicate that numerous environmental barriers contribute to making playground environments inaccessible and unusable for many children, particularly children with disabilities. However, playground design is identified as a significant factor in enabling inclusion. Conclusion: Occupational therapists are in an ideal position to advocate for children’s occupational right to play, by combining knowledge of environmental barriers with an understanding of disability and specific knowledge of occupation. Through focusing on advocacy and change at policy and community levels, therapists can work to maximize social inclusion in playground settings.     

The influence of ICT on the activity patterns of children with physical disabilities outside school

Aim To investigate the outside school activity patterns of children with physical disabilities, and specifically their information and communication technology (ICT) usage compared with that of non‐disabled children. In addition, the aim was to investigate the children's opinions on computer use and the associations between their use of the Internet and their interaction with peers. Methods Questionnaire on activities outside school, answered by 215 children and youths with physical disabilities, mean age 12 years 10 months, attending mainstream schools. For group comparisons with non‐disabled children, data from the survey ‘Kids and Media’ were used. Results In the analysis, two sets of activity patterns were identified, depending on whether the child was disabled or not and on the gender of the child. A higher proportion of children with physical disabilities were engaged in ICT activities, while non‐disabled children tended to be engaged in a broader range of activities outside school. The activity pattern was more uniform for boys and girls with disabilities than for their non‐disabled peers. Use of the Internet was positively associated with peer interaction. Conclusion Outside school, the activity patterns of children and youths with physical disabilities seem to be characterized by a focus on ICT activities, which enable children to compensate for their impairment because it suits all. In addition, digital skills developed outside school engage children with physical disabilities, giving them increased access to society and for educational purposes.