scholarly journals Impact of lockdown and school closure on children in special schools: a single-centre survey

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. e000981
Author(s):  
Tapomay Banerjee ◽  
Amjad Khan ◽  
Piriyanga Kesavan
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Significant Role ◽  
Well Being ◽  
School Closure ◽  
Special Educational Needs ◽  
Single Centre ◽  
Special Schools ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
The Impact

Special schools play a significant role in the daily lives of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. We explored the impact of the COVID-19-related first lockdown and resulting school closure by surveying parents whose children attended three special schools in Bedford, UK. We asked about anxiety and impact on emotional well-being and education. We received 53 responses from parents: 31 felt their child was more anxious during the lockdown period/school closure compared with beforehand and 42 felt their child’s emotional well-being had been affected. Children and young people attending special schools may have struggled both academically and emotionally during the COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals Vulnerable and Forgotten: The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Autism Special Schools in England

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Crane ◽  
Freddie Adu ◽  
Francesca Arocas ◽  
Rachel Carli ◽  
Simon Eccles ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
English Education ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Essential Elements ◽  
Special Educational Needs ◽  
Special Schools ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Educational Rights ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused, and continues to cause, unprecedented disruption in England. The impact of the pandemic on the English education system has been significant, especially for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). While it was encouraging that the educational rights of children and young people with SEND were highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic, Government decision-making appeared to be centered around the needs of pupils in mainstream schools. In this article, co-authored by an academic researcher and senior leaders from the Pan London Autism Schools Network (PLASN; a collective of special schools in London and the South East of England, catering for pupils on the autistic spectrum), we reflect on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on special schools in England. We document and discuss a range of challenges experienced by PLASN schools, including the educational inequalities that were exposed and perpetuated by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the manner in which the needs and realities of special schools were overlooked by the Government. We also detail the creative and innovative solutions implemented by PLASN schools to overcome barriers that they encountered. These solutions centered on facilitating holistic approaches to support, ensuring clear and regular communication with families, providing effective support for home learning, and promoting collaborative ways of working; all of which align with good practice principles in autism education more generally, and are essential elements of practice to maintain post-pandemic. We additionally reflect on how the COVID-19 pandemic could be a catalyst for much-needed change to the SEND system: leading to better educational provision, and therefore better outcomes, for pupils with SEND.

scholarly journals Vulnerable and forgotten: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on autism special schools in England

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Crane ◽  
Freddie Adu ◽  
Francesca Arocas ◽  
Rachel Carli ◽  
Simon Eccles ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Special Educational Needs ◽  
Special Schools ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Educational Rights ◽  
Holistic Approaches ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Home Learning ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused, and continues to cause, unprecedented disruption in the United Kingdom (UK). The impact of the pandemic on the education system has been significant, especially for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Whilst it was encouraging that the educational rights of children and young people with SEND were prioritised during the COVID-19 pandemic, Government decision-making appeared to be centred around the needs of pupils in mainstream schools. In this article, co-authored by an academic researcher and senior leaders from the Pan London Autism Schools Network (PLASN; a collective of special schools in London and the South East of England, catering for pupils on the autistic spectrum), we reflect on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on special schools in England. We document a range of challenges experienced by PLASN schools, including the educational inequalities that were exposed and perpetuated by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the manner in which the needs and realities of special schools were overlooked by the UK Government. We also detail the creative and innovative solutions implemented by PLASN schools to overcome barriers that they encountered. These solutions centred on facilitating holistic approaches to support, ensuring clear and regular communication with families, providing effective support for home learning, and promoting collaborative ways of working. We additionally reflect on how the COVID-19 pandemic could be a catalyst for much-needed change to the SEND system: leading to better educational provision, and therefore better outcomes, for pupils with SEND.

The impact of algorithmic decision-making processes on young people’s well-being (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elvira Perez Vallejos ◽  
Liz Dowthwaite ◽  
Helen Creswich ◽  
Virginia Portillo ◽  
Ansgar Koene ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Negative Experiences ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Online Platforms ◽  
Internet Users ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND Algorithms rule the online environments and are essential for performing data processing, filtering, personalisation and other tasks. Research has shown that children and young people make up a significant proportion of Internet users, however little attention has been given to their experiences of algorithmically-mediated online platforms, or the impact of them on their mental health and well-being. The algorithms that govern online platforms are often obfuscated by a lack of transparency in their online Terms and Conditions and user agreements. This lack of transparency speaks to the need for protecting the most vulnerable users from potential online harms. OBJECTIVE To capture young people's experiences when being online and perceived impact on their well-being. METHODS In this paper, we draw on qualitative and quantitative data from a total of 260 children and young people who took part in a ‘Youth Jury’ to bring their opinions to the forefront, elicit discussion of their experiences of using online platforms, and perceived psychosocial impact on users. RESULTS The results of the study revealed the young people’s positive as well as negative experiences of using online platforms. Benefits such as being convenient and providing entertainment and personalised search results were identified. However, the data also reveals participants’ concerns for their privacy, safety and trust when online, which can have a significant impact on their well-being. CONCLUSIONS We conclude by making recommendations that online platforms acknowledge and enact on their responsibility to protect the privacy of their young users, recognising the significant developmental milestones that this group experience during these early years, and the impact that technology may have on them. We argue that governments need to incorporate policies that require technologists and others to embed the safeguarding of users’ well-being within the core of the design of Internet products and services to improve the user experiences and psychological well-being of all, but especially those of children and young people. CLINICALTRIAL N/A

scholarly journals The impact of algorithmic decision-making processes on young people’s well-being

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 146045822097275
Author(s):  
Elvira Perez Vallejos ◽  
Liz Dowthwaite ◽  
Helen Creswich ◽  
Virginia Portillo ◽  
Ansgar Koene ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Negative Experiences ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Online Platforms ◽  
Qualitative Focus Groups ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Group Experience

This study aims to capture the online experiences of young people when interacting with algorithm mediated systems and their impact on their well-being. We draw on qualitative (focus groups) and quantitative (survey) data from a total of 260 young people to bring their opinions to the forefront while eliciting discussions. The results of the study revealed the young people’s positive as well as negative experiences of using online platforms. Benefits such as convenience, entertainment and personalised search results were identified. However, the data also reveals participants’ concerns for their privacy, safety and trust when online, which can have a significant impact on their well-being. We conclude by recommending that online platforms acknowledge and enact on their responsibility to protect the privacy of their young users, recognising the significant developmental milestones that this group experience during these early years, and the impact that algorithm mediated systems may have on them. We argue that governments need to incorporate policies that require technologists and others to embed the safeguarding of users’ well-being within the core of the design of Internet products and services to improve the user experiences and psychological well-being of all, but especially those of children and young people.

scholarly journals SOCIAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL REHABILITATION OF CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE WITH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS IN UKRAINE

2020 ◽  
pp. 13-25
Author(s):  
Наталія Коляда ◽  
Оксана Кравченко ◽  
Назар Салата
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Social Protection ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Educational Needs ◽  
Disabled Persons ◽  
Special Educational Needs ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Rights Of The Child

The article analyzes the international (UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, UN Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities, UN Declaration of the Rights of the Child, Salamanca Declaration and Program of Actions for the Education of Persons with Special Needs, International Consultations on Early Learning for Children with Special Educational Needs) and domestic (ZU «On Education», «On the Protection of Childhood», «On Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons of Ukraine», «On Social Services») regulatory legal acts on social protection, education of people with disabilities.It is determined that social and psychological rehabilitation of children and young people with OOP is a complex, multilevel and dynamic system of measures aimed at restoring, developing and affirming the social status of a person, his psychological functions, qualities, properties; protection of mental health and social well-being; social involvement in full-fledged vitality and capacity, involvement in social relationships through the elimination of life-limiting constraints and the creation of an accessible environment.The types of social and psychological rehabilitation were investigated: elementary, everyday, pedagogical / social-pedagogical, educational, family, recreational (leisure), psychological.Socio-psychological rehabilitation permeates, in essence, all aspects of work aimed at restoring the individual-personal status of a person, on the restoration, development and formation of abilities and qualities that allow her to successfully perform various social roles (family, spouse, parental, social, political) etc.) to be able to be really involved in various spheres of social relations.It is advisable to consider social rehabilitation as a sound result of rehabilitation activity, which can be achieved only as a result of a set of actions within all the above-mentioned areas of rehabilitation since only in the course of their joint realization is possible a true and complete restoration of the disabled person's capacity for social functioning.

Returning to school: children and young people living with chronic illness

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 235-241
Author(s):  
Nicola J. Gray ◽  
Didier Jourdan ◽  
Janet E. McDonagh
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Illness ◽  
Young People ◽  
Chronic Illnesses ◽  
School Closure ◽  
Return To School ◽  
Significant Group ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Close Supervision ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The reopening of schools during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is full of challenges for families, which are heightened for children and young people (CYP) who live with chronic illnesses. This paper aims to offer a framework to support the successful return of CYP with chronic illnesses to school using appropriate intersectoral strategies. Design/methodology/approach This paper draws on research data on the impact of school closure on CYP with chronic illness and emerging findings of global research about their lives during the pandemic. It is also informed by the perspectives of practitioners in the field, who are working with these CYP and their families. Findings A framework based on three different strategies for a successful return is established. A small but significant group of CYP living with conditions such as cancer will not yet return and will need ongoing home education provision. CYP with well-controlled symptoms of chronic illness will benefit from school routines and socialization with peers. CYP with poorly controlled illness will need close supervision and individual plans. All groups will benefit from better intersectoral working across education and health and from recent rapid developments in hybrid learning models and telemedicine. Originality/value This viewpoint highlights the need for a strategic approach to the return to school of CYP with chronic illness that goes well beyond classifying them as vulnerable students. This group of CYP is already at risk of lower educational attainment, so widening inequalities must be halted. This paper provides a framework for anchoring local intersectoral approaches adapted to the different situations of CYP.

scholarly journals Growing Up Under COVID-19: Young People’s Agency in Family Dynamics

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malika Shah ◽  
Sara Rizzo ◽  
Barry Percy-Smith ◽  
Leanne Monchuk ◽  
Enrica Lorusso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Family Relationships ◽  
Family Life ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Family Dynamics ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Growing Up ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
The Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic transformed the nature of family life in countries across the world. School, and workplace closures meant that families spent more time at home and had to confront new economic, social, and psychological challenges as a result of lockdowns and the greater proximity of family members. Policy, research and media coverage of the pandemic’s impact on family life has focused primarily on the economic costs borne by households. This article draws on the findings from an empirical research project funded by the UK Nuffield Foundation on “Politics, Participation and Pandemics: Growing up under COVID-19”, which worked with young people as co-researchers, to present an innovative perspective on the impact of lockdown on family relationships. The research team adopted a longitudinal ethnographic action research approach to document and make sense of the experiences of young people (aged 14–18) in four countries: Italy, Lebanon Singapore and the United Kingdom. The project used digital ethnography and participatory methods to track the responses of 70 young people to the challenges created by the pandemic. The study used the family as a prism for understanding how the lives of children and young people in different family circumstances and relationships were affected by the crisis. This article analyses, firstly, the complex shifting dynamics within households to identify the transformative effects of the pandemic on family life in various socio-cultural contexts. Secondly, it examines how young people’s agency shaped family dynamics. In conclusion, the authors recommend how the findings from the study can be used to inform government interventions designed to minimise the impacts of the pandemic on the social well-being and rights of children and young people, and to recognise them as active participants in family and civic life both during and after the pandemic

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