School Bullying Among Students With Intellectual Disabilities

School bullying research began in the 1970s through seminal research conducted on these experiences among Norwegian boys. From this initial research, multiple studies have been conducted over the past 40 years, revealing the nature, extent, causes, and consequences of school bullying. More recent investigations have also focused on cyberbullying, bullying using information and communication technologies (e.g., cell phones). Little attention has been given to school bullying involvement among students with disabilities, particularly those with intellectual disabilities. The handful of studies on this topic suggest that these students experience internalizing (e.g., depression, anxiety, loneliness) and externalizing (e.g., aggression, antisocial behaviors) difficulties associated with their involvement in school bullying. The aim of this chapter is to review multidisciplinary research concerning school bullying among students with intellectual disabilities and to make recommendations for public policy and prevention programs as well as future research.

Use of Humanoid Robots for Students With Intellectual Disabilities

In parallel with the significant developments in robotics, humanoid robots have become popular recently. It is known that when humanoid robots are used for educational goals, students become more interested in learning activities, develop better situation awareness through exercises and physical activities, and learn more effectively. Therefore, humanoid robots will possibly play a key role in education in the future. Since humanoid robots have enhanced social skills, are able to repeat a particular sequence many times, and provide real-time feedback, they can improve the engagement of students with intellectual disabilities and may find significant acceptance in specific target groups, such as students with autism spectrum disorder. In this chapter, the authors investigate the use of humanoid robots for students with intellectual disabilities and review existing approaches in this domain. In addition, limitations and challenges to the use of humanoid robots for educational goals are discussed. Finally, the authors investigate research challenges in this domain and state future research directions.

The Impact of Hygiene during COVID-19 Pandemic using Wheat Bread Microparticles: From Chemical Nutrient Content, Hand Hygiene, Multiplied Microorganisms to Education for Students with Special Needs

This study aims to demonstrate the importance of hygiene to prevent COVID-19 pandemic towards students with special needs using wheat bread where the chemical nutrient and multiplied microorganisms on bread made from wheat microparticles are analyzed. The experiments were conducted by contaminating the wheat bread using hands cleansed washing soap, hand sanitizer, cajuput oil, and cooking oil. Then, we gave lessons about the scientific concept to students with intellectual disabilities with IQ below 70. Results of the contaminated wheat bread showed the highest colony-forming units on the given treatment which used water and cooking oil. The second highest was the dirty hands. However, for wheat bread contaminated by handwashing soap, hand sanitizer and stores in the fridge, the colony-forming unit was null. The teaching and learning process showed that this experiment helped students to maintain personal hygiene during COVID-19. The experiment successfully shifted students’ perspectives because the students directly observed the process of the spoilage bread. Although it is very difficult for the students with intellectual disabilities to learn the concept of fungus, and microbe’s growth on the bread, this study can open students’ perception about handwashing. Therefore, implementing the experimental demonstration through an inquiry-based approach in future studies should be conducted to enable students to understand more about the scientific concept.

Teaching Physics to Students With Intellectual Disabilities Using Digital Learning Objects

Digital Learning Objects (DLOs) as pedagogical complete structures of learning content contribute to science education. DLOs especially in the form of interactive simulations seem to be promising tools in physics teaching and learning for students with intellectual disabilities (ID). This study used an AB single subject design to evaluate the effects of four DLOs on students’ learning of transverse waves and simple pendulum motion in a special education high school setting. A functional relationship was found between students’ correct responses concerning both scientific terminology and physical phenomena understanding during probe sessions and the DLOs intervention. In addition, a social validity assessment that evaluated students’ attitudes on learning, quality, and engagement, showed that the DLOs helped students with ID to acquire physics content. The students also reported satisfaction from using the DLOs. Suggestions for future research include the design of DLOs especially for students with ID.

THE INFLUENCE OF FICTION ON SOCIALIZATION OF STUDENTS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES

The views aimed at the stability of socialization are analyzed, paying attention to the peculiarities of psychophysical development of students with intellectual disabilities, which leads to a weakening of socialization. Difficulty in socialization depends on the presence of a navigator of mispersonal communication, unformed needs in such communication, inadequacy of self-esteem, negative perception of other people. It is noted that the effectiveness of primary socialization of students with intellectual disabilities affects the formation of its components: socio-psychological adaptation and empathy. In this regard, the research of scientists on the essence of socio-psychological adaptation and empathy is taken into account. It is pointed out that the process of socialization includes not only adaptation, but also maladaptation. It is stressed on the role of empathy as a component of socio-psychological adaptation and its impact on the formation of socialization of students with intellectual disabilities in the future with works of art, since the components of empathy are sympathy and compassion. Adolescents with intellectual disabilities perceive the information better during the Ukrainian literature lessons, where they work with fiction literature. It has been substantiated, that works of fiction, studied by students at the lessons of the Ukrainian literature serve as particularly important means of teaching, correction and socialization of students with intellectual disabilities. Fiction is the only art form promoting the development of visual thinking. While studying at the lessons of the Ukrainian literature on fiction texts, students with intellectual disabilities intellectual develop thinking, connected speech, overcome communicative phobia, master social competencies, become socialized. The expediency of using interactive teaching methods for the formation of social skills in students with intellectual disabilities in the process of working with works of art during the Ukrainian literature lessons, in particular: discussion, ethical conversation, role play; such methods as «microphone», «chain of thoughts», «unfinished sentence». While working with works of art during the Ukrainian literature lessons, adolescents with intellectual disabilities learn basic morals through interactive teaching methods, learn to disseminate information, emotions, thoughts about the read and the environment learn to evaluate behavior and teach people who pay attention to other problems. The lessons create appropriate conditions for optimizing the socialization of students with intellectual disabilities and social maladaptation, which threaten to subordinate adolescents to the content and meaning of the artists with whom they work.