School Readiness Program

The chapter highlights the importance of a school readiness program for children with disabilities (preferably mild category of developmental disabilities) in achieving successful inclusive education. A practical model of school readiness program for children with mild intellectual disability which is practiced at Government Rehabilitation Institute for Intellectual Disabilities (GRIID), Chandigarh, India has been highlighted in this chapter. The school readiness program for children with mild developmental disabilities is offered at primary lower (age 5-7 years) and primary upper (age 7-9 years) levels. Several age-appropriate functional and social skills are being taught to young children admitted under the school readiness program of GRIID. This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the school readiness program that can be replicated at different places to achieve a successful and meaningful transition from a special school to an inclusive school.

Automatic Detection and Assessment of Autism Spectrum Disorder

Children with neurodevelopmental disorders are increasing gradually every year. One in 100 children are diagnosed with brain function disorder. There are wide categories of disorder such as attention deficit hyperactive disorder, learning, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), etc. In this work, the focus is on ASD, its clinical methods, and analysis in various research works. ASD is a neurodevelopmental disorder which affects the intellectual functioning, social interaction (adaptive behavior), and has a specific obsessive interest. At present, there is no known cure for ASD, but the level of the pathological condition can be reduced when it is detected early. Early detection is tough and challenging till date. Many researches were carried out to ease the early detection for clinicians. Each method has its own merits and demerits. This chapter reviews and condenses various research works and their efficacy in analysis for the early diagnosis and improvement in children with autism.

Artificial Intelligence in Education

Current educational developments in theories and practices advocate a more personalized, student-centered approach to teach 21st-century skills. However, the existing pedagogical practices cannot provide optimal student engagement as they follow a ‘one size fits all' approach. How can we provide high-quality adaptive instructions at a personalized level? Intelligent tutoring systems with embedded artificial intelligence can assist both students and teachers in providing personalized support. This chapter highlights the role of artificial intelligence in the development of intelligent tutoring systems and how these are providing personalized instructions to students with and without disabilities. This chapter gives insight into the challenges and barriers posed by the integration of intelligent tutoring systems in K-12 classrooms.

Managing Behavioural Emotional Problems in Inclusive Classrooms and Understanding the Best Practices

An inclusive classroom comprises diverse learners with varying levels of abilities, skills, intelligence, and so on. The diversity of the class imposes great challenges on educators and the presence of any deviant behavior should not become a stumbling block for the progress of the children. Problem behaviors of children in the classroom may frustrate the teachers as long as they learn to handle them which is considered to be an integral part of the teaching profession. Numerous best practices have been followed across the globe to manage such behavioral issues exhibited by the students. This chapter would bring in various perspectives of identifying and managing problem behaviors that are commonly found among the young children and the best practices and strategic approaches to tackle such issues piloted by various researchers.

Using Information and Communication Technologies to Address Inequities in Education for Learners With Disabilities in Higher Education

Higher education is a place where students are given the opportunity to explore their academic talents that would one day assist in the development of their future careers. Many disabled students also seek higher education as a way to improve their lives and develop themselves so that they can become productive members of society. However, the plight of learners with disabilities is different to that of the normal university student. In many instances, literature has shown that learners with disabilities are often marginalized within higher education. They are not treated as other students or they are not availed the proper services and equipment to make their learning experiences better. Often, due to budget cutbacks in higher education, the students with disabilities are the ones who suffer the most.

A Systematic Review of the Use of Prompting for Preschoolers With Developmental Delay

Preschool offers numerous opportunities for teaching cognitive, social, emotional, and language skills. This is particularly important for children with developmental delay (DD), who often struggle with cognitive, physical, communication, social/emotional, and adaptive development. Prompting using verbal, gestural, and physical guidance has been widely used to teach new behaviors or skills. Given the importance of early childhood education, this systematic review examined the effect of prompting in the acquisition of new skills for preschoolers with DD. Fourteen studies using single-subject research design across nine journals served as the basis of this review. Participants' demographics, experimental design, target skills, types of prompting, independent and dependent variables, degree to which the prompting was effective, pairing, and number of prompts used in an intervention were extracted from each study and analyzed. The findings revealed the importance of prompting, and its various forms, for children with DD to support their strengths and enhance targeted skills as needed.

Pedagogical Practices in Teaching Students With Disabilities in Inclusive Education

Today's inclusive education settings consist of a diverse student population that needs a different pedagogical approach. Both general education and special education teachers may face difficulties to engage students in meaningful tasks and to promote learning. Teachers may struggle to effectively reach all students with different abilities in an inclusive education setting. Teachers implement several strategies to keep students engage in inclusive education settings. Teachers do multiple tasks, such as teaching students, developing engaging lessons, assessing and tracking students' learning, collaborating with teachers and rehabilitation professionals, implementing evidence-based strategies, and delivering instructions in various formats. Inclusive education needs administrators, related service providers, general education teachers, and special education teachers to optimize students' learning. This chapter aims to highlight pedagogical practices in teaching students with disabilities in inclusive education settings.

Special Education in Brazil

Historically, the idea of inclusion has accompanied the transformations in the concept of disability. This shift from the medical model to the social model and more recently to the biopsychosocial model is addressed in the first part of this chapter. In Brazil, it is estimated to be 12.7 million people with disabilities. Brazilian legislation, in accordance with international norms, assures students who are in an inclusive situation the same opportunities to learn as other students. Students with disabilities should have access to the various kinds of instruments to ensure they have the opportunity to learn. Although the data indicates advances in terms of including students with disabilities in the mainstream education system, the goals of the National Education Plan have not been fully met. This chapter aims to present a framework of the actual situation of special and inclusive education in Brazil. The chapter also points out the main features of this legislation and presents statistical data about the Brazilian students with disabilities situation in 2020.

Play Experiences in Early Childhood Education

Educators can consistently support the active engagement and learning of children with and without special needs in inclusive environments. Definitions and theories of play are examined and the benefits of play described. Experts agree that play is fundamental to children's healthy physical, social and emotional learning, cognitive and language development, and creativity and problem solving. Examples of instructional strategies to facilitate free and guided play illustrate a variety of roles enacted by educators. The importance for children with special needs to be afforded opportunities for indoor and outdoor play experiences is highlighted. The chapter concludes with recommendations for future research, policies, and a call to action for advocacy.

Inclusive Education and Universal Design for Learning

Special education is filled with variations of service delivery models, collaboration among multiple service providers, ongoing documentation, frequent testing, and the creation of individualized plans all designed to help a child with a disability access the general education curriculum. Many education and rehabilitation preparation programs across the country are compartmentalized. Although these preparation programs include overviews of other related service providers outside of their fields, often the overviews are cursory at best. Inclusive education and Universal Design for Learning offer a way to help bridge the gap across programs. This chapter will demonstrate why educators and multiple related service providers should work together as a team to provide students with disabilities with thoughtful and intentional supports that strive toward a collaborative goal of increasing access to the general education curriculum.