The purpose of this reply to Kvernbekk and Lewis's comments regarding the discussion on epistemological and ethical problems of listening to children's voices, is not to propose a coherent foundation free from any epistemological tensions. Rather, Tangen's intent is primarily to explore different perspectives in order to disclose some of their…

Reidun Tangen begins by reviewing interest in children's "voice" (encompassing the consumer driven, rights based, etc). The main body of her paper examines the philosophical underpinnings of child voice in the research context and, in particular, various interpretations of "the subject" (i.e., the knower) and what it is that is known (i.e., the…

Is the currently selective UK higher education (HE) system becoming more inclusive? Between 1998/99 and 2004/05, in relation to talented students with disabilities, has the UK government's HE policy implementation moved HE towards achieving two of the government's key HE objectives for 2010? These objectives are: (a) increasing HE participation…

To be able to offer children with developmental disorders adequate help, professionals working in special needs education must use a screening device to assess the specific psychiatric difficulties of the children. In this paper the psychometric properties of an easy-to-use parental rating scale to screen symptoms of major psychiatric disorders…

The aim of this study was to gather information on the tools used by special education teachers for the assessment of severely intellectually disabled students (SID), preparing an individual education plan, and about the methodology used for monitoring their learning progress. The survey included all Finnish special education teachers working with…

This paper reports the results of a study which has been carried out for the first time in Cyprus, with the aim of exploring the views of deaf and hard-of-hearing (D/HH) children (who attend secondary general schools, and use an auditory/oral approach), as well as the perceptions of their parents, teachers and head teachers on their academic and…

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate a sociocultural approach to studying disability in educational contexts grounded in the cultural-historical and activity theory approaches. From the sociocultural viewpoint, disability is regarded as being located in particular types of activity systems and learning cultures rather than within an…

This study examined the susceptibility to problems with peer relationships and being bullied in a UK sample of 12-year-old children with a history of specific speech and language difficulties. Data were derived from the children's self-reports and the reports of parents and teachers using measures of victimization, emotional and behavioral…

This study reports on an intervention involving massage, yoga and relaxation delivered to young children with identified emotional and behavioural difficulties, and at risk of exclusion. Children (n = 126) were invited by the head teacher to participate in the Self-discovery Programme (involving massage, yoga, breath work and relaxation) with…

This paper reports findings about placement questions relevant to disability in education. It is part of a larger international study of the perspectives of 132 education practitioners and administrators in England, the USA and The Netherlands to several dilemmas of difference. Participants were interviewed about their perspectives to a presented…

According to Swedish legislation as well as laws pertaining to disabled citizens, Swedish schools are to be accessible for all children and adolescents. This implies that disabilities of any type must not be allowed to prevent students from completing their schooling on their own terms. The purpose of this research was to study the degree to which…

This paper addresses the broad question of whether or not the UK SEN system works from the perspective of the parent and the child, at the moment when a need first becomes apparent. The sparse literature on this topic suggests parental experiences may differ substantially, but there is growing evidence from small-scale studies that parents are…

Enabling pupils with special educational needs to participate more fully in the assessment, planning and evaluation of their own learning has become a principle enshrined within the legislation of many countries in recent years. Educational policy in both England and the Republic of Ireland has recognised the desirability of increased pupil…

This paper extends and develops the metaphor of scaffolding to take account of the specific needs of pupils with an Acquired Brain Injury (ABI), drawing on observational evidence gathered for an empirical enquiry into the learning of pupils with ABI in mainstream classroom conditions. This is an area in which there are few published studies to…

The present study, based on recent research in secondary education schools in Greece, aimed at recording Greek teachers' attitudes towards inclusion and determining the factors that enhance positive attitudes or negative ones. The findings of this research confirm that Greek teachers, despite obvious infrastructural and institutional hindrances,…