This article contains the transcript of a session one mother ran in her child's class. The aim of the session was to give class members a better understanding of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in general and of her son in particular. The effectiveness of her approach is evident in the follow-up stories children wrote and in the experiences this…

Many teachers and human service workers are 40-50 years of age and this paper explores the formative influences, and the developmental characteristics, of workers who are presently middle-aged. This leads onto an examination of the importance of relationships and work to mid-lifers. In the concluding section of the paper, there is some…

This paper challenges some of the ill-informed and misleading assumptions made about Maori students and their whanau, and about Maori teachers and education professionals. In particular it examines four prominent assumptions that impact on Maori, namely: We are all New Zealanders; We know all about Maori students and praise; We know what whanau…

The article shares some of the reflections of the project team who developed the "Do You Know Me? E Mohio Ana Koe Ki Ahau?" resource for educators, which aims to assist educators in both school and early childhood education services to clarify concerns about young children and take appropriate action. Issues discussed include the context and…

This article defines assessment exemplars and considers their purpose in New Zealand school and early childhood contexts. The role of exemplars in supporting assessment for learning and the extent to which education rights and inclusive practice are evident in exemplars are considered. The article suggests that learners with special education…

This paper presents findings from two studies that each aimed to develop understandings of how to more effectively support Maori learners with special education needs. The first study occurred just prior to Specialist Education Services (SES) move into the Ministry of Education. The second study comes from the Enhancing Effective Practice in…

"Talking Stones" is an interview technique that is designed to support self advocacy, particularly for groups of disaffected school students whose views may be difficult to elicit. It has been developed and refined to incorporate a view of learners as active agents in their own learning and is compatible with reflective practice and a social…

The importance of a smooth transition into school for children who have received Early Intervention Services (EI) but have not received the Ongoing Reviewable Resource Scheme (ORRS) funding has become of increasing concern to stakeholders involved with these children. The EI and School Focus (SF) teams of the GSE in Pakuranga collaborated…

In this article, the author narrates how her son's communication skills have progressed through the use of photographic visuals. Her son, Ryan, was diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) when he was aged two years and seven months. At this time he was unresponsive to his name, had virtually no words and definitely no comprehension of…

This article is based on the author's personal experience of an uncomfortable discussion with a family. Issues are explored around the difficulty in anticipating how a young child with a learning delay will respond to speech-language therapy and how the practitioner will give accurate information. Two key journal articles on giving bad news are…

This article presents the findings of a case study undertaken with the year 5 girls in one school to investigate their experiences and understanding of covert intimidation, as well as the effects and impact of these practices in the school setting. The findings of the study were obtained from the analysis of interviews, researcher-generated…

This narrative inquiry sought to explore the views of eight young New Zealanders, aged nine to 14 years, who had experienced specific difficulties with learning. Narrative research procedures were used to gather and interpret the stories the young participants told about their experiences. Findings revealed that young people become aware of their…

This is the first of two articles that provide a critique of categorisation and of the biomedical interpretation of personal adjustment issues experienced by children and youth. In this paper the appraisal is made by the devising of an imaginary mental illness, through the presentation of some important theoretical frameworks, by considering…

The Ministry of Education (MOE) funds a range of specialist education services for children and young people with special education needs. To ensure consistent quality service provision, generic Specialist Service Standards have been developed through a collaborative process involving representatives from the broad range of special education…

This practice article explores the relationship between practice and professional learning. Are these two distinctly separate activities, competing for the time of a staff member, or are practice and learning linked? If so, what is the nature of this link and how can we best align professional learning with practice outcomes? Using an example from…