This is a series of light-hearted reflections from a person who has worked in special education her entire career. After moving from the United States to New Zealand, she uses her experience adjusting to her new country, to better understand the perspectives of the children and young people with whom she works.

This article reports some of the findings of a study involving 11 New Zealand 4-year-old precocious readers (Margrain, 2005). The children, aged between 4:01 and 4:10, had reading ages three to nine years above their chronological age. Assessment of precocious reading abilities is discussed, including how assessment findings are influenced by the…

The Ministry of Education (2000) handbook, "Gifted and talented students: Meeting their needs in New Zealand Schools" requires each school to show they are identifying and catering for their gifted and talented students. The terms "gifted" and "talented" represent a range of diverse special abilities rather than describe a single homogenous group…

In this article, the author shares some insights on the characteristics of a person with Asperger's syndrome, a condition on the higher-functioning end of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Born in 1955, the author was raised in rural South Auckland. As a baby, she propelled herself around the floor on her stomach, using her limbs as flippers,…

This article suggests that while educational psychology espouses an ecological view of human development, the implementation of practices that reflect this perspective has often been obstructed. In many circumstances, practices that attribute problems to individuals, or groups of individuals, continue. These contrast with ecological practices that…

The issue of physical punishment is a particularly controversial one at the moment as child advocates are engaged in a struggle to persuade the New Zealand government to repeal a defence in law (section 59 of the 1961 "Crimes Act") which justifies parents hitting their children provided the force used is "reasonable in the circumstances." The most…

This article describes the "Discovery Time" programme, a largely child-directed developmental programme, and discusses it in relation to the sociocultural approach to learning. It considers the effects of the programme on the development of children's oral language and cooperative social skills in a Year 1 classroom. Survey information gathered by…

This is the second of two papers providing a critique of categorisation and of the biomedical interpretation of personal adjustment issues experienced by children and youth. Whereas the first paper (Stanley, 2006; published in "Kairaranga" earlier this year) appraised this approach from an array of theoretical vantage points, this paper extends…

In every profession, there comes a time when it is important to stop and evaluate the progress that has been made and to determine the changes that will be necessary to engage in new times and to meet new demands. The profession of tertiary education is no exception. In a period of rapid change many solutions are offered about what it takes to…

This article provides an overview of the process of EEPiSE from conception to conclusion. It attempts to outline the extent of cooperation and collaboration among educators across sectors in identifying what works for children and young people who require significant adaptation to the curriculum. Outlined are the sequence of events, and the people…

The development of inclusive schools is not an easy task and not all people are committed to the development of inclusion because they have strong beliefs about where and how different "kinds" of children should receive their schooling. This article attempts to locate recent developments in inclusive practice and learning for all in a broader…

This paper examines research evidence, practitioners' knowledge, skills and experiences and the voice of students, parents and whanau to identify common messages in respect to educating Maori students both with and without special education needs. The keys to effective practice identified include: positive teacher-student relationships;…

This article is based on a keynote address to the Learning for All Enhancing Effective Practice in Special Education School-led Symposia, Palmerston North, Christchurch, Napier and Auckland, New Zealand, June 2006. It considers "special education" teaching strategies, and the extent to which they overlap with "mainstream practice", in order to…

This article is the story of a school's journey from a deficit model of special education needs programming to an inclusive model of student learning support. The heart of this journey was the identification and management of tensions and complexities surrounding educational beliefs, school values, and pedagogical practices. This article will…

Two teachers working in Year 0-1 classes at Manurewa South School, a decile 2 school in the Manurewa area of Manukau City, Auckland, share their voyage of exploration around their own circle of influence. In this article the research team including Bronwyn Blair, a facilitator from the University of Auckland, worked through a cycle of needs…