Students with global developmental delay (GDD) or intellectual disability (ID) often experience self-regulation challenges at school. Co-regulation supports from classroom staff may facilitate regulation and develop students' self-regulation skills, yet minimal research exists in this area. Using ethnographic methods, co-regulation supports for students with GDD/ID in mainstream school contexts were investigated. The experiences of six students and 14 school staff in two mainstream primary schools were explored. Thematic analysis identified factors affecting student regulatory function and staff co-regulatory support. Six themes were generated; (1) strong foundations - student well-being, engagement, and belonging, (2) robust student-staff relationships, (3) structured and intentional environments and routines, (4) tapping into the power of peers, (5) strong teams surrounding the student, and (6) personalised social-emotional learning programs. Evidence-based interventions are needed to strengthen co-regulation supports in school contexts, build capacity among school staff, and develop regulation-related skills for students with GDD/ID.
Participation in transition planning is widely recognised as a key factor influencing the long-term outcomes of students with disabilities; however, involvement from both students and their families is often inconsistent and shaped by multiple influences. This study examined factors associated with student and parental participation in transition planning within the Saudi context, focusing on student self-determination and parental challenges. A cross-sectional quantitative design was used, involving 104 female students with disabilities in middle and high schools in Riyadh and their family members. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation modelling. Findings revealed a strong positive association between student and parental participation, highlighting their interdependent nature. Student self-determination significantly predicted student participation, while parental involvement was influenced by contextual barriers, particularly the absence of a transition coordinator. Parental income showed a negative association with participation, suggesting context-specific influences. The study contributes by integrating student and family variables within a single model, offering a comprehensive understanding of participation as a relational and context-dependent process. Findings emphasise strengthening student autonomy and improving structural supports to enhance participation in transition planning.
This narrative review compares intellectual disability (ID) and autism in China, South Korea, and USA. A previous cross-national systems review found notable differences in the populations identified with ID and autism across the three countries, but limited research has explored the underlying reasons for these disparities. To address this gap, this study examined how ID and autism are defined and identified, as well as the demographic characteristics and school placements of students within these categories. The key findings of this study were as follows: (1) compared with USA, both Asian countries reported substantially higher proportions of ID, which may be influenced by cultural factors such as Buddhism and Confucianism, and strong societal expectations for academic achievement, (2) misconceptions about autism in both Asian countries led more segregated educational placements for autism, and (3) although two Asian countries shared similar cultural and historical backgrounds, they differed in their identification systems for ID and autism, such as no autism category in China's special education system. The purpose of this paper is to increase educators' awareness of how cultural context influences the identification and placement of children with ID and autism, particularly those from Chinese and South Korean backgrounds in the other countries' educational system.
Children with autism and/or attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder (AuDHD) often take longer to develop emotion-regulation, which can mean emotion-dysregulation including meltdowns, persisting into high school years. AuDHD student emotion-dysregulation frequently results in negative consequences for them and negatively impacts the teaching experience. Adult reactions to AuDHD child dysregulation which include fear, frustration, or demands for compliance, can escalate the child and undermine the adult's relationship with them. When adults respond with relational-competence, including persistent curiosity about behaviour, prioritising a warm relationship, and using co-regulation skills, child emotion-dysregulation is reduced. In this autoethnography I analyse my experience learning about disability, co-regulation, persistent curiosity about behaviour, and how this supported my autistic and attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder (ADHD) son to develop emotion-regulation skills. I also analysed his school experiences and found that school exclusionary practices escalated his emotion-dysregulation and negatively impacted his development; but his classroom dysregulation was reduced when teachers had high relational-competence, understood disability, used co-regulation, and had access to mentoring opportunities. This autoethnography is important because it reports on positive outcomes achieved when teachers have high relational-competence, co-regulation skills and access to teacher-mentoring, especially for students aged 8-15 years with AuDHD.
The global spotlight is now on inclusive education, aiming to ensure that every individual, regardless of their background, has equal educational opportunities. This review article aims to raise awareness about the challenges of establishing an effective, inclusive learning environment that caters to all students, incorporating diverse global approaches. Systematic literature reviews were conducted through field research publications based on the Scopus database over the past 10 years. Analysing 48 research articles revealed inconsistencies between legislative measures and their implementation. Additionally, variations in the interpretation of inclusive education were observed, creating obstacles to implementing inclusive education at the systemic policy level. At the educational institution level, inadequate skills and knowledge of school principals and teachers hinder their efforts to provide students with inclusive services. The findings also highlight the critical role of support systems in sustaining inclusive practices and community support. Identifying obstacles within various global inclusive education practices can offer valuable insights for developing more impactful inclusive education strategies across diverse settings.
