School readiness in children with special educational needs and disabilities: Psychometric findings from a new screening tool, the Brief Early Skills, and Support Index

Potential for England's statutory school entry assessment to identify special educational needs and reveal structural inequalities: a population-based study

OBJECTIVE

To investigate at a population level whether England's universal assessment of 'school readiness' is associated with later identification of special educational needs (SEN). Also, whether ethnic differences exist in SEN identification (white British versus ethnic minority) and whether this varies as a function of school readiness.

METHOD

Analysis included 53 229 individuals aged 5-12 years from the Connected Bradford Database (2012/2013-2019/2020). Logistic regression analyses examined: (1) whether reaching a 'good level of development' on England's 'school readiness' assessment was associated with later SEN identification; and (2) whether interactions exist between school readiness and ethnicity.

RESULTS

32 515 of 53 229 children reached a good level of development, of which 3036 (9.3%) were identified as having SEN. In contrast, 10 171 of 20 714 (49.1%) of children who did not reach a good level of development were later identified as having SEN. Children not reaching a good level of development had increased odds of being later identified as having SEN after controlling for covariates (OR: 8.50, 95% CI: 8.10 to 8.91). In children who did not reach a good level of development, white British children had higher odds of being identified as having SEN compared with ethnic minority peers (OR: 1.22, 95% CI: 1.11 to 1.34). No ethnic differences of having SEN were observed in children reaching a good level of development (OR: 1.04, 95% CI: 0.93 to 1.16).

CONCLUSIONS

School readiness assessments are associated with later SEN identification. Structural inequalities may exist in SEN identification in children not entering formal education 'school ready'. Such assessments could facilitate earlier identification of SEN and reduce structural inequalities in its identification.

A Pilot Study on the Validity and Reliability of Korean School Readiness Inventory on Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

OBJECTIVE

Successful transition to school is of great importance to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The purpose of this study was to develop a school readiness inventory for Korean children with ASD, and demonstrate its content validity and reliability.

METHODS

The Korean School Readiness Inventory (K-SRI) was developed to assess current levels of some fundamental skills needed for attending school for children with ASD. The K-SRI was comprised of four subscales and 16 test items: Self-help skills, Social and emotional development, School behavior, and Literacy and numeracy skills. For content validity, six experts rated the validity of the test items. Lawshe's Content Validity Ratio (CVR) was calculated. For reliability, parents of 22 children with ASD entering school completed the KSRI twice. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was calculated for internal consistency. The test-retest reliability was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC).

RESULTS

All the items except two items in the literacy and numeracy skills did not show a CVR of 1. The two items were deleted resulting in a 14-item inventory. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the K-SRI was 0.93, showing good internal consistency reliability. The test- retest reliability results showed ICC value of 0.93 (p<0.001), which indicates good stability.

CONCLUSION

A parent-rated, 14-item school readiness inventory for Korean children with ASD were developed and preliminary evidence of its content validity and reliability were demonstrated in this study. The present study provides a basis for future studies that would further help evaluate and promote school readiness of the children with ASD.

Minor neurological signs and behavioural function at age 2 years in neonatal hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE)

BACKGROUND

Neurodevelopmental follow-up in Neonatal Hypoxic Ischaemic Encephalopathy (HIE) typically focusses on major neuromotor (cerebral palsy, CP) and severe cognitive impairment. Outcomes in those without major neuromotor impairment are less well explored.

OBJECTIVES

To examine behavioural, cognitive and neurological outcomes after neonatal HIE, in a clinical cohort of children without CP, at age 2 years.

METHODS

Clinical routine outcome data from children admitted to a tertiary centre with neonatal HIE for hypothermia treatment between 05/08/09-30/05/2016. Children were assessed for neuromotor status - particularly minor neurological signs (MNS), with Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development III (Bayley III) or Ages and Stages Questionnaire-3 (ASQ), Child Behavior Checklist 1.5-5 (CBCL), Quantitative Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (Q-CHAT).

RESULTS

Of 107 children, 75.5% had normal neurology, 12.1% CP, 12.1% MNS. Children with CP were excluded from analyses. For those without CP, Bayley-III scores were in the average range for the majority; mild cognitive delay observed in 5%, 4.2% language, 1.3% motor development; severe delay in 1.3% for cognitive, 4.2% for language. More than in the normative population scored in clinical ranges for CBCL externalising, sleep, and other problems. No significant difference was seen for Q-CHAT. Children with MNS were significantly more likely to have impaired Bayley-III scores, parent-reported internalising, sleep, and other problems.

CONCLUSIONS

In this clinical cohort, the majority of children had favourable outcome at 2 years. However, children with MNS were at risk for cognitive and behavioural difficulties and will benefit from enhanced clinical follow-up and support.

How the Psychology of Education Contributes to Research With a Social Impact on the Education of Students With Special Needs: The Case of Successful Educational Actions

One current challenge in the psychology of education is identifying the teaching strategies and learning contexts that best contribute to the learning of all students, especially those whose individual characteristics make their learning process more difficult, as is the case for students with special needs. One main theory in the psychology of education is the sociocultural approach to learning, which highlights the key role of interaction in children's learning. In the case of students with disabilities, this interactive understanding of learning is aligned with a social model of disability, which looks beyond individual students' limitations or potentialities and focuses on contextual aspects that can enhance their learning experience and results. In recent years, the interactive view of learning based on this theory has led to the development of educational actions, such as interactive groups and dialogic literary gatherings, that have improved the learning results of diverse children, including those with disabilities. The aim of this paper is to analyze the social impact achieved by a line of research that has explored the benefits of such successful educational actions for the education of students with special needs. National and European research projects based on the communicative methodology of research have been conducted. This methodology entails drawing on egalitarian dialogue with the end-users of research - including teachers, students with and without disabilities, students' relatives and other community members - to allow an intersubjective creation of knowledge that enables a deeper and more accurate understanding of the studied reality and its transformative potential. This line of research first allowed the identification of the benefits of interactive learning environments for students with disabilities educated in mainstream schools; later, it allowed the spreading of these actions to a greater number of mainstream schools; and more recently, it made it possible to transfer these actions to special schools and use these actions to create shared learning spaces between mainstream and special schools. The improvement of the educational opportunities for a greater number and greater diversity of students with special needs evidences the social impact of research based on key contributions of the psychology of education.