No abstract

No abstract

This research evaluated the effectiveness of reading instruction targeting oral reading and phonological awareness for children with Down syndrome (affecting chromosome 21). The participants were 7 children ranging in age from 2 years, 11 months to 10 years, 8 months. Each child acted as his/her own control, with assessments of language, cognition, phonological awareness, word and short-passage comprehension, and oral reading ability conducted on four occasions (initially, preintervention, postintervention and delayed postintervention) over approximately a 12-month period. The intervention was conducted over 10 weekly sessions and involved individual instruction. The postintervention assessment results provided evidence that phonic reading instruction was generally effective in improving reading skills and phonological awareness of children with Down syndrome.

To cite this article: Kathy Cologon (2020): Is inclusive education really for everyone? Family stories of children and young people labelled with 'severe and multiple' or 'profound' 'disabilities', Research Papers in Education,

This study investigates parent perspectives on the meaning of 'disability'. One hundred and twenty-one parents in Australia, each of whom have one or more children labelled with impairments, participated in this study. Parent definitions of disability are considered in light of the contrasting dominant deficit discourse involved in the medical model pathologizing of children labelled with impairments, and the social model positioning of disability as oppression of a minority group. Thematic analysis is used to examine parent views and to consider the relevance of social and medical models of disability to families. This study, that forms part of a larger study on family experiences of inclusion and exclusion, contributes to developing a deeper understanding of family experiences and the ways in which parents define disability. Overall, Thomas' social relational model of disability was found to be particularly salient to understanding the experiences of the families participating in this study.