Barriers faced when eliciting the voice of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities for their Education, Health and Care Plans and Annual Reviews

Sharma, Pooja

doi:10.1111/1467-8578.12386

Cited by 6 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 25 publications

(35 reference statements)

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“…Reports on a child's likes and interests could be interpreted as attempts to highlight a child's opinions, although stating a child's preferences is not the same as representing their views (Pearlman & Michaels, 2019; Sharma, 2021). Similar to other studies (e.g., Palikara et al, 2018) the documents lack a clear indication on how the parents understand the child's views.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The aim of this study was to explore whether and how expert assessments and IEPs include attempts to hear young children's views and perspectives. Previous research illustrates challenges in capturing and documenting children's views in the school context (Kolnes & Midthassel, 2022; Sharma, 2021; Smillie & Newton, 2020; Tveitnes, 2018). This study expands previous knowledge with its focus on young children in ECEC and by highlighting the significance of professionals' reporting and documentation practices concerning children.…”

Section: Concluding Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An absence of disabled children can be related to ableist assumptions that devalue their contributions and participation (Eilers, 2023). Previous research outlines several barriers for listening to children, including scepticism about children's capacity, a lack of professionals' ability to elicit their views and seeing children's views as tokenistic (Lundy, 2007; Sharma, 2021). Furthermore, labelling children in terms of inabilities or deficiencies can hinder listening to them (Veck, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A study from Finnish ECEC reveals that references to children's opinions are uncommon in IEPs (Paananen & Lipponen, 2018) and that young children's voices are mostly heard on a symbolic level, without influence (Heiskanen et al, 2021). Previous research has primarily focused on older children in school, for instance, in England regarding the Educational Health Care Plan (e.g., Palikara et al, 2018; Pearlman & Michaels, 2019; Sharma, 2021) and in Norway regarding pupils' participation in special education decisions and documents (Heide & Løkås, 2020; Kolnes et al, 2021; Kolnes & Midthassel, 2022; Tveitnes, 2018). International studies have explored educational psychologist's practical challenges in eliciting and reporting children's views (e.g., Harding & Atkinson, 2009; Smillie & Newton, 2020), but I have been unable to find research on how the Norwegian Educational Psychological Service (EPS) hear and document the views of children in ECEC.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Special education documents and young children's right to be heard

Franck

2023

Research in Spec Educ Needs

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The aim of this article was to explore whether and how special education documents incorporate efforts to hear young children. The study is based on an in‐depth analysis of expert assessments and individual education plans (IEP) pertaining to 17 children enrolled in early education and care (ECEC) institutions in Norway. The documents are scrutinized for explicit attempts to hear young children, as well as in‐depth analysis of descriptions of children to see if the text convey efforts to include their perspectives. The findings reveal a clear absence of explicit attempts to listen to children during the assessment process. However, the assessments include information obtained from parents and ECEC regarding children's preferences and interests, suggesting an attempt to represent children's voices by proxy. Although the documents contain various descriptions of children's verbal and non‐verbal expressions, these descriptions primarily serve as illustrations of their challenges. The assessments portray children as individuals with difficulties, positioning them as mere ‘cases’. At the same time, recommendations and plans for support emphasize listening to children's voices. The findings of this study suggest a need to redefine special education documents in order to listen to children's views and to incorporate alternative understandings into the assessment process.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Concluding Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Special education documents and young children's right to be heard

Franck

2023

Research in Spec Educ Needs

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“…Adults suggest that repeating activities over time and using sensory cues may improve a child's ability to anticipate and remember. This shifts consideration of cognitive ability as a barrier to eliciting a child's views (Sharma, 2021) towards actions adults can take to support a child's development of skills associated with having a view, akin to Vygotsky's (1978) social constructivist theories of learning which associate children's functioning with adult actions. Kaniel and Feuerstein (1989) propose a Mediated Learning Experience (MLE) model of learning for children with learning difficulties that considers cognitive skills as modifiable within a relational context between adult and child.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding the views of children with profound and multiple learning difficulties for person‐centred planning

Farmer

Stringer

2023

Brit J Learn Disabil

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BackgroundAll children have the right to express their views about matters affecting them and participate in decision‐making for their future irrespective of their intellectual ability. This study explores the adult role in understanding the views of children with profound and multiple learning difficulties who are not using a formal communication system and require adults to speak on their behalf.MethodsThe study employs a qualitative multiple case study design involving three children with profound and multiple learning difficulties attending one special school. Social constructivist grounded theory approaches inform data gathering and analysis. Eight interviews are conducted with parents and professionals to explore how they understand the children's views and how this understanding informs person‐centred planning, combined with observations of the children in school and observations of their person‐centred planning meetings.FindingsAdult participants consider the children in the study to have agency and ability to affect the world around them. They believe the children can express their likes, dislikes and what they want but they think the children would have difficulty communicating their views about their health, medical needs and disability. They describe a range of observable actions made by a child to which they give meaning when interpreting the child's views. The actions a person takes as a child's communication partner can enable the child to develop and communicate their views. A process of observation and comparison allows adults to explore different interpretations of a child's views. Perspectives offered by professionals from different fields enable a child's views to be understood in different ways.ConclusionsAdults develop their understanding of the children's views over time in relational and social contexts. Different interpretations of a child's communication are considered when adults collaborate, leading to socially constructed understandings of a child's views. Adults infer the meaning of a child's views about what is important to them for the future from their understanding of the child's views in the present, which informs person‐centred planning.

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Listening to young children with disabilities: Experiences of quality in mainstream primary education

Gulliver

2024

British Educational Res J

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All children should have access to quality education through a child‐centred pedagogy. An inclusive, child‐centred pedagogy uses a strength‐based view of children that recognises each child as unique and competent, providing children with multiple opportunities to explore and learn at their own pace. However, competing tensions in mainstream primary education in England can impact this through a performative school culture that focusses on progress and attainment rather than the successful inclusion of all children including those with disabilities. This adult‐centric view of education quality does not consider children's experiences of what happens in mainstream primary education, through their perspectives. The research described here uses methodology that actively listens to young children with developmental disabilities themselves to understand what is important and valuable to them. Four case studies present children's experience of education in different English primary schools, using a range of photography activities, guided tours and interviews. Methods illicit rich detail and novel understandings of experiences from the views of young children with developmental disabilities, whose voices have tended to be excluded from research. The study demonstrates ways in which young children can develop self‐advocacy through opportunities to share their voice and understanding of education. Findings reveal the significance of children's involvement in the different spaces and objects associated with experiencing mainstream education, and the different types of pedagogy found in education that may or may not offer opportunities for self‐advocacy for children with developmental disabilities.

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Barriers faced when eliciting the voice of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities for their Education, Health and Care Plans and Annual Reviews

Cited by 6 publications

References 25 publications

Special education documents and young children's right to be heard

Special education documents and young children's right to be heard

Understanding the views of children with profound and multiple learning difficulties for person‐centred planning

Listening to young children with disabilities: Experiences of quality in mainstream primary education

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