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Below are abstracts of our research summaries on School - Inclusion and Transition, and Service Delivery
- These summaries are FREE and may be requested by following the links below.
- Paper copies will be mailed out to you by regular postal service. Due to restrictions from professional journal publication guidelines and copyright issues, we are NOTable to offer the FTGs in an electronic version.
To Order your FREE copy, please use the links below.
| School - Inclusion/Transition
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Service Delivery
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Educators' Attitudes Toward Inclusion
Focus On...Volume 1 Issue 3, December 2001
(Specht, J., Currie, M., Killip, S., King, G., Burton, M., Eliav, J., Lambert, S., & Thornton, B.)
The expectation of inclusive practices in schools is that the individual learning needs of all children will be met. Educators working with children who have special needs in the areas of communication (e.g., speech), mobility (e.g., walking), and fine motor skills (e.g., writing) were invited to discuss their opinions of the inclusion movement. Results of the discussions are presented and issues for future consideration are identified. An upcoming Focus On... will provide tips and ideas to help classroom teachers succeed with inclusion.
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Factors influencing students’ attitudes toward their peers with disabilities
Focus On…Volume 5 Issue 6, December 2005
(McDougall, J., DeWit, D., King, G., Miller, L., & Killip, S.)
Negative peer attitudes are generally considered as being a major barrier to social inclusion at school for children and youth with disabilities. Indeed, studies have found that, although physical barriers are considered problematic, the most frequently reported barriers to inclusion at school for these children and youth are attitudinal. This summary presents information about personal, interpersonal, and environmental factors related to students’ attitudes toward peers with disabilities distinctly to highlight the unique influence of each level of factor on attitudes. In reality, however, as the summary suggests, attitude formation is a complex developmental process that depends on complex interrelations among these factors. Schools need to be aware that, along with providing specific initiatives to modify attitudes, it is also essential to promote a socially accepting and supportive school culture where all students can experience positive student and teacher interactions, develop meaningful friendships, and enjoy full participation in school activities.
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Physical Accessibility of Schools
Focus On...Volume 1 Issue 2, July 2001
(Denver, D., Lee, T., Masek, R., Sillet, R., Bartlett, D., Miller, L., & Killip, S.)
Parents of children with special needs have many questions when looking for a school that best suits their child. Among other things, parents require information regarding the physical accessibility of the school building grounds to determine whether the environment will permit their child to participate fully in school activities. Five categories of accessibility were defined using building code guidelines. Focus groups were held with youth with special needs, parents of children with special needs, therapists and school personnel. Participants were asked to identify the most important aspects of accessibility. The results and recommendations for improving accessibility can be found in this upcoming summary.
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Planning Successful Transitions from School to Adult Roles for Youth with Disabilities
Focus On...Volume 4, Issue 5, September 2004
(King, G., Baldwin, P., & Currie, M.)
Like all young people, youth with disabilities face a number of "stage of life" transitions at the time of leaving school and their entry into the adult world. Transitions can have multiple and complex effects on youth with disabilities and their families. Four main approaches are described that have been used in transition planning (skills training, prevocational/vocational guidance, client-centred, and ecological/experiential approaches), along with related strategies and evidence for their effectiveness. All of these major approaches appear to have something to offer, which is why programs often employ a combination of approaches. A number of recommendations are made for service providers and school personnel about how to plan and provide a system of transition services. These recommendations are based on best current knowledge and reflect values and strategies identified as underlying the best practices of transition programs.
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Promoting Success in School for Children with Special Needs
Focus On...Volume 4 Issue 2, April 2004
(King, G., Specht, J., & Willoughby, C.)
"Success in school" refers to a broad range of academic, social, and self-development outcomes. All children need opportunities to explore different roles in the school setting, to pursue their interests, and to develop their skills. This includes children with cerebral palsy, and other conditions requiring some type of therapy intervention, such as communication difficulties or attention deficit disorders. The ideas presented in this Focus On are based on research that has examined the factors promoting success and resilience in children and adolescents with special needs and disadvantaged children and adolescents. Key factors that promote success in school are identified and ways that schools can be fostered in the school setting are listed.
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Smooth Transition to Junior Kindergarten: Influential Factors and Outcomes of a Parent Program to Prepare Children for School
Focus On...Volume 6 Issue 1, March 2006
(Kertoy, M., Killip, S., Miller, L., Hatherell, A., & Korzenicki, T.)
As children begin school for the first time, they are faced with adjusting to classroom routines, meeting and making new friends, and learning new academic skills. The new role of being a student can be stressful for some children. It is important for children to have a smooth transition to kindergarten because socialization and academic patterns begun in kindergarten tend to remain stable over time. This study assessed the outcomes of a voluntary program in which parents learned how to help their children adjust to school. Parents and children participated in activities designed around literacy, numeracy, healthy living, music, and art. Positive, appropriate, and sound learning activities were modeled and parents learned about the support available from community agencies. Parents and teachers completed surveys and rated the readiness and adjustment of junior kindergarteners both of those children who had participated in the program and those who did not. Key factors that are associated with the smooth transition of children to junior kindergarten were identified. Findings from this research can help inform parents, teachers, and community partners about the important issues related to adjustment to school.
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Strategies for Including Children in the Classroom
Focus On...Volume 2 Issue 6, October 2002
(Ross, C., & Specht, J.)
This summary was created in response to a concern expressed by educators (see Focus On...Vol. 1, Issue 3) that training focusing on including children with special needs into the regular classroom is lacking. The intent of this summary was to provide teachers and parents of children with special needs with some initial strategies that can help welcome all children into the regular classroom. A review of the literature produced examples of best practices employed by teachers in inclusive classrooms. The strategies outlined include general approaches as well as those directed toward children with more specific needs.
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Service Delivery
Spirituality and Pediatric Rehabilitation
Facts To Go, Volume 6 Issue 1, January 2010
(Baldwin, P.J., McDougall, J., & Evans, J.)
This summary highlights the importance of providing holistic health care that addresses the bio-psycho-socio-spirtual needs of children and youth with disabilities and their families as an integral component of pediatric rehabilitation. Key suggestions and recommendations for Therapists, Administrators, and Researchers are outlined in this summary that aid in understanding and addressing spiritual needs as part of the plan for therapeutic services.
Click here to request the Facts To Go...Spirituality and Pediatric Rehabilitation (remember to include your postal address).
The Developmental Resources for Infants Partnership: Enhancing Interdisciplinary Collaboration to Improve Services for Clients and Families
Facts To Go...Volume 5 Issue 4, September 2009
(Servais, M., Tucker, M.A., & Strachan, D.)
In an interdisciplinary collaborative approach to services, people from different professional disciplines and organizations work together to provide the best services for clients and families. The Developmental Resources for Infants (DRI) is a partnership between the Child and Parent Resource Institute, Children's Hospital-London Health Sciences Centre, St. Joseph's Health Care, and Thames Valley Children's Centre. DRI was created to provide a interdisciplinary collaborative approach across agencies to healthcare services for children from birth to two years of age.
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Action Plans to Increase the Participation of Children with Special Needs in our Community
Focus On…Volume 6 Issue 3, March 2006
(Servais, M.)
A Community Forum brings together participants from a variety of sectors (e.g., corporate, education, government, health, industry, non-profit, volunteer, families) to discuss an important community issues. Participants attended RACSN’s third Community Forum Creating Success Stories Together – Enhancing the Participation of Children with Special Needs in Our Community to provide an opportunity for community members to dialogue, network, and collaborate to develop community Action Plans to enhance children’s participation in our community. Invitees were asked which of five theme areas they were interested in developing action plans for and were placed into working groups based on these selections. In addition to developing Action Plans around each theme area, working groups also discussed who would be responsible for carrying out Action Plans, what resources would be needed, and what would be evidence of success of a Action Plan. The five Action Plans are included in this summary with goals, improvement strategies, and tasks/action steps recorded. Attendees also identified key challenges/issues that needed to be addressed to increase the success of the Action Plans.
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"Best Approaches" in Pediatric Rehabilitation: Intervention Principles for Service Providers
Focus On...Volume 3 Issue 3, September 2003
(King, G.)
This four-page summary presents practical intervention principles that will lead to optimal choices and decisions for children with disabilities and their families. Current knowledge is translated into clear directions for service providers and provides a broad understanding of the aspects of intervention that are most important. Four service delivery principles are identified - customize, enable, strengthen, and promote. Eight intervention principles, grouped according to these service delivery principles, are also provided along with examples of intervention strategies and the supporting evidence.
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Clinical Decision Making Expertise in Pediatric Rehabilitation Therapists
Focus On...Volume 5 Issue 1, February 2005
(King, G., Currie, M., Bartlett, D., Gilpin, M., Willoughby, C., Strachan, D., Tucker, M. A., & Baxter, D.)
Well-informed clinical decision making is the core of optimal rehabilitation practice. In pediatric rehabilitation, decision making is particularly complex due to multiple needs of children and families, and the complexity of the service delivery environment. Since few research studies have examined how therapists make decisions and develop expertise, we set out to examine these issues with a three-part project that consisted of a classification phase to develop a system to identify levels of therapist expertise and and two qualitative studies to examine the ways therapists make decisions.
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Development of a Questionnaire to Measure Perceptions of Prescription Review in AAC
Focus On…Volume 5 Issue 5, September 2005
(Batorowicz, B, & Shepherd, T.)
Prescription Review (PR) is a discussion within a transdisciplinary team of the rationale for recommending specific Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) equipment for clients. PR allows professionals practicing in AAC to authorize government funding towards communication equipment. Although reviews have been mandatory in Assistive Devices Program AAC designated centres in Ontario for over a decade, PR has never been evaluated. This summary presents information about a study that developed a measurement tool to examine the advantages and disadvantages of the PR process, and tested the psychometric properties (i.e., content validity and reliability) of this tool. The Prescription Review Questionnaire (PRQ) was created and used in focus groups and pilot testing. The tool consists of 19 questions grouped into 4 subscales, scored on a 7-point rating scale. There are 7 questions in the Decision Making subscale, 5 in Team Support, 3 in Learning, and 4 in Developing Quality Services. Reliability of the questionnaire was examined through establishing internal consistency and test-retest reliability (stability over time). The findings of this study provided evidence that the PRQ is a valid and reliable measurement tool. The next study will evaluate clinical staff’s perceptions of Prescription Review using the PRQ and the relationship between these perceptions and variables such as professional background, years of practice, size of team, range of experience of the team, and team processes.
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Expertise in Services for Children with Special Needs
Focus On...Volume 2 Issue 1, January 2002
(King, G., Bartlett, D., Willoughby, C., & Currie, M.)
The purpose of this summary is to provide information about the nature of expertise in service delivery for children with special needs. Expertise is important because it is thought to lead to a smoother intervention process and better outcomes for children and their families. A definition of expertise is provided and the differences between experts and novices are outlined. Developing expertise takes time, thought, and opportunity. Tips for developing expertise are provided and implications for managers, therapists, parents, and teachers are described.
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School-Based Occupational Therapy: Evaluating Service Delivery Models
Focus On...Volume 5 Issue 2, May 2005
(McDougall, J., Bayona, C. L., Tucker, M. A., Nichols, M., & King, G.)
The provision of occupational therapy (OT) services in the school system is a growing area of pediatric practice. The ultimate goal of school-based OT services is to improve children's functioning on school-related tasks and activities. School-based OT services, however, are expensive and little is known about whether they are actually improve children's functions. In response, there has been an increasing demand for services that are both cost-effective and evidence-based. There are two primary types of service delivery models for providing school-based OT therapy: a direct model and a consultation model. The purpose of this summary is to present two studies that have evaluated the utility of school-based OT services as delivered by the School Health Support Services Program in the London-Middlesex area of Ontario. In the first study, OT services were delivered according to a direct model of service and in the second study, OT services were delivered according to a consultation model.
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Relationship-Centred Practice: A Best Practice in Pediatric Rehabilitation Service Delivery
Facts To Go, Volume 5 Issue 2, May 2009
(Servais, M., Baldwin, P., & Tucker, M.A.)
The research literature indicates that family-centred service is considered a best practice model of service delivery for pediatric rehabilitation. The quality of the relationship between service providers and family members has been identified as a main component of family-centred service. Relationship-centred practice involves focusing on the relationship between the service provider, the family and the child as central to delivering quality care.
By reflecting on, and developing relationship-centred practices, service providers can enhance the effectiveness of their interventions and their clients’ experiences and satisfaction with service delivery.
This summary describes the specific benefits of focusing of relationship-centred care and provides key suggestions for how providers of pediatric rehabilitation services can enhance their relationship-centred practices.
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The Quality of Services Delivered by Ontario Children’s Rehabilitation Centres
Facts To Go, Volume 1 Issue 1, May 2005
(King, G.)
Children’s rehabilitation centres in Ontario (OACRS centres) are uniquely structured to provide family-centered services and, in partnership with other organizations, to provide a broad range of information, services, and support needed to meet the often complex needs of children with disabilities and their families. OACRS centres are uniquely positioned to provide services that create satisfaction on the part of clients and lead to positive outcomes for children, families, and communities. This summary outlines the aspects of service delivery that contribute to "quality," indicates how OACRS centres address these aspects, and provides evidence of the linkages between these aspects, and improved outcomes for children and families. Much of the research summarized was conducted in Ontario children’s rehabilitation centres and therefore highly pertinent to the relationships between service delivery and outcomes for children and families in the province.
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Volunteers: What Motivates Them?
Focus On...Volume 4 Issue 1, April 2004
(Baldwin, M., & Specht, J.)
Volunteers are a crucial resource to support and enhance services offered throughout the non-profit sector. It is important to recognize that there may be many and varied reasons for volunteering. Determining the motivations of volunteers helps managers of volunteers to understand individuals’ goals and expectations, leading to more successful placements. This Focus On summarizes the findings of a study that explored, in-depth, the motivations of volunteers with and without disabilities. Implications for professionals in volunteer management are also identified.
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