Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder affecting around 1:59 children. Among other characteristics, children with ASD can be unduly sensitive to elements in…
Abstract
Purpose
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder affecting around 1:59 children. Among other characteristics, children with ASD can be unduly sensitive to elements in the built environment, such as noise or light. Despite this knowledge, to date there has been little evidence-based experimental research investigating how the environment affects them. The purpose of this paper is to conduct an experiment in a school environment with children with ASD and document the process as a model that other researchers could apply to similar studies.
Design/methodology/approach
The study focused on whether the application of wayfinding aids (colored doors, colored shapes on the floor and signage) in a school corridor could help children with ASD navigate to a given destination, but the process could be applied to other variables at other study sites. The study documents the approval and consent process, describes setting up the experiment, assigning controlled and uncontrolled variables, selecting and recruiting participants, and running the experiment.
Findings
The study concludes by reviewing the key lessons learned from the process of conducting the experiment. Study logistics were challenging to gain approval and set up and run the experiment; collaboration with school district personnel was essential to meet the aims of the study; and recruiting sufficient numbers of participants with ASD who were not familiar with the study site was challenging.
Originality/value
By describing key steps in the process of conducting a research experiment with children with ASD, the study provides a model that other researchers could follow.
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There is currently a lack of research describing the best way to design learning environments for increasing numbers of children with autism. The purpose of this study was to…
Abstract
Purpose
There is currently a lack of research describing the best way to design learning environments for increasing numbers of children with autism. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of classroom design on the learning and behaviour of pupils with severe autism. The research variables of interest were classroom layout; furniture, fittings and equipment (FFE); materials; colour scheme; wayfinding; lighting; acoustics; and security.
Design/methodology/approach
This study conducted a post-occupancy evaluation of classrooms for pupils with severe autism aged 3–19 in a school ten years after its completion. Data collection included a visual assessment of the building and an online survey to educators and administrators asking how satisfied they were that the research variables benefited pupils with severe autism.
Findings
Key findings were that zoned areas for different activities met students’ needs. Withdrawal rooms off the classroom, access to shared hygiene facilities and a secure outdoor area received high ratings. The main criticisms were the lack of robustness of FFE and the inability to control temperature. Results were collated into a table of recommendations for classroom design for severely autistic pupils.
Originality/value
The findings demonstrate classroom features that support the needs of pupils with severe autism, an area with limited prior research. Some findings support previous research and some adds new knowledge to our understanding of design for this population. The results provide empirical evidence for professionals involved in designing classrooms for pupils with severe autism.
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The purpose of this paper was to describe the experiences of four children with autism spectrum disorder navigating around the corridors of an unfamiliar school and translate the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper was to describe the experiences of four children with autism spectrum disorder navigating around the corridors of an unfamiliar school and translate the findings into poetic format. Poetry could provide a more accessible format to a nonacademic audience and promote empathy and understanding about this population.
Design/methodology/approach
Each participant was shown a route from the start point to the destination by the researcher then asked to lead the way there. Post-study, participants were interviewed for their perceptions and feelings about navigating.
Findings
Participants' responses and behaviors differed, e.g. some were stimulated by colors, some noticed small details and some were distracted. Poetic translation vividly emphasized these behaviors and emotions.
Originality/value
Few studies have described how children with autism navigate the built environment or asked their opinion about navigating. None in the field have used poetic translation to explore data.
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This paper aims to offer an incremental contribution, augmenting the notion of situated rationality as proposed by terBogt and Scapens (2019). Through insights from empirical…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to offer an incremental contribution, augmenting the notion of situated rationality as proposed by terBogt and Scapens (2019). Through insights from empirical data, the authors explore the role of situated rationalities of key individual actors in processes of management control change.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative research approach was adopted with qualitative data collected in a single public service organisation through face-to-face interviews, organisation documentation and observations.
Findings
The findings present the important role of key individual actors in bringing about a new situated rationality in a housing department. External austerity forces combined with actors’ experience rationalities acted as a stimulus to change existing management control practices in the management of public services.
Originality/value
The paper conceptualises “experience” rationality, capturing the experiences of a key actor, including elements of leadership style. Drawing on a story of a complex process of management control change, this paper thus reveals interactions between generalised practices and situated rationalities which were not highlighted by the extended framework of terBogt and Scapens.
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Emma Farrell, Jennifer Symonds, Dympna Devine, Seaneen Sloan, Mags Crean, Abbie Cahoon and Julie Hogan
The purpose of this study is to understand the meaning of the term well-being as conceptualised by parents, grandparents, principals and teachers in the Irish primary education…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to understand the meaning of the term well-being as conceptualised by parents, grandparents, principals and teachers in the Irish primary education system.
Design/methodology/approach
A hermeneutic phenomenological approach was adopted to understand the nature and meaning of the phenomenon of well-being. Interviews were carried out with 54 principals, teachers, parents and grandparents from a representative sample of primary schools in Ireland. Each participant was asked the same, open, question: “What does well-being mean to you?” Responses were transcribed verbatim and analysed using a combination of the principles of the hermeneutic circle and Braun and Clarke’s framework for thematic analysis.
Findings
Three conceptualisations of well-being were identified (1) well-being is about being happy, (2) well-being is about being healthy and safe and (3) well-being is something you “do”.
Originality/value
To the best of our knowledge this paper is the first of its kind to describe how well-being is conceptualised by adults in Irish primary school contexts. In particular it highlights how neoliberal conceptualisations of well-being as a “thing”, a commodity exchanged on assumptions of individualism, moralism and bio-economism, have crept into the education of our youngest citizens.
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The librarian and researcher have to be able to uncover specific articles in their areas of interest. This Bibliography is designed to help. Volume IV, like Volume III, contains…
Abstract
The librarian and researcher have to be able to uncover specific articles in their areas of interest. This Bibliography is designed to help. Volume IV, like Volume III, contains features to help the reader to retrieve relevant literature from MCB University Press' considerable output. Each entry within has been indexed according to author(s) and the Fifth Edition of the SCIMP/SCAMP Thesaurus. The latter thus provides a full subject index to facilitate rapid retrieval. Each article or book is assigned its own unique number and this is used in both the subject and author index. This Volume indexes 29 journals indicating the depth, coverage and expansion of MCB's portfolio.
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Martin McMahon, Chris Hatton, Julie Stansfield and Gaynor Cockayne
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has infected millions of people worldwide. Individuals with intellectual disability are at a disproportionate risk…
Abstract
Purpose
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has infected millions of people worldwide. Individuals with intellectual disability are at a disproportionate risk of mortality, given the health inequalities they experience. This puts a significant burden of responsibility on staff who support these individuals. Consequently, this study aims to establish a baseline of the well-being of staff working in intellectual disability services in Ireland during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Design/methodology/approach
An online survey was carried out using the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory, a brief measure of depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9) and a brief measure of anxiety (General Anxiety Disorder-7).
Findings
In total, 285 staff in the Republic of Ireland completed the survey. These staff reported moderate levels of personal and work-related burnout and mild levels of anxiety and depression. Higher mean scores were recorded across scales from staff who worked in independent living settings and from staff who supported individuals with challenging behaviour.
Originality/value
This study, an audit, provides initial data on the well-being of staff working with individuals with intellectual disability in Ireland during the COVID-19 pandemic. It highlights that employers need to consider staff well-being, given the levels of personal and work-related burnout, and anxiety and depression that were found. This is particularly true for staff who work in independent living settings and with adults with challenging behaviour. Future research should focus on proactive strategies for improving staff well-being in the short term, given the current resurgence of COVID-19 in Ireland.
Using an ecological model of child participation and drawing on newsletter data from schools across the United States of America (USA), this chapter statistically explores five…
Abstract
Using an ecological model of child participation and drawing on newsletter data from schools across the United States of America (USA), this chapter statistically explores five state factors linked with school protests against gun violence: (1) children’s neighbourhood opportunity; (2) race/ethnicity; (3) voter preference for either a Republican or a Democratic president; (4) child participation policies; and (5) gun laws/violence/ownership. The chapter explores factors linked to both student participation in protests and student nonparticipation in protests that take place at their schools. Three factors were found to be associated with participation and nonparticipation: children’s neighbourhood opportunity, voters’ preference, and participation policies. Findings suggest that Democratic-voting states, mediated by education opportunity, predict the frequency of student protests against gun violence. In Republican-voting states, where education opportunity does not mediate the frequency of school protests, students still organised and participated in protests but to a lesser extent. In addition, states with high overall children’s neighbourhood opportunity and voting student education board members are highly likely to have non-protesting students in schools with protests. The chapter presents five conclusions from these results for the positive and negative exercise of child participation rights and considers what further multilevel explorations can be done to further test the framework employed for this analysis.
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Hostile countermobilization is a crucial, yet relatively understudied, factor in radicalizing movement tactics and generating political violence. This chapter focuses on the…
Abstract
Hostile countermobilization is a crucial, yet relatively understudied, factor in radicalizing movement tactics and generating political violence. This chapter focuses on the movement–countermovement interactions between the Civil Rights Movement and the Loyalist movement in Northern Ireland to clarify the emergence and intensification of political violence in the 1968–1969 years. The interactions between the civil rights mobilization and the loyalist countermobilization created the conditions to fuel both protest-based and sectarian violence, setting the terrain for the eruption of the Troubles. Relying on quantitative data on the actors participating to contentious collective events, as well as original archival research, this chapter shows how the loyalist countermobilization activated mechanisms of object shift and tactical codependency that facilitated the emergence of radicalization in Northern Ireland.