International Journal of Developmental Disabilities最新文献

This study aimed to develop a scenario-based assessment tool to evaluate parents' knowledge and skills in supporting the language and communication abilities of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) within naturalistic contexts. Parental support plays a key role in enhancing children's verbal language outcomes over time. The test, named the Knowledge and Skills Test in Supporting Language and Communication in Naturalistic Context (derived from Turkish initials DOBB-Y), comprises 20 items in Turkish and is structured under five domains: general knowledge, pre-interaction strategies, communicative temptations, language support strategies, and behaviour management. Each item presents a scenario to assess the appropriateness of parental responses. For the exploratory factor analysis, data were collected from 112 parents of children with ASD aged 23 to 63. The confirmatory factor analysis involved 171 parents aged 25 to 69. Following CFA, the final test demonstrated high reliability with a KR-20 coefficient of 0.743. The DOBB-Y offers a practical, reliable tool for assessing parents' competencies in naturally supporting the communicative development of their children with ASD. It may also guide the design of parent training programmes aiming to enhance interactional quality in early developmental contexts.

This point of view article draws upon the lived experiences and professional collaborations of the authors to explore the opportunities and gaps in advancing neurodiversity-inclusive education across Southeast Asia. While the neurodiversity paradigm has gained momentum globally, much of the academic discourse remains centred on Western perspectives, often marginalising locally grounded approaches and innovations emerging from the region. Through our partnerships with researchers, advocates, and neurodivergent peers in countries such as Taiwan and the Philippines, we observe powerful examples of community-driven inclusion that remain largely invisible in the international literature. We argue that Southeast Asia offers rich, culturally grounded frameworks for understanding and enacting neurodiversity, shaped by collectivist values, relational care, and lived experience. However, these contributions are underrepresented in scholarly forums, limiting their impact on global policy and practice. By platforming regional voices and challenging Western-dominated narratives, we call for a more inclusive and pluralistic vision of neurodiversity that reflects the diversity of human experience across cultural contexts. This article highlights the urgent need to amplify Southeast Asian leadership in neurodiversity research and practice, and reflects on the ethical responsibilities of researchers to support, rather than overshadow, these emerging movements.

This conceptual position article explores cultural values' influence on disability inclusion in Southeast Asia. This is relevant to progress on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Sustainable Development Goal 10 on reduced inequalities and SDG 17 on partnerships. Progress and pathways towards increased disability inclusion and 'leaving no-one behind' reflect factors related to attitudes, accessibility, participation, and service delivery, as well as power, politics, and economics, all of which are influenced by cultural values. Values influence how disability and inclusion are understood in society, in policies and services. Values affect motivation and 'how change happens' in different contexts. This article applies a framework for understanding cultural value differences to disability and inclusion, and prospects for changes in policy in Southeast Asia. A case study about Indonesia illustrates the application of the framework on understanding of disability, inclusion and change in one country. The article encourages more nuanced, strengths-based, and culturally informed approaches, to enable change-makers to navigate complexities associated with achieving disability inclusive societies.

Inclusion in education remains a critical priority, particularly in developing Asian countries such as Vietnam. Challenges persist in equipping special education graduates with the competencies required to meet diverse learner needs. Therefore, this review conceptualizes the competencies necessary for special education graduates in Vietnam. A document content analysis was conducted to provide insights into the topic. The final set of reviewed documents totaled 49. The findings synthesize key competencies in five domains: professional ethics and core values, general competencies, pedagogical competencies, specialized competencies in special education, and professional practice and community engagement. Findings indicate that while Vietnam aligns with global expectations in terms of pedagogical knowledge, adaptability, and collaboration, the national framework emphasizes professional ethics, political awareness, and lifelong dedication to education. Challenges such as limited resources, gaps between theory and practice, and resistance to inclusive education persist, requiring institutional support and policy reform. The study emphasizes the importance of enhancing experiential learning, interdisciplinary collaboration, and competency-based training to improve the preparedness of Vietnamese special education graduates. These insights contribute to improving curriculum design and inclusive teacher education programs.

This study investigates Taiwanese preschool educators' beliefs and teaching practices regarding inclusive education. Emphasizing the integration of children with disabilities into mainstream classrooms, inclusive education is crucial for fostering equitable and accessible learning environments for all children. A questionnaire survey was administered to 4,585 preschool teachers across various regions, exploring their attitudes toward inclusion, instructional strategies, and the challenges they face in implementing inclusive practices. The findings reveal a discernible gap between teachers' positive views on inclusive education and their actual teaching practices. While educators generally endorse inclusive principles, implementation is hindered by challenges such as inadequate specialized training, insufficient resources, and inconsistent administrative support. The study underscores the necessity of enhanced professional development programs that equip teachers with the pedagogical skills and strategies, including principles of Universal Design for Learning, to effectively support the diverse needs of all students in inclusive settings. These insights contribute to the ongoing discourse on improving inclusive education policies and practices in Taiwan, advocating for a comprehensive approach that bridges theoretical understanding with practical application.

The development of positive teacher attitudes towards students with disabilities is a catalyst for their social inclusion. It is therefore important that the foundations for positive teacher attitudes be laid in pre-service teacher education programmes. This article reports a pilot study that investigated the impact of a disability awareness course on the attitudes of mainstream pre-service teachers in Singapore toward disability and inclusion. A researcher constructed survey was developed to enable the pre-service teachers to report their perspectives of the changes in their awareness and attitudes at the end of the course. The results indicated that the course had a positive impact on the pre-service teachers' knowledge, awareness and attitude towards disability and inclusion. The pre-service teachers reported greater consciousness of their own prejudices and misconceptions about people with disabilities and more positive perspectives of people with disabilities in terms of their capabilities and capacity to learn at the end of the course. They also expressed an increased realization of the difference they could make in the lives of people with disabilities, their personal agency in creating a more inclusive society as well as greater openness towards inclusion and acceptance of students with disabilities into their own classrooms.

This Phase 1 clinical trial evaluated ¡Iniciando! la Adultez, a culturally adapted intervention for Latino autistic young adults (n = 56) and their parents (n = 63). Young adults showed significant post-treatment improvements on measures of social responsiveness (SRS-2), adaptive behavior (ABAS-3), executive functioning (BRIEF-A), quality of life (WHOQOL-BREF), transition readiness (TRS-A), coping self-efficacy (CSES), and emotion regulation (DERS-SF). Parents reported significant improvements in their perceptions of their child's social responsiveness, adaptive behavior, and executive functioning, as well as increased transition readiness ratings. Notably, parents evinced a significant decrease in acculturative stress (RASI) and depressive symptoms (PHQ-9), however, parental baseline anxiety remained unchanged. These preliminary findings suggest ¡Iniciando! is a feasible and potentially effective culturally adapted intervention for this underserved population, warranting further investigation in larger controlled trials.

The care of children with intellectual disabilities (ID) is a complex and challenging process that deeply affects the lives and psychological of their parents. This study guided is by the Family Quality of Life (FQoL) theory and aims to understand the challenges faced by parents in caregiving and their coping strategies. This study employed a qualitative approach and conducted semi-structured interviews with 16 parents of children with ID. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and translated into English. The data were analysed by thematic analysis. Parents reported the multidimensional impact of raising children with ID on the individual, family, and social levels and shared their coping strategies. Five themes emerged including emotional and psychological challenges, economic challenges, social challenges, children's core disorder challenges, and coping strategies. Regarding coping strategies, parents adopted various strategies to overcome challenges including self-regulation, learning and growth, outdoor activities therapy, and seeking support. This study further explores the multifaceted challenges encountered by parents in raising children with ID and the effective coping strategies they employed. Moreover, the study offers valuable insights for policymakers, social workers, and educational institutions to develop more effective support systems for these families.