Pictorial Phenomena Depicting the Family Climate of Deaf/Hard of Hearing Children and Their Hearing Families.

This mixed method study (Explanatory Design - the Participant Selection Model) investigated the use of joint drawing (the Family Squiggle) as a family climate assessment tool for hearing families who have a deaf/hard of hearing (D/HH) child. The goal was to evaluate the possibilities of applying a quantitative approach to characterize the pictorial phenomena produced by hearing families who have a D/HH child and then apply qualitative research approaches to better understand the meaning of these phenomena. Twenty-eight hearing families (parents and child) whose child was diagnosed as D/HH and used hearing devices (hearing aids and implant) were recruited along with 16 families with a hearing child of a similar age enrolled in a mainstream school.

Transition to Employment Program (SUPER) for Youth at Risk: A Conceptual and Practical Model.

This article describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of the transdisciplinary "Successful Pathways to Employment for youth at Risk" (SUPER) program to raise the transition readiness of youth at risk (YAR) from school into participation in adults' responsibilities and employment. More than 10% of adolescents are at risk of dropping out of school following poor academic attainments. Schools appraise academic merit but do not develop relevant educational programs to prepare youth to transition into adult working life.

Psychosocial effects of reverse-integrated basketball activity compared to separate and no physical activity in young people with physical disability.

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of participation in different sport modalities on quality of life (QOL) and perceived social competence (PSC) in young people with physical disability. Ninety participants (33 females and 57 males) were monitored across four conditions: competitive separate physical activity (COSPA), recreational separate physical activity (RESPA), reverse-integrated basketball activity (RIBA), and no physical activity (NOPA). QOL and PSC questionnaires were administered at the beginning and the end of the study's duration of six months.

Occupational, speech and emotional therapy with students attending booster classes.

The current study reviews the work being carried out in the Naomi Therapeutic Center in Kiryat Yam, Israel. The staff in this Center decided to provide a holistic response (which includes occupational therapy, speech therapy and art therapy) to 50 elementary school special education students in five booster classes. The goal of the study was to enable these students to improve their self-image, demonstrate fewer classroom adaptive behavioral problems and bring them to function better in class by the end of the school year.

A conceptual framework for electronic socio-emotional support for people with special needs.

In recent years an increasing number of people under psychological distress turn to computer-mediated communication for support. A related development is the increasing number of computer-mediated support groups in which people meet, share interests, and exchange socio-emotional support through text-based messages on computer networks. To date, a few policy makers and researchers have addressed the phenomenon of social-emotional support through electronic communication for populations with special needs.

E-mentoring for youth with special needs: preliminary results.

Recently, a growing number of electronic mentoring (e-mentoring) Web sites have become available that provide vocational and career support. To date, few researchers have addressed the phenomenon of e-mentoring from a socioemotional perspective for populations with special needs. This paper presents a pilot study designed to test and evaluate an e-mentoring intervention program based on mutual self-disclosure and friendship for youth with special needs.

Applying the concept of quality of life to Israeli special education programs: a national curriculum for enhanced autonomy in students with special needs.

This study provides a description of the design and development of guidelines and programs for a national core curriculum for special education in Israel. Israel was exposed during the 1970s to the ideology of normalization. Later on, toward the end of the 1980s, the concept of quality of life was added.

Adolescents with intellectual disabilities as victims of abuse.

Abuse of persons with disabilities continues to remain largely invisible, in spite of estimates suggesting that it is perpetrated against them more frequently than against those without disabilities. The aim of this study was to conduct an exploratory investigation regarding the frequency and type of abuse of a selected group of students with intellectual disabilities in one high school in Israel and compare the findings with the frequency and type of abuse reported by non-disabled youth from a similar socioeconomic background. A total of 100 students answered the "Ending the Silence" questionnaire, 50 of them with intellectual and other disabilities.

Inclusion of pupils with autism: the effect of an intervention program on the regular pupils' burnout, attitudes and quality of mediation.

An intervention program aimed at the improvement of the quality of inclusion of pupils with autism in a regular fourth grade classroom (average age of 9 years) was applied with 23 pupils. Two pupils with autism were included from first grade. The regular pupils displayed signs of burnout stemming from the inclusion.

Effects of short-term awareness interventions on children's attitudes toward peers with a disability.

The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of two awareness activities on children's attitudes towards peers with a disability. The Children's Attitudes towards Peers with Disability scale including cognitive, behavioral and emotional subscales was administered before and after two types of short-term interventions. The first included 75 children from grades 7-9, who actively participated in the workshop simulating movement activities.

Bullying among special education students with intellectual disabilities: differences in social adjustment and social skills.

Harassment and bullying among 186 students with intellectual disabilities, ages 12 to 21 years, in special education schools were examined. The differences between bullies and victims in terms of social adjustment and social skills were investigated. No prototypes characterizing differences in social skills were found between the three subgroups: victim, bully, and victim-bully.

Significance of a bar/bat mitzvah ceremony for parents of Jewish children with developmental disabilities.

In the Jewish religion, a bar or bat mitzvah ceremony is the rite of passage from childhood towards adulthood. Twenty-one youngsters who attended two special education schools in Israel participated in group bar/bat mitzvah ceremonies. Parents were interviewed both before the learning process and after the ceremony.