The present action research examined the effectiveness of one pre-school teacher professional development with the focus of deep understanding of autism behaviour and the practical application of three evidence-based strategies: social story (auditory means), TEACCH (visual support) and positive behavior support. The purposive and self-selected samples of 27 pre-school teachers and their students be diagnosed with or suspected of having autism were recruited (N=32) from seven local kindergartens. The teacher participants of the experimental group completed one two-day workshop and received school-based consultations with the input from autism experts. The teacher participants of the control group received delayed teacher training. The teacher participants completed two instruments in Chinese, the Aberrant Behavior Checklist and the Checklist for Learning, Social and Emotional Adjustment (Kindergarten version) to measure the student performance. The teacher participants completed another two self-reported instruments in Chinese, the revised 10-item Attitudes and Concerns about Inclusive Education Scale (SACIE-R) and the 18-itemTeacher Efficacy for Inclusive Practice Scale (TEIP). The data indicated that the student participants of the experimental group reduced the challenging behavior and at the same time they showed improvement in learning and peer interaction. For the teacher participants of the experimental group, they showed more awareness about the inclusion needs of their students on the spectrum. They also recognized the function of having expert input to further enhance teaching efficacy for inclusive practice. The preliminary outcomes here confirmed the positive impact of the holistic and practical approach to pre-school teacher professional development for supporting learning diversity.本硏究以行動研究探討一項著重知識及實踐的學前老師專業培訓，培訓內容包括深度理解自閉症特徵及實戰執行三項有循證數據的支援策略：社交故事（直接、具體的口頭指令）、TEACCH（視覺提示）及正向行為支持。參加者為來自七間幼稚園的 27 位老師及其 32 位有自閉症診斷或懷疑個案的學生。實驗組的老師完成兩日的工作坊和接受有自閉症專家參加的校本諮詢。比較組的老師於研究完成後接受培訓

Positive attitudes of key stakeholders, such as school principals, towards a new policy are considered a necessary pre-requisite to implement any such policy. Hong Kong has recently formulated a policy that supports the integration of students with disabilities into regular schools. This study investigated the attitudes of Hong Kong primary school principals toward integration, with a view to determining if these school leaders are prepared to implement integrated education practices in their schools. A modified version of the School Principals’ Attitudes toward Inclusion scale (Bailey, 2004) was used to collect data from participants. Based on the responses of 130 primary school principals, it was found that their attitudes toward integration were slightly negative. Principals who had less teaching experience and who were administering schools with smaller student enrolment were found to hold more positive attitudes toward integration. The variable of "having a family member or close friend with a disability" had a significant and positive effect on the principals’ attitudes toward integration. Copyright © 2008 by Education Research Institute.

Parents of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) reported higher stress than those of typically developing children. The role of child problem behaviors in the relationship between autism spectrum symptoms and parenting stress is little known. A total of 731 parents of 177 children with ASD and 554 typically developing children in primary schools (6–11 years old) completed an ASD screening survey containing measures of parenting stress and child problem behaviors. While autism spectrum symptoms were positively associated with parenting stress, the relationship was mediated by child problem behaviors. Results suggest neither the severity of autism spectrum symptoms nor knowledge of ASD diagnosis was a primary source of parenting stress. A hypothesized path model was tested using structural equation modeling. Copyright © 2018 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

本文為一校本教職員專業發展問卷調查報告，受訪者為一間嚴重弱智兒童學校的教職員，共36人。結果顯示受訪者一致肯定多感官室的功能，認為學生進行感官刺激活動後，在很多方面，皆有進步的表現。多感官室能提供學生訓練及學習機會，學校實應推廣這方面的工作。受訪者認為教師應依「史露西倫」的原意，為學生多提供探索及體驗多感官刺激的機會。然而，教師亦可因應學生的學習能力，設計有創意及以學生為中心的學習活動，增加學生在多感官室的認知活動、技能與概念學習。在協助學校教職員建立共識、確立多感官室發展方向及制訂課程發展計劃內容各方面，受訪者亦提出了不少建議。
[Copyright of 香港特殊教育論壇 is the property of 香港特殊教育學會有限公司. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
https://sites.google.com/a/seshk.org.hk/seshk-org-hk/c_publication]

近年本港出現多所由教育統籌局倡議成立的特殊學校暨資源中心，期望能為就讀於主流學校的具特殊教育需要學童及其教師提供支援，解決他們在學與教上面對的困難。這些特殊學校暨資源中心除提供一般的特殊教育服務外，承擔了融合教育的先導角色。就此，政府理應清晰地保證其適切的資源投入；在營運過程中，鼓勵及輔導這些機構因應實際需求，提供多元化的支援服務；而對其產出亦要有一定的問責機制，監察資源的投放是否能符合成本效益原則。這項措施實為本地特殊教育發展的一個重要里程，其成敗關係著融合教育的推展是否暢順，相信這是業界的共識。 本文作者從教育政策的制定、學校組織變改革兩個視點嘗試初步分析這項措施，指出多項在應然及實然層面間可能存在的問題，並提出知識型經濟社會下特殊學校暨資源中心的存在意義及可能模式。期望能引起業界關注及討論。 With the recent development on the pilot project to develop special schools into resource centers by the Education and Manpower Bureau for supporting students with special educational needs being integrated into the mainstream schools, a number of special schools are acting as pioneers for developing integrated education in Hong Kong. The Government should therefore take an active role for providing resources as well as monitoring the impact of the pilot project as the project will become one of the key milestones in the development of special education services as well as integrated education in Hong Kong. The article attempted to discuss the important issues involved in developing special schools into resource centers and the possible strategies for promoting such development.
[Copyright of 香港特殊教育論壇 is the property of 香港特殊教育學會有限公司. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
https://sites.google.com/a/seshk.org.hk/seshk-org-hk/c_publication]

香港的教育及課程改革要求學校進行各層面的變化去配合社會需要，主流及特殊學校都積極在主流的基礎課程上進行學校本位課程發展的工作，校本課程發展無可避免為學校執行「個別化教育計劃」帶來了有系統的改變；學校亦要進行有步驟的教師培訓去提升教師的專業能力及賦權教師推動校本課程及對特殊教育需要的支援。本文描述兩間收取中度智障學生的特殊學校，如何按部就班地重整課程及發展學習階段性課程為本的基線評估去匡監察學生進度。其中並討論所涉及以行動取向研究歷程的各種改變元素，從而確立了一整個實施課程及「個別化教育計劃」的行政體系，使未來的檢視及發展工作有一個清晰的流程及行政管理系統去跟進，是值得持續推動及推廣的一個特殊學校發展系統，並提出對校本及中央課程發展政策的一些反思及啟示。 With the urge for school changes to meet the new societal demands by both the education and curriculum reform in Hong Kong, both mainstream and special schools are active in adopting the mainstream curriculum as the basis for their school-based development. School-based curriculum development will inevitably call for systemic changes on the implementation of the Individualised Education Program (IEP) of the students with special educational needs within these schools. Coupled with these changes will be the need for stepwise professional development to empower teachers with the professional competence to implement both the school-based curriculum and support measures for special needs. The paper provides an account of the process through which two special schools for moderately mentally handicapped children restructured their school curriculun and developed key stage wise and curriculum-based baseline assessment procedures for monitoring the progress of learning of their students. The various elements being involved with the school-based curriculum development process using action-oriented research as the guiding approach for its development were discussed. The project generated a clear flow process for implementing IEP and a comprehensive administrative system for further follow up and evaluation of the curriculum development process. Implications for further development work on school-based curriculum and the policy for central curriculum framework to support special needs were discussed.
[Copyright of 香港特殊教育論壇 is the property of 香港特殊教育學會有限公司. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
https://sites.google.com/a/seshk.org.hk

本研究嘗試探討嚴重智障兼多重弱能兒童是否具備高階思維的共通能力︰創造力、批判性思考能力、解決問題能力。透過文獻探究擬定評估準則，並利用互動故事作為教學策略，進行施教、觀察和評估，以得出結果。研究結果顯示，嚴重智障兼多重弱能兒童一樣具備不同程度的高階思維能力。只要因應學生的學習特性和需要，給予適當的引導和啟發，一樣可以提升這些方面的能力。當然，他們必須經過不斷的練習，及教師採取多元化的課程設計、教學策略和活動來引導學生，才能提升和鞏固其高階思維的能力。 The study examined whether students with severe mental handicap and multiple disabilities had higher order thinking skills: creativity, critical thinking skills and problem solving skills. The students were taught using the strategy of interactive story and the assessment criteria of the three higher order thinking skills were develop through reviewing related studies in the literature, Students' performance in the three higher order thinking skills were observed and rated based on the developed assessement criteria. The results indicated that students with severe mental handicap and multiple disabilities exhibit different degree of higher order thinking skills during the lessons. In teachers could provide appropriate guidance and stimulation based on the characteristics and needs of these students, higher order thinking skills could be developed though repeated practice would be necessary to reinforce the skills.
[Copyright of 香港特殊教育論壇 is the property of 香港特殊教育學會有限公司. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
https://sites.google.com/a/seshk.org.hk/seshk-org-hk/c_publication]