Pre-screening children for specific learning disabilities (SLDs), e.g., dyslexia, is essential for effective intervention. With a quick and reliable pre- screening result, special education coordinators (SEN- COs) can provide students with early intervention and relieve their learning pressure. Unfortunately, due to the limited resources, many students in Hong Kong receive dyslexia assessments beyond the golden period, i.e., under the age of six. To this end, information technology could establish automatic pre-screening tools to address this issue. However, dyslexia pre-screening for children learning Chinese is challenging due to the lack of sound-script correlation in Chinese. In this paper, an Automatic Dyslexia Pre-screening System (ADPS) is developed to provide a quick test to identify at-risk children. Through a two-stage approach, we first develop a gamified tool based on linguistic characteristics and then evaluate the result by a comparison study. Results from a pilot test on 30 students with dyslexia and 32 students without dyslexia indicate that ADPS can effectively distinguish two groups of students. Furthermore, the interactive design elements can motivate students to conduct the pre-screening independently. Copyright © 2024 IEEE.

Dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty that affects primary school students, which is difficult to tackle through traditional school learning due to limited resources. To this end, large-scale digital learning presents new opportunities to address the need for inclusive education. A unique challenge for students with dyslexia in Hong Kong is learning Chinese characters. In this article, we investigate whether students with dyslexia can learn the writing of Chinese characters independently in an informal learning environment. For that purpose, we developed a mobile application for learning to write Chinese characters with three different writing conditions. First, students learn new Chinese characters in Condition 1: Grid+Contour+Instruction . Then, students strengthen their memory of the learned Chinese characters in Condition 2: Grid+Contour . Finally, students retrieve the memory of the learned Chinese characters in Condition 3: Grid Only . Students with dyslexia demonstrated a significant improvement after practicing with the three-condition design. For example, they wrote much slower than students without dyslexia before the study but caught up over time. This study contributes an approach to facilitate the self-paced learning of students with dyslexia at scale. © 2023 The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.

While extensive quantitative research has shed light on the cognitive mechanisms of dyslexia, few mixed-methods studies have been conducted to examine the perceptions of and attitudes towards learning in children with dyslexia, especially in Hong Kong, a bilingual context. In addition, the validity of the metaphor elicitation technique, which was adopted in previous interview studies, has not yet been examined in children. Therefore, 30 children with dyslexia (age range: 8–13; 10 females) in Hong Kong were interviewed for metaphors regarding six domains: Chinese reading, Chinese writing, having Chinese lessons, English reading, solving maths problems, and dyslexia. Word reading fluency and parent-rated learning interest and confidence were measured to validate the use of the metaphor elicitation method in assessing children’s reading attitudes in both Chinese and English using correlation analyses. Perceptions were examined by way of qualitative analyses based on the metaphor entailments. Results showed that children who expressed more positive attitudes towards English reading performed better in English reading. Moreover, the attitudes also positively correlated with the corresponding parents’ ratings. These findings suggested that the metaphor elicitation technique is a valid method for assessing attitudes towards English reading in children with dyslexia. Furthermore, their perceptions of dyslexia and learning generally corresponded to those from previous interview studies despite differences in languages and contexts. Importantly, descriptions related to multiple themes, including metalinguistic awareness, cognitive skills, coping strategies, and dyslexia, were well-aligned with scientific findings, demonstrating that children already have a good understanding of dyslexia and various learning domains. Copyright © 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.

Approximately 6% of the population are estimated to have difficulties with learning about numbers and arithmetic, generally regarded as dyscalculia (or mathematics learning disability). As no standardized procedure for identification of dyscalculia for primary students is currently available in Hong Kong, this study aimed to develop a math achievement test in identifying at-risk Primary students for dyscalculia, as a first step to serve this purpose. A sample of over 1000 Grade 1 to 6 students were invited to complete a comprehensively designed math achievement test, and items were selected based on their functioning. The finalized scales had good reliability and validity. The test provides psychologists and teachers a tool to assess students’ math achievement and may potentially serve as a diagnostic tool of at-risk Primary students for dyscalculia in Hong Kong. All rights reserved.

本研究以行動研究探討正向行為支持的模式對自閉症譜系學生之影響,研究對象為一位被確診為自閉症譜系的小三學生,研究者發現學生表達情緒的方法,對課堂及其本身都造成困擾。研究者利用正向行為管理策略製訂個別行為奬勵計劃,並於本年度試行。研究者透過觀察、訪談等方式來蒐集資料,並在研究過程中調整計劃的細節。研究發現:(1)正向行為管理策略有助強化學生的正面行為;(2)學生能遵守課堂規則,自我形象亦提升了;(3)研究者重新肯定「奬勵計劃」對處理具行為及情緒問題學生的功用。綜合本研究之結果,提出反思與建議,以供教師及日後相關研究參考。This action research was conducted to discuss the effectiveness of positive behavior support on a student with ASD. The subject of the research is a P.3 student with ASD. According to the observation of the student’s behaviors and how the student expressed his negative emotions, student showed a lack of intention to learn and was failed to express his emotions properly. A positive behavior support plan was set and was taken place in 2016-17. Data was collected through the record of behaviors, meetings of reflections and interviews. The research findings are as followed: (1) Positive behavior support strategies can strengthen the student’s positive behavior. (2) After detailed discussion and explanation, the student behaved well in most of the time. (3) Researcher’s reception to the token scheme was turned about, the effectiveness of token scheme was reaffirmed. Based on the result of the study, some suggestions and reflections were made for teachers and future studies.
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隨著特殊教育類別及介入方法的多年發展,有關特殊教育需要的文獻恆河星數,教師很容易迷失在眾多文獻推介的策略,而忽略了在課堂內外,營造正向教學環境的重要性,包括與學生建立有效溝通及良好師生關係。這些返璞歸真建立有效課堂教學的基本要素,在嚴重行為及情緒問題出現時,更能考驗教師及專業團隊的專業操守。核心要素包括:有效溝通、良好師生關係及結構化的課堂規劃,這三個要素在中度智障學校及自閉症譜系障礙學童教學上尤為重要,本文概述香港一所中度智障特殊學校的校本自閉輔導教學計劃,於2014至2016年間開展了「CRS」的教學計劃,「CRS」即代表 : C- 有 效 溝 通 (Communication) 、 R-良好師生關係(Relationship)及S-結構化的課堂規劃(Structure)。計劃主要是針對這三項息息相關的教學原則,利用行政措施及對位的教學策略,進行了對「CRS」的深化探討,並以此作為優化教學的策略,成為學校自閉輔導教學的核心價值。The abundance of researches on intervention methods in special education makes appropriate selection of teaching strategies confirming and sometimes caused the core elements of teaching being ignored. Teachers can get lost easily amongst the universe of research material and methods while forgetting the core education value for creating a positive classroom climate to support students’ learning. These positive support measures include the use of effective communication in building up good teacher-student relationship. These back to the basics of classroom teaching are mastery and effective ways for guiding and testifying good teaching practices especially in the presence of severe behavior and emotional problems. A project named CRS comprising the three core elements of teaching: C - effective communication, R - good student-teacher relationship and S - well-structured classroom activities, was implemented between 2014 and 2016 in a Hong Kong special school for moderate intellectually disabled students. These basic elements are especially vital for the teaching of students with intellectual disability and autistic spectrum disorders. Teaching elements deliberately linked with CRS were set up as administrative guidelines and teaching strategies developed for guiding professional practices to ensure that all school-based autistic teaching programme will be under the scrutiny of these elements. It was found that lessons and activities being planned are more structured and strategically conducted when being applied under the CRS framework.
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近年,接受本港融合教育的中小學自閉症譜系障礙學生的數目不斷急速增加。因此,老師們的專業培訓需要提供支援自閉症譜系障礙學生的教學及調適策略。本文建議按學業成績水平(優秀、中等及落後)及性格特質(衝動型、合作型及敏感型)將高功能自閉症譜系障礙融合學生的表現歸納為九種行為類型,相信透過這個行為類型的新概念可以讓老師們更具體地認識自閉症行為的獨特性及能提升教學效能。本文也倡議用「優勢模式」發掘自閉症譜系障礙融合學生的潛質和天份,期望老師們可以推動每位自閉症融合學生在人生的舞台上綻發光芒。Over the years, high and rapid growing numbers of primary and secondary students with autism spectrum disorder are studying in inclusive classrooms. To respond to this trend, teacher professional development programs need to include the curriculum content of effective learning-teaching and accommodations to support learner diversity. The present paper attempts to discuss the autism subtypes, using academic performance (above average, average, below average) and personality attribute (impulsive, cooperative, sensitive) as the two main parameters. It is expected that this new concept of autism subtypes can support teachers to have good understanding of autism behavior as well as to enhance efficacy for inclusive practice. The application of strength-based approach is also advocated here to encourage teachers to support students on the spectrum to explore their talents. The implication of this approach is that all individual on the spectrum can live in a very fruitful life.
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