bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
SOLITARY TRUNCAL POROKERATOTIC ECCRINE OSTIAL AND DERMAL DUCT NEVUS IN A SIXTY‐YEAR‐OLD MAN
Authors: BEER KENNETH , MEDENICA MARIA
Published: May 2007

A sixty‐year‐old white man presented with a 2 × 1.5 cm lesion on his right buttock. The lesion had been present for several years, but had not been present when the patient was a child. No other family members reported having similar lesions. His past medical history was unremarkable. By history, the lesion was slowly growing, but was neither painful nor pruritic. On examination, a well defined pink nodule was noted on his right buttock. The surface of the lesion had a crateriform appearance with verrucous edges. A shave biopsy was performed.

Histopathology: The specimen was cut into four pieces and sections stained with hematoxylin and eosin were examined. A low power view (Fig. 1) shows an epidermis with considerable hyperkeratosis and several focal areas of parakeratosis that fill epidermal dilated eccrine ducts. Higher magnification (Fig. 2) reveals, that these foci of parakeratosis resemble the cornoid lamellae seen in porokeratosis of Mibelli. Figure 2 also reveals that the process originates within the eccrine duct. Higher magnification demonstrates the porokeratotic column arising from dyskeratotic keratinocytes that lack a granular layer (Fig. 3). An inflammatory infiltrate consisting of lymphocytes and histiocytes is present in the underlying dermis with accentuation directly under the cornoid lamellae.
MAURICIO GOIHMAN‐YAHR, M.D., Ph.D., EDITOR
Authors: Beer Kenneth , Katz Sara , Medenica Maria
Published: May 2007

The Correspondence Section serves as a forum for opinion exxhange about subjects of general interest sucb as dermatologic training, relations between dermatologists and pharmaceutical houses, governmental control of dermatology and medical practice in general, peculiarities of dermatology related to geographic, climatic, or racial factors, the flow of information and publications, as well as other concerns the readership might have. Originality is highly desirable and repetitious contributions or minutiae are discouraged. We wish also to foster submission of hypotheses marked accordingly. These should be based on reality and should stimulate thought. Contributions should conform to the format for correspondence as outlined in, “Notice to Contributors.” Manuscripts will undergo standard editorial procedures. Submit all correspondence to Mauricio Goihman‐Yahr, M.D., Ph.D., Section Editor, Jet hiternational M‐154, P.O. Box 020010, Miami, FL 33102.
DISSEMINATED AMERICAN CUTANEOUS LEISHMANIASIS
Authors: BONFANTE‐GARRIDO RAFAEL , BARROETA SEGUNDO , DE ALEJOS MARIA A. MEJÍA , MELÉNDEZ ENRIQUE , TORREALBA JOSE , VALDIVIA OSWALDO , MOMEN HOOMAN , GRIMALDI GABRIEL
Published: May 2007

Background. While studying cutaneous leishmaniasis in the central part of western Venezuela, we found four cases of disseminated American cutaneous leishmaniasis, three from the Lara State and one from Portuguese State.

Methods. A clinical history was taken for each of these patients, followed by microscopic examination of the Giemsa‐stained smears from their cutaneous lesions and by a Montenegro skin test. Serum from a skin lesion were grown in Novy‐MacNeal‐Nicolle medium (nnn). Hamsters were inoculated with suspension of tissues taken from the patient's lesions. Biopsies were taken for histopathologic examination. Isolates from cultures on nnn medium and from hamsters were subcultured in Schneider's medium for parasite identification, using molecular techniques. Treatment with injections of N‐methyl glucamine antimonate, 25 mg/kg/day was precribed for each patient for 20 consecutive days and, after a week of rest, a second course of injections was administered.

Results. Patients had disseminated papular, ulcerous, nodular, and ulceronodular lesions on the skin. Smears of the skin lesions from all of the patients showed abundant amastigotes within histiocytes or free in the tissues. The skin test was negative in two patients. On histopathologic examination of skin lesions, mainly numerous vacuolated histiocytes filled with amastigotes were observed. Isolates from all the patients were identified as Leishmania venezuelensis. One of the patients healed after treatment with N‐methyl glucamine antimonate. The others were resistant to this therapy.

Conclusions. Diffuse cutaneous leishmaniasis can be caused also by Leishmania venezuelensis. Patients with nodular lesions who presented a negative Montenegro skin test were more resistant to treatment with specific pentavalent antimonials.
SKIN DISEASE IN RURAL TANZANIA
Authors: HENDERSON CATRIONA A.
Published: May 2007

Background. Skin disease is a common problem, accounting for significant morbidity in developing countries. Knowledge about the prevalence of different skin conditions allows appropriate planning for provision for these health needs. There are currently few data about the needs in rural areas; therefore, this study was set up to investigate skin abnormalities found in a village population in Tanzania.

Materials and Methods. A village with a population of 2,876 was chosen and one‐third of the population was examined for cutaneous abnormalities.

Results. During the survey, 97.7% of the target population was examined. Signs of nutritional deficiency were common with koilonychia affecting 18.1% of the population examined and signs of hypoproteinemia being present in 3.4% of them. Infections and infestations were also frequently seen. Scabies was observed in 6.0% and pediculosis capitis in 5.3%. Dermatophyte infection was present in 5.1%. These were all most common in prepubertal children. Leg sores were seen in 5.1% and leg ulcers in 3.0% of the population.

Conclusions. The survey reveals that easily treatable skin infections and infestations are common in a rural Tanzian population. Signs of nutritional deficiency are also frequently seen.
Acne‐Like Eruption Caused by Amineptine
Authors: Farella Vittoria , Sberna Francesco , Knöpfel Biregit , Urso Carmelo , Difonzo Elisa M.
Published: May 2007

The Correspondence Section serves as a forum for opinion exchange about subjects of general interest such as dermatologic training, relations between dermatologists and pharmaceutical houses, governmental control of dermatology and medical practice in general, peculiarities of dermatology related to geographic, climatic, or racial factors, the flow of information and publications, as well as other concerns the readershi p might have. Originality is highly desirable and repetitious contributions or minutiae are discouraged. We wish also to foster submission of hypotheses marked accordingly. These should be based on reality and should stimulate thought. Contributions should conform to the format for correspondence as outlined in, “Notice to Contributors.” Manuscripts will undergo standard editorial procedures. Submit all correspondence to Mauricio Goihman‐Yahr, M.D., Ph.D., Section Editor, Jet International M‐154, P.O. Box 020010, Miami, FL 33102.
Disclosure, Corporate Governance and Foreign Share Ownership on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange
Authors: Mangena Musa , Tauringana Venancio
Published: May 2007

We investigate the association of foreign share ownership with firm‐level disclosure and corporate governance structures in Zimbabwe, a developing country in Southern Africa. Our motivation for the study derives from the literature, which suggests that foreign investors: (1) generally have a preference for companies in which they are well informed and where their investments are more likely to be protected, and (2) avoid companies in developing countries because of weak corporate governance structures and low disclosure. Using data drawn from companies listed on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange, we examine the effect of disclosure and corporate governance on foreign share ownership. We find that disclosure, proportion of non‐executive directors, institutional share ownership and audit committee independence are all positively and significantly associated with foreign share ownership. Our results also demonstrate that market capitalization, return on equity and liquidity ratios are significantly associated with foreign share ownership. These results are consistent with the notion that foreign investors have a preference for companies with effective corporate governance structures, companies with less information asymmetry, as well as companies with healthy cash positions. The results have implications for policy‐makers in developing countries in their endeavour to improve liquidity on stock markets through the participation of foreign investors. The results are also useful to managers in developing countries who are keen to increase the market value of their company, thereby reducing their cost of capital.
Do Investors Really Value Corporate Governance? Evidence from the Hong Kong Market
Authors: Cheung Yan‐Leung , Thomas Connelly J. , Limpaphayom Piman , Zhou Lynda
Published: May 2007

To examine the relation between corporate governance and firm value, we develop an instrument to assess the corporate governance practices of listed companies in Hong Kong. Based on the Revised OECD Principles of Corporate Governance (OECD) and the Code of Best Practices (HKEx), we construct a corporate governance index (CGI) for Hong Kong listed companies. Unlike measures used in other studies, the CGI score reflects the presence of good corporate governance practices as well as variation in the quality of corporate governance practices. Empirical evidence shows that a company's market valuation is positively related to its overall CGI score, a composite measure of a firm's corporate governance practices. We also find that the transparency component of the CGI score drives the relation with market valuation. In summary, this study provides supporting evidence for the notion that, in Hong Kong, good corporate governance practices are consistent with value maximization.
Gender‐Based Harvesting in Wildlife Disease Management
Authors: Fenichel Eli P. , Horan Richard D.
Published: May 2007

Wildlife disease management strategies traditionally focus on lowering aggregate host density below a host‐density threshold, reducing infectious contacts (when transmission is density‐dependent) to reduce prevalence. The focus on aggregate host density is because controls such as harvests are typically nonselective with respect to disease status. Such nontargeted strategies increase control costs and may not optimally lead to eradication. We consider targeting an observable trait correlated with infection—gender. Two endogenous host‐density thresholds emerge, in contrast to the exogenous thresholds arising in the ecological literature on multiple‐host‐pathogen problems. The ability to manage these thresholds reduces control costs and makes eradication optimal.
THE IMPACT OF CHILDCARE COSTS ON THE FULL‐TIME/PART‐TIME EMPLOYMENT DECISIONS OF AUSTRALIAN MOTHERS
Authors: RAMMOHAN ANU , WHELAN STEPHEN
Published: May 2007

Using data from the HILDA (Household Income and Labour Dynamics), this paper examines the implications of childcare costs on maternal employment status by distinguishing between full‐time and part‐time work. Our empirical approach uses an ordered probit model taking into account the endogeneity associated with both wages and childcare costs. Results indicate that childcare costs have a statistically insignificant effect on the decision to work either full time or part time. Moreover, the reported elasticities of part‐time and full‐time work with respect to childcare costs are relatively low. Finally, our results indicate that Australian mothers respond to an increase in wages by increasing both their full‐time and part‐time employment. Conversely, an increase in the number of young children (particularly under four years of age) and an increase in non‐labour income reduce the likelihood of the mother is observed to be working.
BOOK REVIEWS
Authors: Knowles J. W.
Published: May 2007

Book reviewed in this article:

The Needs of Children Mia Kellmer Pringle

Thackray Reading Readiness Profiles D. V. and L. Thackray

Assessment for Learning in the Mentally Handicapped P. Mittler (ed.)

The Principle of Normalisation in Human Services W. Wolfensberger

Bernard‐Bringing up our Mongol Son John and Eileen Wilks

Setting a Course for Social Work Education 1971–73

Residential Work is a Part of Social Work
Helping Withdrawn Children in School
Authors: Wigley Veronica , Yule William , Berger Michael
Published: May 2007

How teachers can be helped to help withdrawn children, using a behaviour therapy approach, is described by Veronica Wigley, research associate, Hester Adrian Research Centre, Manchester University, Dr William Yule, reader in applied child psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, London University, and Dr Michael Berger, top grade clinical psychologist, St George's Hospital, London.
Art from Six to Sixteen
Authors: George Sheila
Published: May 2007

Sheila George, who teaches art in a school for children with moderate learning difficulties in Kent, describes the art curriculum she has drawn up as a ‘working document’ for use by staff throughout the all‐age school.
Dear Hilary Shuard…
Authors: Williams Alec
Published: May 2007

Since the demise of the Schools Council, the newly formed School Curriculum Development Committee has initiated, as one of its first projects, an exploratory study of the mathematics curriculum for the six to 13 age range. In this open letter to Hilary Shuard, the project director, a case for particular consideration for the needs of pupils with learning difficulties is presented by Alec Williams, Bishop Grosseteste College, Lincoln. He has recently piloted, for the Mathematical Association/NARE, the new diploma course in the Teaching of Mathematics to Low Attainers in Secondary Schools.
Stimulating Children to Write
Authors: Edwards Roy
Published: May 2007

This paper attempts to point up the importance of writing, in its several aspects, for children with special educational needs. Roy Edwards, assistant education officer for special services, Staffordshire, discusses something of the nature of writing and its purposes, and anecdotally describes ways that have worked with these children in special and ordinary schools.
Craft, Design and Technology in Special Education
Authors: Davison Peter , Gaster Edwin
Published: May 2007

Craft, Design and Technology is an underrated, under‐explored area of the curriculum in many special schools. Peter Davison, adviser, CDT, Cleveland, and Edwin Gaster, head of design and technology, College of Ripon and York St. John, write about the mental and creative stimulus which CDT can offer to pupils with special educational needs.
The Makaton Vocabulary: An Analysis based on Recent Research
Authors: Byler Judy Kay
Published: May 2007

In 1982–83 the author held a Rotary Scholarship at the Hester Adrian Research Centre, Manchester University, and attended a European Makaton Vocabulary Training Course. She presently continues doctoral studies in impaired communication at the Department of Education, Purdue University, USA. The Makaton system of communication by manual signing is widely used in special education in this country. Since its introduction much has been written on the normal acquisition of language and on conditions for learning by handicapped pupils. In the light of research findings, the author examines the Makaton vocabulary and the procedures which are recommended for training non‐speakers in its use.
Professionals ‐ and Wrong Predictions
Authors: Bookbinder Geoffrey
Published: May 2007

Formal assessments under the 1981 Education Act can be superficial and overinfluenced by narrowly defined educational considerations, suggests Geoffrey Bookbinder, educational psychologist and part‐time tutor at the Open University.
Telesoftware for Schools
Authors: Terry Andy
Published: May 2007

Andy Terry, educational telesoftware manager for Prestel Education, describes a new service, Telesoftware for Schools, which welcomes programs from teachers and pupils.
In‐Class Support Teaching: Tackling Fish
Authors: Hart Susan
Published: May 2007

Susan Hart, formerly head of the special needs department in a comprehensive school in Inner London, looks at the present and future roles of support teaching in the light of attitudes to it which are revealed in the Fish Report.
Research Supplement: Integrated Nurseries for Children with Special Educational Needs
Authors: Lindsay Geoff , Desforges Martin
Published: May 2007

The authors are educational psychologists in the Sheffield school psychological service. Geoff Lindsay also teaches at Sheffield University. They describe three pre‐school units for children with special educational needs and consider problems for integrating such children into the mainstream.
Research Supplement: Observing the Work of a Tutorial Unit
Authors: Gupta Y.
Published: May 2007

The author, senior educational psychologist in South West Essex, describes the organisation of a unit for disturbed children attached to a primary school and reports a follow‐up of the first 40 children admitted to it.
Scotland and the 1981 Education Act
Authors: Thomson George , Budge Alexander , Buultjens Marianna , Lee Margaret
Published: May 2007

Bureaucratic, over‐formal and time consuming, but strengthening parents' rights and sharpening up the accountability of professionals ‐ these are among the main reactions to the recording procedures of the Education (Scotland) Act 1981 which a Scottish team discovered recently. Dr George Thomson and Alexander Budge, of the Department of Education, Edinburgh University, and Marianna Buultjens and Margaret Lee, Moray House College of Education, Edinburgh, report on aspects of their study of the reactions of professionals and parents concerned with the education of visually impaired children.
Changing Direction at Tile Hill Wood
Authors: Giles Carol , Dunlop Scott
Published: May 2007

Carol Giles, coordinator for special needs, Tile Hill Wood School, Coventry, and Scott Dunlop, senior educational psychologist, Coventry Child Guidance Centre, describe the way a ‘whole school approach’ has been introduced into a girls' comprehensive school with close support from colleagues.
Developing Thinking Skills
Authors: Skinner Paul
Published: May 2007

The use of the microcomputer and its software to develop thinking skills is often neglected. Paul Skinner, head of Saxon Wood School, Basingstoke, suggests how children can exploit them as tools for thinking.
More Questions on Precision Teaching
Authors: Raybould E.C. , Solity J.E.
Published: May 2007

In their second article on precision teaching E.C. Raybould, senior educational psychologist, Walsall Education Department, and J.E. Solity, lecturer in psychology and special educational needs, Warwick University, answer questions on the technical and procedural issues (b) and on implementation (c) which follow on from the principles and rationale (a) discussed in the March issue.
The National Curriculum: Primary Issues
Authors: Thomas Norman
Published: May 2007

What are some of the likely effects of a national curriculum and national assessment procedures, particularly on primary schools? Norman Thomas, formerly Chief Inspector for Primary Education, Department of Education and Science, now Visiting Professor of Education, Warwick University, looks at the implications of some of the recent proposals.
Siblings of Mentally Handicapped Children and Their Social Relations
Authors: Andersson Egil
Published: May 2007

Few studies have been made of the other children in families with a mentally handicapped child living at home. Dr Andersson, a lecturer at Gothenburg University, reports an investigation from Sweden. She compared siblings of handicapped children with their peers. The results show that the siblings are more socially isolated in school and in their leisure time; this isolation does not emanate from the children themselves; it can be explained partly by the parents' reactions to their circumstances.
Enfield TVEI Goes ‘Special’
Authors: Bailey Terence , Hearn Michael
Published: May 2007

The London Borough of Enfield was one of 14 LEAs chosen to pilot the Technical and Vocational Education Initiative (TVEI) in September 1983. A unique feature of the scheme at the time was the inclusion of West Lea, a school for delicate children between five and 16, among the 12 schools and two colleges of further education taking part. Terence Bailey, senior adviser, special education, and Michael Hearn, assistant education officer (TVEI), London Borough of Enfield, describe the experiment, following up the theme of the December 1987 issue on new national curriculum and training initiatives 14–19.
On the Periphery of Curricular Change?
Authors: Clough Peter , Hinchliffe Marjorie
Published: May 2007

The article below picks up a central theme from the December 1987 issue of the journal: how far special educational needs are a central focus of the recently introduced national curriculum initiatives for 14‐ to 19‐year‐olds. Peter Clough, lecturer in education, Sheffield University, and Marjorie Hinchliffe, advisory teacher, special needs, Sheffield Education Authority, describe the responses of a sample of special needs coordinators in Sheffield schools and conclude that special educational needs need to be brought to the forefront of whole‐school curricular change rather than being left in the background.
A Programme for Pupils' Choices
Authors: McConnon Shay
Published: May 2007

Personal and social education, omitted from the foundation subjects in the National Curriculum, will be one of the cross curricular themes running through science and other subjects, according to the government. Shay McConnon, who teaches boys with emotional and behavioural difficulties at Buckland School, Hampshire, describes a programme designed for one session weekly and yielding encouraging results.
Science: Access for All Pupils
Authors: Jones Alan , Denley Paul , Butcher Christopher
Published: May 2007

Sections 3 and 4 of the 1988 Education Reform Act include science as one of the compulsory core subjects in the National Curriculum and empower the Secretary of State to specify attainment targets, programmes of study, and assessment arrangements for science for children of compulsory school age. The Science Working Group appointed to advise the Secretaries of State on science reported in June and its recommendations for attainment targets, programmes of study and statements of attainment were published in August alongside the science proposals of the Secretaries of State for Education and Science and for Wales, in Science for Ages 5 to 16. Alan Jones, head, physical science department, Trent Polytechnic, Paul Denley, south west regional project officer, Secondary Science Curriculum Review, and Christopher Butcher, senior lecturer, Trent Polytechnic, discuss the report.
Tangles and Crossed Wires
Authors: McNab Ian
Published: May 2007

Hands up anyone who can say whether Level 1 is a grade or a stage. If you do not know, you are not alone: uncertainty about the answer is widespread and has led to much agonising in special education about whether the least able children will be ‘working towards Level 1’, languishing at Level 0 or will not yet be on the National Curriculum at all.
Self Evaluation at Wren Spinney
Authors: Newman Kerry , Rose Richard
Published: May 2007

Kerry Newman, county evaluation coordinator, Northamptonshire Education Authority, and Richard Rose, headteacher, Wren Spinney School, Kettering, describe an approach to evaluation as part of the learning process in a school for children with severe learning difficulties. They quote Elliot Eisner (1985) who wrote ‘One makes onself vulnerable only to those who one believes are not intending to hurt’.
Building a Model to Gain Access
Authors: Hammond Caroline , Read Geoffrey
Published: May 2007

Caroline Hammond and Geoffrey Read, who teach at Arnold Derrymount School for pupils with moderate learning difficulties, Nottingham, describe how the school is coming to grips with the National Curriculum and the model on which their work is based.
Long Days' Journey into Light?
Authors: Howarth Alan
Published: May 2007

Ministerial speeches devoted to special educational needs happen rarely. On March 24, however, Mr Alan Howarth, Under Secretary of State for Education and Science, addressed a conference of the Avon branch of the National Council for Special Education, on the National Curriculum. A slightly shortened version of his speech is given below. Mr Howarth is the father of a school‐age son with cerebral palsy.
‘The Goals are the Same….’ Are They?
Authors: White John
Published: May 2007

John White, reader in education in the Department of Philosophy of Education, Institute of Education, London University, examines the Warnock Report's claim that educational aims are the same for all children. He discusses aims to do with the acquisition of knowledge, preparation for personal autonomy and the promotion of personal wellbeing, arguing that the Warnock claim is acceptable, if at all, only when aims are described at a high level of generality.
Can Section 19 be used Positively?
Authors: Randall Mike
Published: May 2007

Section 19 of the Education Reform Act is often seen as a threat to pupils with special educational needs ‐ a means of denying their rights to the National Curriculum. Can it be used instead in a positive way? Mike Randall, who is a senior manager and research officer (primary) working for the Wirral Education Authority, Merseyside, believes the general directions in Section 19 can be used constructively.
Self‐Injurious Behaviour: A Unitary Phenomenon or a Set of Diverse Behaviours?
Authors: Gabony Peter
Published: May 2007

The author is head of the department for children with specific behaviour and communication difficulties, Whitefield School, London Borough of Waltham Forest. He is course tutor on the M.Sc. course in special education (autism) jointly run by the school and the Cranfield Institute of Technology. This account of an original research project is based on his thesis for the M.Ed. degree in special education at Manchester University.
Curriculum Lessons from Europe?
Authors: Merry Roger
Published: May 2007

Next year Britain will enter the Single European Market. This may encourage greater alignment of special educational legislation here with the laws in other member countries. Roger Merry, senior lecturer in education, School of Education, Leicester University, asks what lesson can be learned from practice in Europe, especially in relation to the National Curriculum.
Approaching Camphill: from the Boundary
Authors: Baron Stephen , Haldane Dougls
Published: May 2007

The Camphil communities for children and adults in need of special care are widely known of, but little known about; often lauded, sometimes condemned but rarely understood. Stephen Baron, lecturer in sociolgy and social policy, Stirling University, and Dr Douglas Haldane, psychotherapist and consultant in St Andrews, seek to remedy this in a modest way by giving an evaluative, but non‐statistical, account of the work of the communities over the past 50 years. They also consider Camphill's future role in community care and also in special educational provision, in the context of the 1988 Education Reform Act.
From Planning to Practice
Authors: Lewis Ann
Published: May 2007

This contribution to the single theme issue moves from planning and assessment for differentiation to classroom practice. Dr Ann Lewis is lecturer in education, Department of Education, Warwick University.
Speech, Language and the New Curriculum
Authors: Miller Carol
Published: May 2007

The National Curriculum provides a stimulus for teachers and speech and language therapists to work together but issues of assessment need to be tackled next. Carol Miller, Faculty of Education and Continuing Studies, Birmingham University, reports on interviews with 13 teachers about the National Curriculum.
Assessments – and Issues – for 1992
Authors: Bartlett David , Peacey Nick
Published: May 2007

Since last year's first full run of standard assessment tasks at Key Stage 1 was reviewed in the September 1991 issue of the journal some improvements have been made in the assessment arrangements for pupils with special educational needs but other problems remain. David Bartlett, assessment coordinator, Birmingham Education Department, who wrote last year's review and Nick Peacey, SENJIT coordinator, report the findings from a questionnaire survey and a series of conferences. They make proposals for changes.
Support Services – Stability or Erosion?
Authors: Bangs John
Published: May 2007

The National Union of Teachers has recently undertaken a survey of the trends in the numbers of LEAs making cuts in specific LEA support services. The survey also examines the percentage of LEAs delegating provision for specific services in 1993/94 compared with previous years. John Bangs, principal officer – special educational needs, NUT, describes the survey.
Gwent Reviews Its Needs
Authors: Kramer Julien
Published: May 2007

Gwent Education Authority systematically evaluates its policies, procedures, administration and the financial arrangements for young people with special educational needs. Julien Kramer, director of education, London Borough of Greenwich, until recently divisional director of education, School Support and Finance, Gwent, who has been working with service partners, the voluntary bodies and the district auditor, highlights strengths and weaknesses in service arrangements in Gwent and sets an agenda for change in anticipation of the requirements of the 1993 Education Act.
A Response to ‘We're Doing History’
Authors: Sebba Judy , Clarke John
Published: May 2007

In the June issue of this journal Jean Ware and Nick Peacey wrote an article entitled ‘We're doing History’‐ What Does It Mean? The following response, which challenges some of their views, comes from Judy Sebba, tutor, Cambridge University Institute of Education, and John Clarke, senior adviser, Monitoring and Evaluation, Suffolk, previously county humanities adviser.
Success within Failure: an assessment of a parentled response to inormal school exclusion
Authors: Goodchild Agatha , Williams Chris
Published: May 2007

Increasing numbers of children are informally excluded from school for a range of reasons, including bullying and sexual harassment. Although little is done to help them, one group of parents demonstrated that it is not difficult to create a temporary alternative to school and to provide a period of respite. The venture was seen as failure, but all the children are now back in mainstream education.

Agatha Goodchild, one of the parents, and Chris Williams, Research Fellow at the Norah Fry Research Centre, University of Bristol, analyse and evaulate the success that came from failure!
Planning for Their Future
Authors: Ashdown Rob
Published: May 2007

Robert Ashdown (Headteacher of St. Luke's School, a special school for pupils with severe learning difficulties in Scunthorpe, Humberside) argues that although the years since the Education Reform Act have been marked by intensive curriculum development in special schools for pupils with severe learning difficulties, external pressures may have forced schools to focus on the National Curriculum at the expense of the whole curriculum. This risk remains with the new, slimmer National Curriculum. This article reports on what has been achieved and what remains to be done, particularly as regards the personal and social development of pupils.
Education Towards Employment: a Project for People with Learning Difficulties
Authors: Baynes Anne , Dyson Alan
Published: May 2007

Anne Baynes (Project Director of The Education Towards Employment Project at North Tyneside College) and Alan Dyson (Co‐director of the Special Needs Research Group at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne) identify and discuss the disadvantages experienced by people with learning difficulties in the labour market, particularly at a time of high unemployment, and raise fundamental questions about the relationship between special and vocational education. The Project at North Tyneside College has had to confront these issues in developing an ‘employability’ course for adults with learning difficulties.
Making inclusive education ordinary
Authors: Wedell Klaus
Published: May 2007

Professor Klaus Wedell, as he retires from the Institute of Education, University of London, speculates on the future of Special Education in the UK.
Handwriting and children with visual impairments
Authors: Arter Christine , McCall Steve , Bowyer Tony
Published: May 2007

Christine Arter and Steve McCall, Lecturers in Special Education (VI) at The University of Birmingham, and Tony Bowyer, peripatetic teacher of the Visually Impaired, Tameside, Greater Manchester stress the importance of early intervention in the teaching of handwriting to children with a visual impairment.
Special needs education or education for all: connective specialisation and ideological impurity
Authors: Norwich Brahm
Published: May 2007

Brahm Norwich, Professor of Special Needs Education at the Institute of Education, University of London, is the first of the new professors to articulate his views on the future of Special Education as we approach the Millenium. He considers innovative approaches to the concept of human differences.
Transition planning: process or procedure?
Authors: Wood David , Trickey Steve
Published: May 2007

David Wood, Educational Psychologist with the Lancashire Educational Psychology Service, and Steve Trickey, Educational Psychologist with the Clackmannanshire Educational Psychological Service, examine the implications of the Code of Practice for the 14+ review and the transition process. Adopting the emphasis given in the Code to personal, social and independent living skills, the extent to which a balance can be obtained between process and procedure is explored.
A consideration of the essential differences in the provision of special education for children and for adults
Authors: Watson Peter
Published: May 2007

Peter Watson, a lecturer in Adult Education in the Continuing Educations Unit at the University of Leeds, considers the wider implications of the differences between special education for children and the educational provision for adults with special needs.
Guidance on the use of physical force by staff in educational establishments
Authors: Hewett Dave , Arnett Andy
Published: May 2007

Dave Hewett, independental consultants, and Andy Arnett, Hertfordshire Social Services Department, attempt to clarify the present legal position on the use of physical force by staff in schools. The authors, who conducted an informal survey of education authorities in England and Wales, report their findings and discuss the implications.
The Stanley Segal Award: Points from an ethical debate arising from the provision of learning support for disabled students in Higher Education
Authors: Doherty Bernard
Published: May 2007

The winner of the 1996 Stanley Segal Award, Bernard Doherty, Learning Support Co‐ordinator (Disabled Students) at Anglia Polytechnic University, discusses the implications of the provision of adequate support for students with disabilities within Higher Education.
Students' views on special educational needs courses in Initial Teacher Education
Authors: Garner Philip
Published: May 2007

Philip Garner, Senior Lecturer in Special Education at Brunel University, examines the views of a small group of students who have recently completed an initial teacher training course (primary). They raise concerns about the nature and extent of SEN coverage, both in college‐based work and in school placements, leaving many feeling unprepared to meet the demands of the Code of Practice.
The Monetary Policy of the European Central Bank
Authors: Surico Paolo
Published: May 2007

The first six years of ECB monetary policy are examined using a general framework that allows central bankers to weight differently positive and negative deviations of inflation, output and the interest rate from their reference values. The empirical analysis on synthetic euro‐area data suggests that the objective of price stability is symmetric, whereas the objectives of real activity and interest‐rate stabilizations are not. Output contractions imply larger policy responses than output expansions of the same size, while movements in the interest rate are larger when the level of the interest rate is relatively high. The hypothesis of M3 growth‐rate targeting is rejected.
Teachers under siege: A case of unmet needs
Authors: BARTON LEN
Published: May 2007

The following is taken from a paper given at the 1990 NARE National Conference. In it Len Barton argues powerfully for the centrality of teachers in the process of schooling. If all children are entitled to a broad, balanced education it follows that the well‐being of all teachers is equally important. In these difficult times Barton offers some constructive suggestions including the plea that teachers' accounts of stress be taken seriously and not dismissed as a series of unconnected insights. Too many teachers are involved for this to be so. The issues go beyond the personal to the structural. More than ever, teachers now need to collaborate and support each other and to liaise more effectively with parents. Crucially, Barton warns us, it is time for the professional associations to use democratic channels to demand those changes we all believe are necessary.
A role for the SEN co‐ordinator in the 1990s: A reply to Dyson
Authors: BUTT NORMAN
Published: May 2007

In the August 1990 issue of Support for Learning (5(3)) Alan Dyson wrote a provocative article entitled ‘Effective learning consultancy: A future role for special needs co‐ordinators?’ In it he confidently predicted the decline and eventual disappearance of special educational needs (SEN) co‐ordinators. Further he claimed there were fundamental contradictions and philosophical confusion at the heart of the ‘whole school approach’ which were ultimately self‐defeating. To survive, he concluded, SEN co‐ordinators must develop new models of teaching and learning including a change of title to ‘effective learning consultant’. This new ELC would primarily be responsible for helping teachers and schools improve the effectiveness of the learning situation.

Norman Butt responds to the Dyson thesis. He points out the omissions and contradictions he finds in Dyson's arguments. Notably he takes Dyson to task for overlooking the possible effects of local management of schools and his purportedly facile dismissal of the ‘whole school approach’. In contrast Butt claims to find many commendable examples of this approach. Further he sees progress towards the normalisation of schools and states that the whole school approach is about ‘making all pupils special’. He converges with Dyson in his belief that a new professional will emerge and offers his own ‘job description’. Co‐ordinator for individual development or effective learning consultant? Readers must make up their own minds. The debate is certain to continue.
Local education authority re‐structuring under ERA: Meeting or creating special educational needs?
Authors: MOORE JOHN
Published: May 2007

The administrative problems in meeting the requirements of the Education Reform Act are enormous, particularly in the area of special educational needs. Here John Moore describes what he sees as the new type of local education authority (LEA) that must emerge to meet the challenges of the nineties. He states, ‘Vision and participation are key elements of strategic planning’. His authority appears to be in the vanguard of those setting up the structures that will protect pupils with special educational needs from the worst aspects of competition. Administrators in particular will find much of interest in this article. Those on the receiving end will take comfort from the assertion that LEAs are not abandoning their responsibilities.
An end to the slow lane: A critique of the term ‘slow learner’ and its lingering usage
Authors: DYER CHRISTOPHER
Published: May 2007

In the strange world of special educational needs terms are used in a variety of bewildering ways. They serve their day but stubbornly refuse to die. With the possible exception of ‘backward’ none have proved so durable as ‘slow learner’. Here Christopher Dyer traces the origin of the term and its effect on attitudes and provision. He maintains that the derogatory effects of ‘slow’ linger on and argues for a positive handicapping strategy to right an imbalance.
Mainstreaming: The challenge for teachers in South Africa
Authors: GREEN LENA
Published: May 2007

As usual, we are delighted to publish accounts of developments overseas. We feel this article, on South Africa, will be of particular interest to our readers. Lena Green is an educational psychologist and experienced teacher‐trainer and in an excellent position to comment on the changes taking place in her country at this present, turbulent time. Her contrast in the provision for white and black pupils is particularly illuminating. As South Africa moves relentlessly towards dramatic constitutional change education inevitably will rise up the political agenda. Lena demonstrates the problems but also the opportunities.
Rich seams of mind
Authors: ROBINSON WILL
Published: May 2007

Those who saw that fascinating series of television programmes last autumn, The Transformers, will be familiar with what follows. The work of Reuven Feuerstein in promoting thinking skills is well documented, the Lipman strategy is less well known. Will Robinson summarises this for us and shows how it is possible to develop philosophical investigation in even quite young pupils. Twelve steps make up the programme and Robinson, an experienced tutor of the Lipman method in this country, advocates that substantial trials be undertaken to demonstrate its effectiveness. Interestingly he hints that such skills would enhance the role of the special needs co‐ordinator. There is a lot of substance in what he says and one can expect to hear more of this.
An evaluative account of the working of a dramatherapy peer support group within a comprehensive school
Authors: MOSLEY JENNY
Published: May 2007

This is a lively account of the use of drama‐therapy with pupils experiencing behavioural difficulty. Jenny Mosley has carefully researched this topic and evolved a strategy for structuring therapeutic sessions that will help such pupils. She clearly describes and justifies this strategy. The enthusiasm and commitment of the author is evident. Readers involved with difficult pupils will find much here of interest and value. Those wishing to pursue these ideas might care to obtain the publication All round success from the Chief Education Officer, Wiltshire County Council, County Hall, Trowbridge BA14 8JB.
The role of learning support: A trefoil catalyst?
Authors: KELLY MARY
Published: May 2007

Recently, this journal has carried a weighty debate on the roles of special educational needs co‐ordinators. As a practitioner, Mary Kelly sees this in rather simpler terms. Her analogy, for example, with the trefoil plant is delightfully intriguing. She identifies the changing role with three aspects: curriculum, skills and attitudes. Not surprisingly she places more emphasis on the latter. Support, she crucially maintains, is not just about doing but about being. In these harsh times it is nice to be occasionally reminded that quality is more important than quantity in this field.
The Reading Recovery programme in Surrey Education Authority
Authors: WRIGHT ANNA , PRANCE JEAN
Published: May 2007

The Reading Recovery programme has attracted much media attention and elicited Government approval. Anna Wright and Jean Prance are foremost protagonists for this approach and here describe the way the programme operates, its effectiveness, and a detailed case study. Many of the individual techniques will be familiar to the reader but the comprehensive and systematic way in which they are deployed will be less well understood. The gains attributed to the programme cannot be easily ignored and the programme is likely to flourish providing there is commitment to fund its dissemination.
Lend me your watch and I'll tell you the time! Consultancy as research in developing learning support
Authors: HUMPHREYS KEITH , COLLINS PATRICIA
Published: May 2007

The role of support services has never been particularly clear. Most grew simply out of local concerns and developed their own esoteric patterns. Paradoxically, this turned out to be both a strength and weakness. Strong in that it well understands local situations but weak in that it has difficulty in responding to current pressures. The climate suggests that traditional services are extremely vulnerable.

Keith Humphreys and Patricia Collins became involved in a review of one such support service. They describe the strategy deployed in arriving at a consensus as to how professionals might adapt to the contemporary situation. Their “pointers for future action” provide a good starting point for others contemplating such a review of provision.
Special educational needs and initial teacher education: A recent PGCE development
Authors: GARNER PHILIP
Published: May 2007

Those concerned with initial teacher training will find this article helpful. Philip Garner describes an attempt to base a special needs option course wholly within a school. The pressures on postgraduate training are enormous and shortage of time frequently precludes a proper discussion of the interaction between theory and practice. The pattern described here goes some way to resolving this, although Garner is clearly aware of its limitations.
Coloured lenses and the Dex frame: New issues
Authors: FRANCIS MARIE , TAYLOR STEVE , SAWYER CHRIS
Published: May 2007

Last August we introduced our readers to scotopic sensitivity syndrome, a suggested cause of dyslexia. It will be recalled that the treatment of this condition involved wearing coloured lenses or using a coloured perspex sheet to cover the page. The authors of that article found the evidence for the effectiveness of this technique far from conclusive and they urged further research.

This article describes a small‐scale investigation into the same area. The Dex frame, which incorporates coloured filters, has been put to the test. At the end of a trial period the authors conclude that only a very small percentage of pupils is likely to benefit from this approach. The matter is unlikely to simply rest here if only because the debate has unearthed a whole range of visual difficulties hitherto neglected.
English Language 5–14, novel studies and the development of metacomprehension skills
Authors: CURRIE LAURA‐ANN
Published: May 2007

Research into reading has become increasingly concerned with the concept of metacognition and its application to the development of children's reading and comprehension. In parallel with this has been the developing practice within primary schools of using novel studies as a vehicle for introducing ‘higher order reading skills’. Laura‐Ann Currie reviews this and also introduces us to the Scottish Consultative Council on the curriculum document English Language 5–14: Curriculum Assessment in Scotland ‐ A policy for the 90's. Her conclusion is that the novel is indeed an appropriate medium for the development of metacomprehension skills.
LEA support for SEN pupils: Two years on from the 1990 SENNAC survey
Authors: COPELAND IAN , AYLES ROSEMARY , MASON HILARY , POSTLETHWAITE KEITH
Published: May 2007

The Special Educational Needs: National Advisory Council (SENNAC) undertook a survey by questionnaire of local education authority (LEA) support services for meeting special educational needs in 1990. Two years on Ian Copeland and his colleagues have followed this up with extended interviews in a smaller sample of those selfsame LEAs. The speed of change overtaking local authorities in this relatively short time is evidenced here. Proposals made in the SENNAC survey to safeguard special needs provision are clearly ignored in the current legislation. Sadly this represents yet another alarm bell for special needs provision.