School arventure: A design thinking framework for gamified augmented reality mathematics learning for students with intellectual disabilities

The relevance of the study is determined by the growth of digitalization in education and the need to modernize mathematics teaching in special schools in accordance with the needs of students with special educational needs. Under contemporary conditions, the concept of Mathematics 4.0 emphasizes adaptive, personalized, and data-driven instructional models; however, their methodological implementation in special mathematics education remains insufficiently systematized. This necessitates a comprehensive scientific analysis of digital technologies as instruments for improving accessibility, effectiveness, and sustainability of mathematical knowledge formation. The aim of the article is to provide scientific substantiation and systematization of approaches to the formation and development of mathematical knowledge of students with special educational needs in grades 5-6 of special education schools through the use of digital technologies within the framework of the Mathematics 4.0 concept. Research methods included analysis and synthesis of scientific literature in mathematics didactics, special pedagogy, and digital education technologies; system-structural and comparative analysis; didactic modeling; and theoretical generalization of practical experience in the application of digital learning tools in special education settings. The study identified the psychological and pedagogical prerequisites for the acquisition of mathematical knowledge by students with special educational needs in a digitalized educational environment. The didactic possibilities of digital technologies for personalizing learning, step-by-step knowledge formation, and formative assessment were established. The feasibility of using adaptive digital tools as an instrument for the controlled development of mathematical skills has been proven. The main scientific and practical problems of implementing digital technologies have been identified, in particular, the formalization of individualization, limited availability of adapted resources, digital inequality, and insufficient methodological readiness of teachers. The conclusions indicate that the implementation of the Mathematics 4.0 concept in a special school is possible provided that digital technologies are integrated into a comprehensive methodological system with the leading role of the teacher and a focus on the individual learning dynamics of students. The use of digital tools contributes to increasing the effectiveness and practical significance of mathematical knowledge. Prospects for further research include empirical evaluation of Mathematics 4.0 models in special education schools, development of criteria for measuring learning dynamics, and creation of standardized adaptive digital resources for mathematics education.

Assessment practices of special need students have been a concern in the educational system of most countries, especially in Nigeria. The aim of this study is to examine the assessment practice of special need students in special education Schools in Zamfara state, Nigeria. The Survey design was adopted for this study. The population of the study comprised all the 55 teachers (special educators) in the two (2) School for Special Education in Zamfara State, which include School for Special Education Gusau and School for Special Education Gummi. School for Special Education Gusau and School for Special Education Gummi have 37 and 18 teachers respectively. Purposive or judgmental sampling technique was used to select all the 55 teachers of special education schools in Zamfara state from whom, we could gain deep insights and understandings of assessment practices in special schools. The instrument used for data collection is a researcher designed questionnaire namely “Special Educators’ Assessment Practice Questionnaire (SEAPQ)”. The Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics of Weighted Mean and Standard Deviation. The results showed that the components of student assessment practice conducted among special need students are curriculum-based assessments, intelligence Quotient (IQ), Test screening test, academic achievements, developmental assessments and end-of-grade assessments, and the methods of assessment used are formative assessment, summative assessment, speech therapy evaluation/language scales, developmental scales, diagnostic assessment, standardized test and direct observation. The findings also revealed that special educators’ professional competence in choosing assessment methods appropriate for special need students, administering, scoring, and interpreting of their results and recognizing unethical and inappropriate assessment methods are inadequate. Based on these findings, it was recommended that Special educators should be train on all the components of assessments practices that will benefit special needs students learning outcomes.

This study aimed to determine the prevalence and causes of low vision and blindness among students in special education schools (serving children with disabilities, including intellectual disabilities) and blind schools (for students with blindness or visual impairment) in Shanxi Province, China. A cross-sectional investigation was conducted across nine special education schools and two blind schools in Shanxi Province from March to September 2018. Participants underwent comprehensive ophthalmic examinations, including visual acuity (VA) assessment using Lea Symbols or Cardiff Cards, refraction testing, and anterior/posterior segment evaluations. Non-cycloplegic refraction was performed initially, with cycloplegic refraction administered when VA was subnormal for age. Visual impairment was classified according to World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. Demographic and general health data were also collected. The study included 441 children from special schools (mean age: 12.3 ± 3.5 years) and 56 children from blind schools or blind classes within special schools (mean age: 13.0 ± 3.2 years). Among special school students, 44 (10.0%) had visual impairment (mild: 9.1%; moderate: 0.9%), primarily attributable to uncorrected refractive errors (90.7%); 10 cases (2.3%) remained undetermined due to poor compliance. In blind schools/classes, 30 children (53.6%) were classified as blind, 22 (39.3%) as visually impaired (moderate: 28.6%; severe: 8.9%), and 4 (7.1%) as undetermined. Notably, 44.6% of visual impairment cases were avoidable, with nystagmus (25.0%), amblyopia (19.6%), and cataract (8.9%) identified as leading causes. These findings underscore the significant burden of uncorrected refractive errors in special schools and the high prevalence of nystagmus in blind schools. The substantial proportion of avoidable visual impairment highlights the critical need for early screening and targeted interventions to improve visual function for children with disabilities.

Even though Ghana has embraced international calls for mainstream education, many children with intellectual disabilities still receive education in segregated special schools. This article discusses the views of seven informants on the importance of special schools in Ghana. After securing the consent of our informants, we conducted in-depth qualitative interviews, transcribed and subjected the data to thematic analysis. The following views on the education of children with intellectual disabilities in special schools emerged; availability of dedicated teachers, variations in learning activities, playing the preparatory role, inclusion on their premises, discrimination and cultural stereotypes. The findings indicate that special schools still play important roles in the education of children with intellectual disabilities in Ghana.

Editorial: Introduction to Special Section on Evidence-Based Practices for Persons With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Currently, the interest in design thinking in the world has made it possible to add many techniques and visual schemes that can solve various kinds of problems, including for building a strategy to achieve the company’s goals, its corporate spirit and the development of creative skills of its employees. Already today, it is possible to call the merit of design thinking the shift of emphasis in corporate goals to customer orientation, to the mobilization of collective intelligence to solve problems, to understanding the importance of empathy, creativity and entrepreneurship. A comparative analysis of existing design thinking frameworks is given, including from researchers of companies and design centers such as Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford University (d.school), The HPI-Stanford Design Thinking Research Program, Stanford d.school’s Design Thinking framework (IDEO), Google, Intel. Frameworks structure the process of design thinking in 5-6 phases: from empathy, when the needs and requests of consumers are studied, to testing an innovative product or service being created. The place of “design thinking” approach in the general concept of human-centered design is shown. The task of design thinking, the development of innovative products or services focused on human needs, is to provide a solution to a specific problem of a certain target audience. The paper outlines the principles of designing a digital innovative product. The five steps of designing a new product are described and the features of using various visualization techniques are given. The study uses such tools as the “Persona” model, Job Stories and User Stories frameworks. The creating process features of an innovative product based on the integration of design thinking, Lean Startup methodology and the theory of Jobs to Be Done are described. The life cycle of the innovation development “Creation – Evaluation – Training” is presented which is based on the process of validated learning. Changes in the outline of the business model in the lean startup methodology are presented. New segments have been added to the Lean Canvas business model – “Key Partners”, “Key Activities”, “Key Resources”, “Consumer Relations”.

This study aims to investigate differences in perception among Kuwaiti parents, teachers, and employees regarding the services that are needed in different special education settings. The participants (n = 135) included 45 parents of children with intellectual developmental disabilities (IDD), 63 teachers in special education schools, and 27 employees working in the Higher Council of the Disabled. A survey was conducted using Hassan’s (The needs of parents of children with disabilities in relationship with child’s age, gender, and type of disability, 1992) Arabic version of the Family Need Inventory. The findings showed differences in perception among parents, teachers, and employees regarding what they consider to be the most important services for families of children with IDD. Another result showed significant differences in perception among the three groups regarding services (match or/and mismatch of responses), except for 3 out of 35 types of services. Suggestions and implications are discussed to provide information to social service providers to help them evaluate the laws that pertain to disability in Kuwait. The findings of this study will help social service providers determine and implement laws that meet the needs of parents of children with IDD and give them the right to be full partners in their children’s education.

Data about effects of exercise training in adolescents with intellectual disability (ID) are very limited. This study investigated the effect of 2 different frequencies of the same intensity and total training volume of combined exercise training on indices of body composition, physical fitness, and lipid profile in overweight and obese adolescents with ID. A total of 45 overweight and obese adolescents with ID aged 14-22 years with a total IQ 45-70 received combined exercise training 3 times a week (CET3) for 30 sessions (10 weeks; n = 15), twice a week (CET2) for 30 sessions (15 weeks; n = 15), or no training (10 weeks; n = 15). Groups were matched for age, sex, and education form. Before and after the intervention period, indices of body composition, physical fitness and lipid profile have been evaluated. Compared to the control group, CET3 resulted in a significant improvement of physical fitness, obesity indices, and lipid profile of the participants. Comparing CET2 with CET3, no significantly different evolutions were noticed, except for lower limb strength in favor of exercising 3 times a week. In conclusion, exercising 2 times a week, which is more feasible and practical for participants and guidance, has the same health beneficial effects as 3 times per week in overweight and obese adolescents with ID in short-term training.

Executive function is very important in the children's overall development. The goal of this study was to assess the executive function in children with intellectual disability (ID) through the use of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) teacher version. An additional goal was to examine the differences in executive function in relation to child's sex, level and aetiology of ID. The sample consisted of 90 children with ID attending two special education schools in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. There were 42 children with mild ID and 48 children with moderate ID. Of those, 54 were boys and 36 were girls. Children were classified into three etiological categories: 30 children with Down syndrome, 30 children with other genetic cause or organic brain injury and 30 children with unknown aetiology of ID. Special education teachers, who knew the children for at least 6 months filled the BRIEF. Children with ID had a significant deficit in executive function as measured by the BRIEF. There were no statistically significant differences in executive function in relation to the child's sex. Level of ID had a significant effect on executive function. In relation to the aetiology of ID, the only significant difference was on the Shift scale of the BRIEF. Knowing what executive function is most impaired in children with ID will help professionals design better intervention strategies. More attention needs to be given to the assessment of executive function and its subsequent intervention in the school settings.

Background: Design thinking is a human-centered, systematic method for problem-solving. To address gaps in curricula for design thinking and curriculum development for medical students, we created a Design Thinking Workshop in an existing students-as-teachers course. Our intervention aimed to teach learners two things: 1) how to apply design thinking to creatively problem solve; and 2) how to utilize design thinking as a curriculum design framework. The central aim of this innovation was to support this outcome: for learners to design curricula that meets an identified need of their learners during the students-as-teachers course. Methods: This workshop introduced the framework of design thinking and how to use design thinking tools to create curricula. Seventeen students participated and created educational projects using a design thinking approach. We evaluated the workshop using a pre/post student survey and structured rating of projects. Results: After completing the curriculum, students were more confident in identifying gaps in existing curricula and designing educational projects. After the workshop, the student curriculum projects were more likely to address a specific curricular need when compared with the student projects created during the previous year. Discussion: We found that participating in the workshop increased students’ confidence in each step of curriculum development and that, after completing the workshop, more students could design high quality educational projects by addressing a specific learner need. Despite the intervention, many students’ projects were still not “high quality”, and based on this team’s experience, more faculty support as well as near-peer mentorship can increase the quality of projects.

AimsTo study associations between intellectual disability (ID) and sexual and violent offending among individuals subject to pre-trial forensic psychiatric assessment. To investigate sentences following pre-trial forensic psychiatric assessment in offenders with and without ID.MethodsA population-based observational study using data from pre-trial forensic psychiatric assessments in Sweden (1997–2013), the Swedish National Crime Register and several other Swedish national registers. The study population consisted of 7450 offenders (87% men, 13% women) who were subject to forensic psychiatric assessment in 1997–2013, of whom 481 (6.5%) were clinically assessed as having ID.ResultsID offenders were more likely than non-ID offenders to have a sexual crime as an index crime [26.2v. 11.5%, adjusted odds ratio (OR) 2.7, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.02–3.58] as well as previous convictions regarding sexual offending (10.4v. 5.6%, adj OR 2.3, 95% CI 1.70–3.12). These associations were restricted to male offenders; sexual offending was uncommon among women. Comorbid attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder reduced the association between ID and sexual offending (adj OR 2.7v. 3.1,p= 0.017), while comorbid autism spectrum disorder had no significant influence on the association (adj OR 2.7v. 3.0,p= 0.059). Violent crime was equally common among ID and non-ID offenders. Offenders with ID were more likely than non-ID offenders to be sentenced to forensic psychiatric care or community sanctions and measures (such as probation, conditional sentences or fines) than to prison; however, 15% of individuals who received an ID diagnosis during the forensic psychiatric assessment were sentenced to prison. Previous criminal convictions, concurrent antisocial personality disorders and substance use disorders were associated with a higher probability of a prison sentence among offenders with ID.ConclusionsSexual crime is overrepresented among offenders with ID compared to offenders with other mental disorders than ID in forensic psychiatric contexts. ID offenders become subject to forensic psychiatric care and forensic psychiatric services need evidence-based treatment programmes for offenders with ID. In addition, there is a need for early intervention strategies suitable for disability services and special education schools, in order to address the complex needs of individuals with ID and prevent sexual and violent offending.

The present investigation was aimed to study the level of occupational stress among special education school teachers in relation to their gender. Here, a sample of 120 special education school teachers (60 males and 60 females) was selected from 15 special schools of Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan states through simple random, purposive, convenience and cluster sampling methods. The survey questionnaire Occupational Stress Index developed and standardised by Dr. A.K. Shrivastava and Dr. A. P. Singh (1981) was used for measuring levels of occupational stress among special education school teachers. Percentage analysis, t-test were employed for data analysis. A higher percentage of special education school teachers were found to be experiencing moderate to high level of occupational stress. The dimensions which causes occupational stress are role conflict and ambiguity, powerlessness, low autonomy, low participation in decision making, little colleague social support, high professional expectations, less security, facilities, nature of job, prestige, intellectual stimulation, advancement and emolument and contingent punishment by the administrator. Besides, perceived level of occupational was also found to be related to gender of special education school teachers. A significant difference in mean OSI scores of male and female special education school teachers (t=2.45 which is significant at 0.05 level of significance) was found. The higher value of mean OSI scores (i.e. 126.54) of male special education school teachers than the value of mean OSI scores (i.e. 116.72) of female special education school teachers indicated that the male special education school teachers perceives high level of occupational stress at their workplace in comparison with the female special education school teachers.Thus, authority of the institutions, state managing body and personnel engaged with the administration of the special education institutions are advised to give due consideration to the above factors while planning about educational management. If the national desire for higher quality of education is to be brought in reality, there must emerge, a national concern for and commitment to a higher quality of the educational environment of the special education school teachers.

Despite the importance of science in our everyday life, a decline in students’ academic performances and interest towards Biology have been empirically publicized by several researchers. Though multifactorial, misconception remains one of the key factors affecting students’ understanding of concepts, exam grades and interest. Consequently, the literature is gauged with empirical research focusing on the appropriateness of different methods and strategies used to identify and clear students’ misconceptions in Biology. This case study uses a mixed epistemological stance to study the appropriateness of using the DTSICM (Design Thinking Strategy to Identify and Clear Misconceptions) model, underpinned by the Stanford’s design thinking framework, in identifying and clearing the misconception of twelve low-performing students in Biology. The findings revealed that (i) the use of design thinking-based DTSICM approach is efficient in clearing students’ misconceptions, with statistical significance at 5% level ( p>0.05), and (ii) the design thinking approach provide teachers with a formalised, context-driven, needs-based and adaptable pathway to identify and clear misconceptions of students, by engaging through the five decisive stages of the design thinking framework, namely ‘emphasize’, ‘define’, ‘ideate’, ‘prototype’ and test’.

Background Power asymmetries between global health actors based in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) and those based in High-Income Countries persist. Often actors in low-resource settings are seen solely as implementers of projects designed in High-Income Countries and are often not involved in the decision-making. To tackle the problem of power imbalances, a human-centered framework of design thinking was used for inclusive strategy development. This paper discusses how design thinking was used as a framework for the co-creation of Operation Smile Malawi’s (OSM) long-term strategy in a collaborative environment with in-country and international partners. Methods The strategic planning process included a situation analysis, priority setting workshop and participant feedback. A four-question design thinking framework was used to frame the three-day priority setting sessions; ‘what is’, ‘what if’, ‘what wows’, and ‘what works’. Design thinking tools that were used during the priority setting workshop included; visualization, journey mapping, mind mapping, brainstorming and concept development. At the end of the priority-setting sessions, an e-survey was used to assess the participants’ understanding and perception of the use of design thinking for strategic planning. Results The product of the process was a long-term strategy with goals, activities and strategies that were understood and agreed upon by all stakeholders. The post-workshop e-survey revealed that all participants responded that the design thinking process fostered team spirit during the entire process. The design thinking process also made the strategic planning workshop more productive and enabled participants to incorporate their own ideas into the five-year strategy. Furthermore, participants reported learning something outside their area of expertise. Conclusions As global health organizations increasingly recognize the need for equitable partnerships in the design and implementation of global health programs, the human-centred approach of design thinking can be used to create open and collaborative program design.

Design Thinking embraces challenges, and re-frames problems into opportunities for positive change. Design thinking is interdisciplinary and can be applied to a myriad of situations. There are multiple models of Design Thinking but one of the more popular ones has come out of the d.school at Stanford University (Costa, 2017). This thesis uses Qualitative data which has been collected through multiple research projects. Through exploratory means, I will evaluate the data that is presented in the research studies already conducted to help understand the issue of Design Thinking within education, as it stands today. I will be looking for similarities in findings through the different studies, as well as working to create an educated hypothesis to help propose future data collection and form a curriculum which supports design thinking as a learning aid. Design Thinking can be compared to the scientific method, however it is tailored to the design field and interdisciplinary practices. It is a methodology which helps designers identify the correct problem, ideate creative solutions and prototype and test these new ideas. This system can be learned and adapted by educators into their curriculums to help reach the 21st century student, and prepare them for the jobs of the future. Inter-disciplinary design and group collaboration has become essential in large companies and successful businesses. Which is why in a rapidly changing world it is important to fluidly remodel our approach to education. This thesis proposes that by teaching the Design Thinking framework in a "designerly" manner young students will more likely become well rounded human centered innovators. And more importantly, go on to work collaboratively with positive global change in mind. Teaching this framework to an age group that is rapidly cognitively developing (adolescence) it may help with their problem solving and problem framing abilities. Adolescence is a developmental phase when the brain is changing the way a person thinks and relates to themselves in direct correlation to their environment and their peers. According to brain research and MRI studies, the frontal cortex and amygdala both responsible for decision making and emotional responses are developing at a very fast rate during adolescence. For this reason, there is inherent justification for teaching effective and creative problem solving in a time when they are forming their decision making skills and are most at risk for problem behaviors. Through making courses available that encourage innovation and surveying student responses to Design Thinking and how it impacts their decision making, we can begin to understand the positive change. A few studies on this subject have already been done, however more research is needed to evaluate how design thinking can be applied across the curriculum, and a rigorous inquiry into how we think and why design can help. I will explore the existing research studies that have been conducted around the topic of how Design Thinking can affect the learner. The purpose is to propose the positive impact that teaching design problem solving to adolescents can have. In the studies presented there has been quantitative data that exhibits positive growth and development as a result of students being involved with creative thinking processes. Through using control groups and surveying student responses to Design Thinking and how it impacts their decision making, we can begin to understand the whether or not there are legitimate correlations.