Highlighted Session: Screening children for disabilities: a review of tools, evidence, and implementation practices

Group Submission Type: Highlighted Paper Session

Proposal

There are an estimated 240 million children with disabilities worldwide. Though education systems across the world may not adequately support children of all learning abilities, efforts are being made to change these systems to better include all learners- not just those who are ‘able-bodied’. Among the many facets of making this shift, the need for better data on children with disabilities is key for making better policy decisions that support them. To that end screening practices play a role of considerable importance in the foundation of systems that can provide support to all learners.
However, challenges exist around screening and identifying learners with disabilities within education systems. Should these screenings focus on medical definitions of disability or consider social systems and practices that may inhibit individuals as well? How accurate are current screening tools? Once an individual has been identified as disabled or having a functional difficulty, how might one assess the learning environment for how it can support this individual? And to whom is this data available?
This panel will offer evidence and insight from four organizations and institutions working to answer these key questions and provide programming that supports all learners. UNICEF and the Washington Group on Disability Statistics (WG) will share findings from tests of the Child Functioning Module (CFM) and Inclusive Education Module (IEM). These screening tools aim to identify learners with functional difficulties and evaluate social and structural supports for learners within and outside of school environments. School-to-School International will put forward results and lessons learned from a validity study examining a teacher version of the CFM in Nepal. Humanity & Inclusion (HI) will describe application of screening tools in the Reading for All program in Nepal, which aims to improve reading outcomes for children with disabilities in grades 1–3. Finally, Inclusive Development Partners will present conclusions on screening efforts in Nepal and Cambodia from the Multi-Country Study of Inclusive Education (MCSIE), a formative evaluation of USAID’s inclusive education programs there.

Sub Unit

• Inclusive Education SIG

Chair

• Anne Laesecke, School-to-School International (STS)

Individual Presentations

• Validating tools for identifying disabilities in learners: lessons learned and ideas for improvement - Anne Laesecke, School-to-School International (STS); Aimee Reeves

• Examining how and why we screen for disability in education: Lessons learned from the Multi-Country Study on Inclusive Education (MCSIE) - Valerie Karr, Inclusive Development Partners

Discussant

• Julia de Kadt, Sightsavers