Jokitalo-Trebs M1, Stepanoff J2, Leskelä J2, Lehtonen K3, Jeglinsky-Kankainen I4, Piirainen A5
1Valteri Centre for Learning and Consulting, Ruskis, Rehabilitation, Helsinki, Finland, 2Laurea University of Applied Sciences, Espoo, Finland, 3Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, Helsinki, Finland, 4Arcada University of Applied Sciences, Helsinki, Finland, 5University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
Background: Education and rehabilitation should be seen as parallel processes for children and youth with special needs in a school environment. Still physiotherapy and other rehabilitation interventions are easily kept separate from the pupils´ learning processes. Interprofessional collaboration is needed. Three Universities of Applied Sciences and University of Jyväskylä, all providing studies of physical therapy in Finland, have worked in collaboration to find unique ways to meet the changing needs of future practise within the school environment. Valteri Centre for Learning and Consulting has participated as a work life represent.
Purpose: The primary purpose was to promote functioning and learning for pupils with special needs. Secondary aim was to investigate how professionals and pupils with special needs understand physiotherapy guidance and teaching and to develop participation-based approaches in a rehabilitation framework.
Methods: The methodological approach was metasynthesis. The data consisted of three published studies and six developmental studies from the same context during 2016-2017. The data from the three studies consisted of 23 pupils and 24 professionals (therapist, teacher, counsellors). The data were 1620 min videotapes, 270 min interviews (45 pages) and 212 pages of text. The data of the developmental participation-based studies was collected among 52 pupils and 12 professionals. The results from the different studies were metasynthesized into key themes in order to form main perspectives for promoting functioning and learning for pupils with special needs.
Results: Five key themes promoting learning and functioning were found:
1) multilevel support of the agency of pupil's
2) quality of interaction
3) goal directed activity,
4) child-centred working methods and
5) co-operation of experts.
These perspectives enhance the participation of the pupils and affect their motivational climate most.
Conclusion(s): Results confirmed the meaningfulness of bridging; a way of guidance where pupils with special needs learn connections between learning situations and everyday activities. More scientific effort and implementations are needed to work towards congruence between education and rehabilitation as a fundamental basis of pedagogical and health policy in the context of children and youth with special needs.
Implications: Based on the results few practice recommendations emerged for the support of pedagogical reasoning and rehabilitation. Physiotherapists have an important role in guiding functional competence during the everyday-life at school. This study enhances understanding of the importance of combining learning and rehabilitation.
Keywords: Pedagogical framework, rehabilitation, pupils with special needs
Funding acknowledgements: No funding
Purpose: The primary purpose was to promote functioning and learning for pupils with special needs. Secondary aim was to investigate how professionals and pupils with special needs understand physiotherapy guidance and teaching and to develop participation-based approaches in a rehabilitation framework.
Methods: The methodological approach was metasynthesis. The data consisted of three published studies and six developmental studies from the same context during 2016-2017. The data from the three studies consisted of 23 pupils and 24 professionals (therapist, teacher, counsellors). The data were 1620 min videotapes, 270 min interviews (45 pages) and 212 pages of text. The data of the developmental participation-based studies was collected among 52 pupils and 12 professionals. The results from the different studies were metasynthesized into key themes in order to form main perspectives for promoting functioning and learning for pupils with special needs.
Results: Five key themes promoting learning and functioning were found:
1) multilevel support of the agency of pupil's
2) quality of interaction
3) goal directed activity,
4) child-centred working methods and
5) co-operation of experts.
These perspectives enhance the participation of the pupils and affect their motivational climate most.
Conclusion(s): Results confirmed the meaningfulness of bridging; a way of guidance where pupils with special needs learn connections between learning situations and everyday activities. More scientific effort and implementations are needed to work towards congruence between education and rehabilitation as a fundamental basis of pedagogical and health policy in the context of children and youth with special needs.
Implications: Based on the results few practice recommendations emerged for the support of pedagogical reasoning and rehabilitation. Physiotherapists have an important role in guiding functional competence during the everyday-life at school. This study enhances understanding of the importance of combining learning and rehabilitation.
Keywords: Pedagogical framework, rehabilitation, pupils with special needs
Funding acknowledgements: No funding
Topic: Disability & rehabilitation; Education
Ethics approval required: No
Institution: N/A
Ethics committee: N/A
Reason not required: This study addresses new and unique developments in practice.
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
