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Higher education institutions play a crucial role in advancing sustainable development goals. They bear the responsibility of informing and encouraging all stakeholders, including faculty members, students, and industry partners, to collaborate towards achieving these goals. While many universities are integrating Sustainable Development Goals into their operations and educational programs, there is an increasing need to establish collaborative platforms with private sectors and non-governmental organizations to further champion this agenda. Educating the future workforce is a key responsibility of these institutions, and they should actively raise students' awareness of these goals, enabling them to develop competencies related to sustainability. This study aims to explore how higher education institutions can effectively raise awareness of sustainable development goals. In addition, the research contributes to the literature by presenting a curriculum designed in a Turkish higher education institution to foster awareness of sustainable development goals. The findings hold the potential to significantly enrich existing literature on awareness-raising practices and the promotion of sustainability strategies, extending beyond higher education institutions to organizations at large.

It is considered necessary to support the participation of children socially, and media tools having a significant effect on individuals today should reflect child participation. The aim of this study was to examine the right to participate in cartoons prepared for primary school children. The study was conducted with a descriptive survey model. The sample of this study was determined by criterion sampling and consists of a total of 10 cartoons on the TRT Children's channel for primary school children. The data were collected with a checklist and were analysed with descriptive analysis. As a result of the research, it was determined that in the cartoons, child-led participation was the most common level of participation, while collaborative participation was the least common. Furthermore, it was determined that the qualities of participation in cartoons were mostly related, voluntary and respectful and the safe and sensitive to risk were the least.

This article describes the author's experience as a specialist working at a nature-based sleepaway camp for children and their families in Antalya Geyikbayiri. The camp was organized by a psychotherapist and three expert instructors to enhance the connections between parents and children, other children and parents present, and with the natural world, enabling everyone to gain different perspectives. The workshops are diverse and include activities such as nature discovery walks, awareness activities in nature, music sessions, philosophy workshops, movement exercises, circus arts, creative arts, storytelling, and rock climbing. With the support of natural settings throughout the different philosophy workshops, the participants gain insights into their perspectives on specific subjects, recognize beliefs accepted without much contemplation, understand their thought patterns, identify contradictions, and explore the possibilities of thinking differently. Their opinions may evolve, becoming clearer, more uncertain, or even changing altogether through interacting with other participants, the examples and counterexamples they provide, and the questions posed by the instructors and participants.

This study examines the association between the boarding protection/care service models offered by the General Directorate of Social Services and Child Protection Agency and the behavioral and emotional problems children and adolescents under protection or care. The relational scanning model guided the preparation of the study sample. The study's scope included an analysis of 296 children and adolescents aged 4 to 18 who needed protection or care. Various service models benefit the kids, including children's homes, orphanages, and nursery schools. Data collection tools included the Personal Information form, the Scale of Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 4-18, and the Scale of Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 6-18. The software program used Mann Whitney and Kruskall Wallis test procedures to examine the study data. It has been noted that the behavioral and emotional disorders of children and adolescents receiving protection or care exhibit notable variations in the number of children in the family (p<0.05), the reasons for placement under protection or care (p<0.05), the kind of service model received (p<0.05), and the length of time the current service model has been assisting (p<0.05). Furthermore, it is noted that the kind of service model used has correlations with age (p<0.05), gender (p<0.05), the reason (p<0.05) for being placed under protection or care, and the length of time (p<0.05) that the person has benefitted from the present service model. The results are evaluated in light of the relevant literature covered.

Integrating internationalized songs into English language teaching has emerged as a dynamic strategy to ignite students' interest and enhance their language proficiency. This article comprehensively explores internationalized songs' significance in language education. A central focus lies on a detailed case study that demonstrates how the expertise of a Turkish musician was leveraged to select and that of field experts to translate and refine a local children's song for educational purposes. The study meticulously details the collaborative efforts among educators to tailor the song's content to meet language learning objectives, highlighting the transformative potential of such initiatives in the English language classroom. By immersing themselves in this practical example, educators can gain invaluable insights into the versatility of internationalized songs as effective tools for language instruction, thereby enhancing their teaching practices. Furthermore, the article underscores the importance of incorporating cultural elements into language teaching materials to foster intercultural competence among students. Educators can create immersive learning experiences that promote linguistic proficiency, cultural awareness, and appreciation by integrating internationalised songs.

Self concept is an experiential formation gained as a result of certain experiences. The concept of self-concept has an interesting intersection with the psychological field of humour. The aim of the study is to examine the relationship between the humor styles and self-perceptions of primary school 4th grade students and to conduct the validity-reliability study of the humor styles measurement tool. The study group of the research was carried out with 525 students attending the 4th grade of primary school. "Humor Styles Questionnaire for Young Children" (HSQ-Y) and "Self-Perception Profile for Children" (CIBAP) were used as data collection tools. In the analysis of the research, first of all, the validity-reliability study of the humor styles questionnaire was conducted and the correlational scanning method of the general scanning model was used to examine the relationship between humor styles and self-perceptions of primary school students. In the results of the research; The humor styles questionnaire was found to be valid and reliable. In the relationship between; The sub-dimension of the humor styles questionnaire reveals the positive and significant relationship of the "participatory humor style" with all the sub-dimensions of the self-perception profile for children, and the "self-enhancing humor style" with the sub-dimension of "social acceptance". In the study, it was also observed that "aggressive humor style" was negatively related to "educational competence", "behavioral management", "social acceptance" "general self-worth" sub-dimensions, and "self-destructive humor style" was negatively related to "athletic competence" sub-dimensions.

This study aimed to determine the experiences of gifted children with autism spectrum disorder, their parents, and teachers with the COVID-19 pandemic and holistically reveal the reflections of the restrictions in this process and the transition to distance education on the lives and especially the education of gifted children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The study was designed with a phenomenological research design, one of the qualitative research methods. The study participants were gifted children with ASD, aged between 6-14 and continuing their education through inclusion, their parents and teachers. The research data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed in detail by interpretive phenomenological analysis. As a result of the data analysis, two themes, "The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on life" and "Distance education and its impacts in the COVID-19 process", and 12 categories were reached. Recommendations were presented in line with the study findings and the literature.

Blind adults display language-specificity in their packaging and ordering of events in speech. These differences affect the representation of events in "co-speech gesture"--gesturing with speech--but not in "silent gesture"--gesturing without speech. Here we examine when in development blind children begin to show adult-like patterns in co-speech and silent gesture. We studied speech and gestures produced by 30 blind and 30 sighted children learning Turkish, equally divided into 3 age groups: 5-6, 7-8, 9-10 years. The children were asked to describe three-dimensional spatial event scenes (e.g., running out of a house) first with speech, and then without speech using only their hands. We focused on physical motion events, which, in blind adults, elicit cross-linguistic differences in speech and co-speech gesture, but cross-linguistic similarities in silent gesture. Our results showed an effect of language on gesture when it was accompanied by speech (co-speech gesture), but "not" when it was used without speech (silent gesture) across both blind and sighted learners. The language-specific co-speech gesture pattern for both packaging and ordering semantic elements was present at the earliest ages we tested the blind and sighted children. The silent gesture pattern appeared later for blind children than sighted children for both packaging and ordering. Our findings highlight gesture as a robust and integral aspect of the language acquisition process at the early ages and provide insight into when language does and does "not" have an effect on gesture, even in blind children who lack visual access to gesture.

This study investigated children's and adolescents' reasoning about intergroup exclusion based on social class from educational opportunities in Türkiye. The role of children's and adolescents' perceived contact with friends from different socioeconomic backgrounds on their evaluations of exclusion and personal solutions to the exclusion was also examined. Participants (N = 270) included 142 children (8-10 years old, M[subscript age] = 9.80; SD = 0.82; 53.5% girls) and 128 adolescents (14-16 years old, M[subscript age] = 15.46; SD = 0.91, 61.7% girls) from lower (N = 144) and higher (N = 126) socioeconomic backgrounds. Results showed that while most participants viewed social class-based exclusion as wrong, adolescents were more likely to view it as wrong than were children. Adolescents from lower SES approached social class-based exclusion as less acceptable than did adolescents from higher SES who referred to expectations about conformity to authority and the status quo. Moderation analyses showed that for adolescents from higher SES, higher perceived contact with friends from lower SES was associated with decreased acceptability of exclusion and increased motivation to provide equity.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the variables that may affect treatment continuation in children aged 6 to 12 years who were newly diagnosed with ADHD. Methods: A total of 132 children diagnosed with ADHD and their parents participated in the study. Sociodemographic and clinical risk factors affecting continuation of treatment were examined using logistic regression analysis. Results: Multiple model examination revealed that greater age increased the risk of treatment discontinuation 1.824 times (p = 0.003) while a lower total length of paternal education increased the risk of discontinuation (1/0.835) 1.198 times (p = 0.022). Other variables emerging as significant in the univariate model lost that significance in the multiple model. Conclusions: Understanding the variables associated with medication discontinuation in ADHD in different populations and taking these variables into account in the development of health policies, will be useful in improving the long-term devastating effects of the disorder.

This study was conducted to measure the digital parenting awareness, attitude and self-efficacy perceptions of parents of children with special needs and to determine whether they differ according to the disability status of their children. A total of 180 parents of children with special needs from various regions of Turkey participated in the study. This study was conducted using a relational screening model. Data were collected using digital parenting awareness, attitude and self-efficacy perception scales and analysed using descriptive and correlational statistical methods. The findings revealed that parents had moderate levels of awareness, positive attitudes and self-efficacy perceptions regarding digital parenting, but these variables showed significant differences according to the disability status of the children. In particular, parents of children with learning disabilities had higher digital parenting awareness than parents of other disability groups. In addition, a positive and significant relationship was found between parents' digital parenting awareness, attitudes and self-efficacy perception. The findings of this study are important and contribute to both the practical and theoretical perspectives. In applicable terms, this study revealed the needs and expectations of parents of children with special needs regarding digital parenting. Theoretically, this is a rare study that examines the situation and experiences of parents with children with special needs in digital parenting. This study emphasizes the need for further research on digital parenting.

This research aims to analyze the views of parents of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) regarding their burnout using a meta-synthesis method. A total of 456 articles published between 2010 and 2023, using qualitative methodologies, were analyzed, examining 10 studies. Google Scholar, DergiPark, ERIC, EBSCO, EBCSCO Academic Search Ultimate, Elsevier, SCOPUS, Web of Science (WOS), and Wiley databases were used for study selection. The subject headings and keywords used in the searches were: 'autism spectrum disorder, parent, family, burnout, child, perspective, qualitative research. Content analysis was the preferred method during the data analysis. Using content analysis, the sampling methods, research purposes, data collection tools, and results obtained in the studies were examined. The identified data were interpreted based on frequency and occasionally presented using tables and graphs. The findings were categorized under identified themes based on the collected data. The studies examined within the scope of the research were evaluated as a whole, and five themes were reached: getting support, isolation, disruption of daily routine, anxiety, and emotional outbursts. The study's conclusions also provide recommendations for educators, parents, and future research directions.

This study assessed the effectiveness of a program aimed at improving the early numeracy skills of students with moderate intellectual disability. The persistence of the acquired skills and the program's impact on learning were monitored. Feedback from the students and their mothers was also gathered. Using a multiple-probe design across subjects, the results were visually presented through graphical analysis. Three male students aged 8-9 years participated. After obtaining high-reliability findings from reliability analyses, results showed the program effectively increased students' number skills with a high effect size. These skills persisted post-intervention, and both students and mothers expressed positive views of the intervention.

This study aims to develop a valid and reliable assessment tool for the assessment of safety skills of individuals with intellectual disabilities, examine the effectiveness of the Safety Skills Instruction Program (SSIP) in teaching safety skills to these individuals, determine the preservation of skills after instruction by observation, and determine the views of parents and students respecting the teaching of safety skills. This research is designed in an explanatory sequential design, which is one of the mixed research methods. The examination of the construct validity process has indicated that the Safety Skills Test (SST) has a structure of four factors. 540 individuals with intellectual disabilities participated in the development of the measurement tool, and 32 individuals with intellectual disabilities participated in the implementation of the curriculum. It is determined that the level of safety skills of the students with mild intellectual disabilities who have attended the instruction is higher than the ones who have not attended, according to the mean ranks. It is found that the safety skills of students are preserved at a rate of 85-85%, according to the observation data gathered one week later. According to the result of the interview data, students and parents feel pleased about the instruction and think that the skills have been learned to a large extent.

Families with children with autism face many sociological, psychological, socio-psychological, economic, and educational problems, especially trauma. Families living in a very fragile affect complain about the society's point of view towards them and that these perspectives cannot be explained correctly by many branches of science and art, especially literature. However, every right and appropriate step taken is very important to them, and they become unhappy and hopeless when faced with a contrary situation. Autism has been the subject of numerous films. Some of them have had a great impact, while others have disappeared into popular culture. When it comes to the relationship between music and cinema, as much as the scenario, the actors and the characters they reflect, it is also important whether the verbal or non-verbal music reflects the problem to be told. Especially the lyrics have a different meaning and importance. In film analysis, it is emphasized what the film tells, how and why? How does the film present itself and does this presentation match the problem to be told, but it can only be answered with a serious film analysis. One of the main questions of this research is whether the movie "Music", which has turned into a very colourful, visual feast, and most importantly, was shown in the cinemas with the claim that it reflects autism, could really cure those who are suffering. In the study, sociology, perception, autism, aesthetics, criticism, film analysis, cinema and music were mentioned, and the film "music" was tried to be analyzed sociologically and semiotically. The data in the study were obtained from the members of the "Autism and Music Society", who came together for the first time in our country, through a structured interview form from families whose children have autism and who want to participate in the study voluntarily. Content analysis technique was also used in the study based on qualitative, descriptive, scanning model. It is thought that the study will be a source for related research, is original and will contribute to the field. [The publication year (2022) shown on the PDF is incorrect. The correct publication year is 2023.]

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between positive and negative childhood experiences, forgiveness and social exclusion experiences of individuals in adolescence. The research was carried out using the relational survey technique, one of the quantitative research methods. The participants of the study consisted of middle school and high school students (n=669), 354 girls and 315 boys, aged between 11 and 17, in the fall semester of the 2021-2022 academic year. The data collection tools employed within the study are: Personal Information Form, Adolescent Ostracism (Social exclusion) Scale to measure the social exclusion levels of the participants, Childhood Happiness/Peace Memories Scale to measure their positive experience levels, Childhood Experiences Scale to measure their negative experience levels, and Forgiveness Scale for Adolescents to measure their tendency to forgive. For the analysis of the data, SPSS 26.00 package program was utilized and descriptive analysis, correlation, and multiple regression analysis were conducted. As a result of the data analysis, it was observed that exclusion dimension within the social exclusion scale has a higher mean score than the disregarding dimension, exclusion dimension features higher significance, the social exclusion experiences of the adolescents differ significantly in favor of the female adolescents in the neglected dimension.

The aim of this study is to examine the educational evaluation and diagnosis process of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study, which was implemented in the Guidance and Research Center (GRC) in Dulkadiroglu District of Kahramanmaras in 2019, was carried out with participants consisting of two administrators, seven teachers and seven parents with children with ASD. The research adopts the phenomenological approach, which is one of the qualitative research methods. Interview techniques were used in accordance with this model. The findings obtained from the data analyzed with content analysis were explained with six themes as medical diagnosis, ambient, personnel competence, measurement tools, individuals with ASD and parents. Difficulties in the evaluation process of children with ASD in GRC are stated as evaluation based on medical diagnosis, lack of diagnostic authority of GRCs, not communicating with individuals with ASD before evaluation, uniform assessment environment, instant evaluation. In addition, it was stated that the inexperience of the staff about ASD and the insufficient knowledge of using measurement tools negatively affected the evaluation process. The suggestions of the participants to improve the process were not to make evaluations based on medical diagnosis, to communicate with individuals with ASD before the evaluation, to diversify the evaluation environments and to extend the time, and to enrich the observations with various environments. Increasing personnel competence with in-service training, planning in undergraduate programs, developing a measurement tool for individuals with ASD, shortening the waiting period for families and facilitating appointment were among the suggestions.

The aim of the study was to describe the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of Juvenile Arthritis Functional Assessment Report (JAFAR) in children/adolescents with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA). Sixty-nine children/adolescents with JIA were included in the study. JAFAR(TR)-Child and Parent forms were applied to the patients with JIA and to their parents for test retest at one-week intervals, the patients did not receive additional treatment and his/her pharmacological treatment did not change for that week. Test-retest reliability was evaluated by intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), and internal consistency reliability of multi-item subscales was evaluated by calculating Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Correlations between JAFAR(TR)-Child and Parent with the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 3.0. Module Arthritis (PedsQL), the Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire (CHAQ), and the Juvenile Arthritis Disease Activity Score (JADAS) were evaluated to determine construct validity. The ICC value for the test/retest reliability of JAFAR(TR)-Child was 0.963 and of JAFAR(TR)-Parent was 0.576. JAFAR(TR)-Child total score had low to moderate correlations with PedsQL Child (r=-0.34; p=0.004), CHAQ (r=0.40; p=0.001), and JADAS total score (r=0.42; p=0.000). JAFAR(TR)-Parent total score had moderate to high correlations with PedsQL Parent (r=-0.55; p=0.000), CHAQ (r=0.72; p=0.000) and JADAS total score (r=0.53; p=0.000). The Turkish version of JAFAR was found to be clinically valid and reliable in JIA.

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of technology-supported sexual abuse prevention training provided to children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In addition, the social validity of the research was investigated based on the opinions of the mothers of the children participating in the research. The study was conducted with 4 male subjects with ASD between the ages of 8-13. A multiple probe design with probe conditions across subjects, one of the single-subject research models, was used in the study. Based on the findings regarding the effectiveness of the intervention it was concluded that technology-supported sexual abuse prevention training was effective in teaching sexual abuse prevention knowledge and skills to children with ASD. At the knowledge level, all subjects learnt the names of private body parts, the places where underwear can be removed, and the concepts of good and bad touch and at the skill level, they learnt to say "No" and leave the setting and to report the situation to a trusted person. It was also observed that all subjects maintained the target knowledge and skills and generalized them to different instruments, settings and people 2, 4 and 8 weeks after the end of instructional sessions. The social validity findings of the study showed that the mothers of the subjects expressed positive opinions about the study.

The current era is one of the periods in human history when the phenomenon of migration is at its highest level. Individuals leave the countries they live in and settle in different countries for economic, security or different demographic reasons. Like all Western European countries, Switzerland has provided labour force from countries such as Turkey to complete the manpower deficit. The aim of this research is to get the opinions of parents who are currently in the 2nd and 3rd generation about their children's education. The research was designed as a case study. The data were collected in the Canton of Basel, Switzerland in 2023 with a questionnaire/interview form developed by Ari (2007) and updated for this research. In this case study with 77 individuals living in the canton of Basel, Switzerland, it is seen that parents are satisfied with the Swiss educational institutions, they are not concerned about the integration and success of their children, but they are afraid that their children will lose their language, cultural and religious values. The greatest expectation from Turkish educational institutions is in this direction.

This study aims to descriptively analyze the studies on multiple disabilities in Türkiye between 2008 and 2022. The data of the research were searched in Anadolu University Library, Google Scholar, and Higher Education Institution Thesis databases with the keywords multiple disability, multiple disabilities, and additional disability. In this context, 15 postgraduate thesis studies and 17 articles were included in the research. The studies included in the study were analyzed under themes such as the year they were published, the university where the study took place, the keywords of the study, the method of the study, the design, the data collection technique/tool, and data analysis method, the journal in which the study was published and its index. As a result of the descriptive analysis, more adjustments were made to the qualitative research method, design, data collection technique, and paper clips. The studies used several studies in which individuals with multiple disabilities were participants in addition to those with visual impairments. The studies were carried out within the body of Gazi University. The studies have been published in journals that are extensively scanned in the ESCI index. At the end of the research, forward-looking suggestions are presented.

This study aims to establish a Turkish version of the Children's Inventory of Anger Scale (ChIA) developed by Nelson and Finch (2000) to evaluate the intensity of anger experienced in potentially anger-provoking situations in children. The research sample consists of 502 primary and secondary school students attending their education in Hatay province of Turkiye. In the study, the construct validity of the ChIA, correlations of subscales with each other, criterion relative validity, Cronbach's alpha internal consistency, item-total score correlation, and test-retest reliability coefficients were examined. As a result of the confirmatory factor analysis performed for the construct validity of the scale, it was observed that the ChIA was compatible in four sub-dimensions as in the original scale and all items were placed in the relevant sub-scale. In addition, Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the ChIA was found to be 0.87, 0.78, 0.82, 0.75, and 0.81 for the sub-scales of inhibition, physical aggression, peer relations, and authority relations, respectively; test-retest consistency was found to be 0.83, 0.80, 0.82, 0.87 and 0.81 for inhibition, physical aggression, peer relations, and authority subscales, respectively. Statistical analyses of the ChIA have shown that it is a valid and reliable scale that can be used to measure the expression of anger and the impact of anger on personal relationships while assessing specific situations that cause anger in children aged 8-11 years.

The goals for the study were threefold. One was to screen for traumatic experiences and challenging behaviors in children who live in an at-risk, deprived environment in Eastern Türkiye. Using a projective technique, second goal was to explore how children in such an environment experienced trauma. Finally, the third aim of the study was to explore the relationship between traumatic experiences and challenging behaviors. The mixed technique, which uses both qualitative and quantitative research methods, was used in the present study. The traumatic screening inventory was distributed to the parents to screen for a range of traumatic events the children had experienced. The data about challenging behaviors of the children was obtained using the "Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire". Finally, children completed three unfinished short stories containing elements representing the risk factors of the region during one-on-one interviews. Ninety-five children living in an eastern Turkish city participated in the study, and the results showed that children's responses to story completion indicating high trauma were positively associated with challenging behaviors. Specifically, children's traumatic responses were associated with high levels of emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity, and peer problems.

The aim of this study is to examine perceived social support and levels of happiness in mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder. The study group of the research consists of 30 mothers providing primary care to 30 subjects (5 girls and 25 boys) aged 7-25 attending the Armagan Dönertas Handicapped Children Education and Rehabilitation Application and Research Centre of Trakya University, and who were in the autism spectrum disorder group according to the DSM-5 criteria. In line with the purpose of the study, the participants were asked to respond to the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, whose Turkish validity and reliability study was conducted by Dogan and Akinci-Çötok (2011), and the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire, whose Turkish validity and reliability study was carried out by Arkar and Yaldiz (2001). Based on the findings of the study, it was determined that the highest perception of social support was for Family Support. Furthermore, when evaluated in terms of standard deviations, it was determined that there was a more homogeneous distribution in this dimension compared to the others. It was seen that the distributions in the other dimensions were slightly above the mean. Considering the distribution of the happiness questionnaire, it was determined that the distribution was close to the mean. Moreover, it was determined that the minimum score was 77 and that the maximum score that could be obtained from the scale was 139, not 174. It was seen that the distribution was in the range of 62 points and remained within a limited structure. The findings of the study show that there was no significant relationship between the items of Happiness and Perceived Social Support. It is predicted that mothers' levels of happiness will increase by benefitting from professional social support resources and services provided by social care experts.

This qualitative research aims to examine mothers' perception of social participation and their practices to improve their children's social participation skills. The research was designed following the phenomenology method, one of the qualitative research models. This was based on the idea that mothers with close relationships to their children have a more significant impact. The study involved 12 volunteer mothers, data were collected using a semi-structured interview form. The data obtained from the interviews were presented in the form of themes, categories, and codes. Additionally, direct quotations are included to provide a detailed view of the observations and experiences of the mothers. The study findings reveal that mothers' perceptions of social participation and their efforts to improve their children's social participation skills were categorized under the headings of "political literacy" and "community service. "The majority of mothers tend to explain social participation through the lens of political literacy. Consequently, they primarily encourage community service practices to enhance their children's social participation skills. Only a few mothers have attempted to explain social participation and their efforts to enhance their children's social participation skills in terms of collective action. The study's findings revealed that while mothers understood the concept of social participation, their practices predominantly focused on a single dimension, namely community service. It has been determined that mothers need to be informed about political literacy dimension of social participation to enhance their children's social participation skills.

Multicultural education is the key to the development process of culture of living together, emphasising human rights. In the legal sense, the study underlines the importance of school social work practices in terms of ensuring Syrian children to have unrestricted access to education in addition to providing them with equal opportunity in education. In the light of those practices, the motivation of the study is to discover social work academics' perceptions of the path to multicultural education in Turkey and recommendations on how to integrate it into the current educational structure. For this purpose, in-depth interviews were conducted with ten social workers who took part in the "School Social Work Project". The education structure in Turkey, the attitude towards Syrians, the problems experienced by Syrian individuals and their perspectives on education are summarized as risk factors that affect the participation of Syrian children in education. This study emphasises the importance of establishing cooperation with teachers and nongovernmental organisations. With this cooperation, it seems possible to develop multicultural education by integrating the human focus of social work. Therefore, the use of development resources and social work resources together in the context of school social work practices will provide the change that will show the way to multicultural education. The findings point to recommendations such as ensuring family-teacher interaction, adding classes on culture of living together, and integrating non-governmental organisations systematically in the process of multicultural education.

In the current study, we aimed to investigate the mediating roles of paternal self-efficacy and relationship quality as serial mediators in associations with sexist attitudes and paternal involvement. For that purpose, a total of 420 married adult Turkish men with at least one child between the ages 4 and 10 participated, and the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory, Child-Oriented Sexist Attitude Scale, Parenting Sense of Competence Scale, Positive-Negative Relationship Quality Scale, Inventory of Father Involvement, and Personal Information Form were administered. Following the testing of six different serial mediation models, it came to light that a) paternal self-efficacy and relationship quality (both positive and negative aspects) were found to mediate the relationship between benevolent sexism and paternal involvement and b) paternal self-efficacy and relationship quality (both positive and negative aspects) were found to mediate the relationship between gender-biased attitudes towards the child and paternal involvement. The research findings are discussed in the context of relevant literature.

Emotion regulation is one of the important skills helping children and parents to deal with stressful conditions within the family context during the pandemic. We aimed to investigate whether mothers' emotion regulation strategies before COVID-19 and their COVID-19-related anxiety would predict children's sadness regulation during the pandemic with a longitudinal design. A total of 310 children, aged 7-17, and their mothers from Türkiye participated in the current study. Maternal reappraisal and suppression did not predict children's sadness regulation skills. Maternal COVID-19-related anxiety positively predicted children's inhibition during the pandemic over and above maternal emotion regulation skills and children's pre-pandemic sadness regulation skills. Age also predicted children's inhibition levels, such that as children got older, their inhibition levels increased. Findings highlight the importance of the emotional climate of the family environment during the pandemic for emotional development in the Turkish context.

In this study, we aimed to analyze the incremental effects of sensory integration therapy (SIT) plus neurodevelopmental therapy (NT) versus NT alone on the attention and motor skills in children with Down syndrome (DS). We randomly assigned into experimental (i.e. SIT + NT; n = 21) and control (i.e. NT alone; n = 21) groups. While NT was applied to both groups for six weeks, SIT was applied simultaneously to the experimental group for six weeks. Participants' motor functions (Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency--Short form (BOT-2 SF)) and attention skills (Stroop TBAG (Turkish Scientific and Technological Research Association) Form) were evaluated before and after treatment (6 weeks later). Stroop TBAG and BOT-2 SF scores of the groups were similar at the baseline (p > 0.05). Significant improvement from baseline was observed in both BOT-2 SF, and Stroop TBAG results in both groups (p < 0.05). In addition, the improvement in both BOT-2 SF and Stroop TBAG results was found to be greater in the experimental group compared to the control group (p < 0.01). There were clear advantages to adding SIT to NT alone when seeking to improve motor and attention skills in children with DS.

Objective: This study was carried out to determine the knowledge levels of nurses working in Family Health Centers (FHCs) about childhood autism. Methods: This study is a descriptive and cross-sectional study. The sample of the study consisted of 361 nurses working in FHCs in the province with the highest child population rate in Turkey. Data were obtained using the personal information form and the Knowledge about Childhood Autism among Health Workers (KCAHW) questionnaire. Results: The findings show that the mean score for the KCAHW questionnaire was 10.95 ± 3.7. Gender, education level, previous employment in a mental health clinic, the presence of a person with autism in their environment or family, their previous participation in any autism-related education program, and knowledge of the autism screening and follow-up program conducted by the Ministry of Health significantly affected the scores that were obtained from the KCAHW questionnaire (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Educational practices that will increase the knowledge and awareness of nurses about autism can contribute to the diagnosis of children with autism at an earlier age.

This study aimed to evaluate the frequency of sleep and eating problems in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the factors associated with these problems, and the relationship with the risk of developing depression and anxiety in their parents. In the study, 156 children with ASD and their parents were included. The Brief Autism Mealtime Behavior Inventory (BAMBI), the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ), the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS) were completed by the parents. The Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) was administered by the researchers to evaluate the severity of ASD in children. The mean age of children was 8.08 ± 2.84, and 87.2% of the children were male. The mean score of CARS was 41.25 ± 6.16, the mean score of BAMBI was 45.67 ± 11.87, and the mean score of CSHQ was 51.67 ± 10.17. According to the CSHQ, 83.3% of the children had sleep problems. The response rate above the cut-off point in the HAD-A subscale was 59.6%, whereas it was 67.3% in the HAD-D subscale. There was a positive correlation between CARS and BAMBI, CSHQ, HAD-A, and HAD-D subscales. There was a positive correlation between BAMBI and CHSQ, HAD-A, and HAD-D subscales. There was a positive correlation between the CSHQ, HAD-A, and HAD-D subscales. There was a negative correlation between the age of the child with ASD, food refusal, and resistance to bedtime. As sleeping and eating problems affect a large portion of children diagnosed with ASD and their caregivers, large population-based studies evaluating both these problems must be designed and carried out to understand factors affecting the prevalence, development, and persistence of sleeping and eating problems and to determine interventions to reduce these issues.

Introduction: This article reports the physical abilities and physical wellness of three groups of children with different neurodevelopmental disabilities--Autism, Down Syndrome and Intellectual Disability. Methods: The causal-comparative research method was implemented in this study. The participants comprised 32 students with moderate intellectual disabilities, 18 with autism spectrum disorder, and 22 with Down Syndrome. The body mass index (BMI), flexibility, standing long jump, sitting height, stroke length, and medicine ball throwing levels were measured for physical fitness, and the groups were compared afterward. The Kruskal Wallis-H Test and Mann-Whitney U Test were applied to determine the differences between the groups' physical fitness averages for the statistical analysis. Results: Statistically significant differences were obtained in BMI, standing long jump, stroke length, and medicine ball throwing variables (p < 0.05). However, no statistically significant difference was discovered for the flexibility and sitting height variables (p > 0.05). The BMI, sitting height, and stroke length levels for the group with autism spectrum disorder were higher than the other groups, as the flexibility levels of the group with Down Syndrome were higher than the other groups. Students with intellectual disabilities were demonstrated to have better values than other groups regarding standing long jump and medicine ball throwing performances. Conclusions: Objective information about the physical fitness of individuals with children with different neurodevelopmental disabilities was obtained. In addition, the data obtained with these children will contribute to future plans for movement training as well as the content and frequency of the interventions, and will guide the development of new strategies to develop physical abilities and physical wellness.

Many training programs have aimed to improve creative thinking abilities in various settings. The study of relevant literature revealed a relatively lower number of creativity programs for children than those developed for adults. The current work introduces a new and comprehensive nine-week long creativity intervention program implemented (out of school-setting) in 8- to 11-year-old children of socioeconomically disadvantaged families in Turkey. The intervention program was organized around four main themes (Persona, Object, Surrounding, Experience) and composed of nine activities: collection making, identity box, building a memory-device, designing an object, sensory mapping, designing a space, visual storytelling, exploring an imaginary planet, and solving a social conflict. Children (n = 159) were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups, and they took the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking both before and after the intervention. Results showed that children in the experimental group had significantly higher verbal fluency and originality scores at the posttest compared to the control group. These results provide further evidence for the trainability of creativity and introduce a novel, affordable creativity intervention program that is feasible enough to be implemented in and out of the school setting.

The qualitative community embraces transparent dialogue through sharing knowledge to improve rigour and develop new initiatives. In this paper, we recognise there are many complexities within qualitative research, leading to important debates. We explore the benefits and challenges, as well as the practicalities and technicalities, of conducting research that 1) employs multiple methods within the qualitative paradigm, 2) is interdisciplinary, and 3) examines a sensitive research topic 4) with a vulnerable group of participants. Specifically, when research is also 5) cross-cultural and 6) utilises participatory techniques. Through our discussion, we draw upon an existing project and examine the complexity of designing and completing intra-paradigmatic mixed methods research with children from different sociocultural contexts, underpinned by interdisciplinary perspectives, in a complex area like mental health.

Applying a socio-spatial perspective, this study examines the ethnoreligious identities of Turkish immigrant parents in Germany within home--school--society relational spaces. A total of 22 qualitative interviews with parents of children aged 3-6 years or 8-12 years were conducted and analyzed using content analysis. The findings show that parents construct a home space by adopting religious congruence with or separation from school and societal spaces based on their ethnoreligious identities. The inclusive or exclusive school and societal spaces reproduce each other and, in turn, shape parental identities that influence beliefs and practices related to ethnoreligious upbringing within the home space. Besides contributing to the spatial perspective in educational research, this study has implications for policy and practice.

Objective: This review summarizes evidence pertaining to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the psychological health of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Materials and Methods: An electronic search was conducted using four major databases--PubMed, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Using an umbrella methodology, the reference lists of relevant papers were reviewed, and citation searches were conducted. The study included articles written in English between January 2020 and March 2021 that focused on the psychological health of autistic children and adolescents. Results: All eight studies included in the final review were cross-sectional. Three of the eight studies were conducted in Italy, two in Turkey, and one study each in Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom, with a total of 1,407 participants. All studies used a mixture of standardized and non-standardized questionnaires to collect data. The total number of patients were 1407 at a mean age of 9.53 (SD = 2.96) years. Seven studies report gender; male 74.7% (657/880) and female 25.3% (223/880). The finding showed that behavioral issues in children and adolescents with ASD have significantly increased; 521 (51.9 percent) of the 1004 individuals with ASD presented with behavioral changes, including conduct problems, emotional problems, aggression, and hyperactivity. Some studies also found increased anxiety and difficulties managing emotions. Only one study reported clinical stabilization in children with ASD during COVID-19. Finally, 82.7% of families and caregivers of children with ASD (544 out of 658) faced challenges during COVID-19. Conclusion: Although the studies in this review suggest a general worsening of ASD children's clinical status, it remains difficult to draw definitive conclusions at this moment, with newer COVID-19 variants on the rise worldwide. During this difficult pandemic period, caregivers, families, and healthcare professionals are recommended to pay more attention to the ASD patients' health and care needs.

Objective: To determine the demographic and clinical characteristics of children followed up with the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at a tertiary center in Southeeast Turkey. Methods: Children followed up with the diagnosis of ASD at a university hospital child psychiatry clinic between June 2016 and June 2021 were evaluated retrospectively for comorbidities, intellectual functioning and age at diagnosis. Results: In the preschool group, females displayed significantly more frequent cognitive developmental delay. Median age at diagnosis was 36 months (IQR= 22) regardless of gender. Approximately three-fourth (73.7%) of the cases had at least one psychiatric comorbid disorder while 22.8% had at least one medical diagnosis. Psychiatric comorbidity was found to be associated with later diagnosis. Conclusion: Although the age at first diagnosis in this study is relatively earlier than the studies in the literature, most of the children with ASD are still diagnosed very late. Psychiatric comorbidities may lead to later diagnosis due to overshadowing. Training of educational and primary healthcare workers on symptoms of ASD may enable earlier diagnosis.

Nurses have important responsibilities in the development of health and care services for children with intellectual disabilities. This is because it is usually the nurse who first encounters the child in all kinds of care and treatment services. Barriers to the provision of sexual healthcare by nurses have not yet been clearly discovered. This study aimed to identify the barriers experienced by nurses regarding communication for sexual health education for children with intellectual disabilities. This study was carried out with 19 nurses through in-depth interviews. The thematic analysis method was used for data analysis. Four themes emerged related to barriers in communication for sexual health education for children with intellectual disabilities by nurses as: (1) communication of nurses with their patients; (2) communication on an individual level; (3) communication on the family level; and (4) institutional factors. These barriers included the lack of knowledge of children, families, and nurses, insufficient institutional support, attitudes towards sexuality and stigmatization of the family, and the prevention of sexual health education services by the aggressive behaviors of children. It is recommended to provide sexual health education to nurses and families to minimize problems in the sexual health of children with intellectual disabilities. Nurses should also be trained on sexual health policy and how to put it into practice.

The objective of this study is to investigate the environmental factors such as supports and barriers that have been faced by those children with SLD between the before and after COVID-19 lockdown and their involvement, participation frequency and desire for change. The participation features as well as the environmental factors at home, school and community settings of these children (n: 61; mean age: 9.37 ± 1.50 year) during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown were assessed by using the Participation and Environment Measure for Children and Youth (PEM-CY) instrument via Internet access. The differences in participation frequency, involvement, desire for change, and environmental factors (supports and barriers) for school and community settings between the pre and post COVID-19 pandemic lockdown were found to be p < 0.01. There were no statistical differences at home settings in terms of participation frequency and supports (p > 0.05). This study provides information about the participation levels of children with special needs during the COVID-19 pandemic and the environmental factors faced by these children. The results are expected to contribute to the rehabilitation program that may improve the participation levels of children with special needs, and determine where greater efforts are needed to support so as to raise their participation levels and improve environmental features after the quarantine process.

This study was conducted to evaluate the BMI of the children with intellectual disability and the factors affecting their BMI. This descriptive and cross-sectional study was carried out between March 2016 and April 2016 in Turkey and consisted of 135 children. Children's anthropometric measurements were and their BMI values were calculated. Categorization of children by BMI percentile according to AAP reference values was performed. There was a significant difference between the BMI categories of the children (p < 0.05) and the education level of children's father (x2 = 8.960; p = 0.028), the degree of intellectual disability (x2 = 16.113; p = 0.008), the presence of other disabilities (x2 = 22.013; p = 0.000), type of disability (x2 = 21.359; p = 0.001), the nutrient intake (x2 = 38.935; p = 0.000) and the presence of nutritional problems (x2 = 7.687; p = 0.042). Father's education level, children's degree of disability, child's having presence of other disabilities, child's being dependent in the view of nutrient intake, and child's having nutritional problems were determined as factors affecting BMI.

Autistic people need sensory gardens specially designed for them to improve psychologically and physically. It also helps them get able to participate in society. The aim of the present study was to plan the close environment of the Inönü University Foundation Special Education and Rehabilitation Center (IFSER) as a sensory garden for children with autism and develop a design proposal in this direction. The working process consisted of a field survey and analysis, the determination of user requests and needs, together with the development of a sensory garden design proposal. In addition, the plant and structural design features of the study area were evaluated in terms of landscape design, thanks to the interviews with the centre staff. The usability of the outdoor conditions of this centre by children with disabilities was also examined. In addition, to determine the wishes and needs of users with autism, a survey was conducted with the parents of the disabled individuals who came to the centre together with the existing literature research and face-to-face interviews were conducted with the directors and staff in the study area. At the last stage of the study, a Needs Program for the users was also prepared. Finally, these design components and applications of the prepared project were transferred to the plan plane. Consequently, it appears that the Park and Garden Directorates of the relevant municipalities and the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization in Turkey need to consider the sensory aspect while designing disabled gardens, especially for autistic children.

The purpose of this study was to examine the play skills of children with typical development and those with speech and language disorders (SLD) based on gender, the presence of siblings, and parents' education levels. There were 270 children included in the study's sample. In the study, 'The Play Behaviour Scale' was used. Reticent behaviour scores of girls with SLD were significantly higher than those of boys, and scuffle play, scores of typically developing boys were significantly higher than those of girls. The social play scores of children with SLD were statistically significant when they had a sibling. Children whose parents had a high school education or less had considerably higher scuffle play ratings than children whose parents had a university degree or above. Consequently, it was observed that demographic variables influenced the play skills of children with SLD. Defining these children's play behaviours based on various variables will be beneficial for creating intervention programmes.

Executive function (EF) is critical to students' academic behaviors and well-being. Environmental influences, particularly teacher-student interaction (TSI), play a key role in enhancing EF development. Previous studies have linked TSI quality to children's EF, yet the relationships between subdimensions of TSI--such as closeness, conflict, dependency, emotional support, classroom management, and instructional support--and EF outcomes remain unclear. Moreover, it is unclear whether these relations hold true across different cultural contexts. From an initial pool of 14,915 articles, in this meta-analysis, we considered 84 empirical studies across 18 cultural regions, revealing that TSI subdimensions are consistently related to EF with small-to-medium effect sizes. The analysis also identified statistically significant moderating factors, such as individualism, power distance, EF type, EF instrument, and socioeconomic status. Notably, stronger TSI-EF correlations were found among children from cultures with low-individualism and high-power-distance, as well as among children from higher socioeconomic backgrounds. These patterns were particularly pronounced in studies measuring hot EF through adult-reported data. This comprehensive meta-analysis bridges knowledge gaps in TSI-EF dynamics, and supporting theories, such as attachment theory, social learning theory, and socio-cultural theory within educational settings. Crucially, it provides cross-cultural perspectives showing how cultural and contextual factors may intertwine with TSI-EF interactions.

A Virtual reality (VR) tour of the operating theatre can provide a realistic experience for children. The sample of children was allocated to VR-Documentary Film Group (n = 35), VR-Operating Theater Tour Group (n = 35) and Control Group (n = 35) using randomization and experimental study. The preoperative fear of the children was assessed (Child Fear Scale-CFS and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children-STAIC for children) by children themselves and their parents, and their preoperative anxiety was assessed (Children's Anxiety Meter-CAM-S) by themselves. Children's fear and anxiety scores decreased in the VR-Operating Theater Tour and VR-Documentary Film groups. In these two groups, there was a significant difference between the CAM-S scores reflecting the children's evaluations and the CFS scores reflecting the children's and their parents' evaluations, and their post-test scores were lower than their pre-test scores. Children's watching actual operating theatre tour virtually was determined as an effective method in reducing children's preoperative fear and anxiety levels.

School-age children constitute a significant portion of the Syrian refugee population in Türkiye. However, the number of studies examining the Syrian refugee children with disabilities (SRCwDs) is very limited. This paper examines intersections of race, disability, and refugee status by providing a systematic review of the available research focusing on SRCwDs residing in Türkiye. After giving contextual information regarding the status of Syrian refugees and presenting research on Syrian refugee children in Türkiye, this paper analyses existing studies on SRCwDs within the theoretical framework of DisCrit. This analysis reveals that research focusing on SRCwDs living in Türkiye is very limited and reliable and comprehensive data is necessary to identify their number in the country. There are also numerous problems regarding their access to services and schooling. Finally, this paper offers recommendations for practice and further research.

This study aimed to compare the executive functions (EFs) and occupational performance and perceived occupational proficiency (POP) in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. In this study, 72 children diagnosed with cerebral palsy (CP; n = 22), specific learning disabilities (SpLD; n = 26) or attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; n = 24) were included in the study group and 84 typically developed children were included in the comparison group. All children were evaluated with the Child Occupational Self-Assessment (COSA) and all parents were evaluated with The Executive Function and Occupational Routines Scale (EFORTS) and the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM). Accordingly, statistically significant differences were found between the study group and the comparison group in terms of total scores of the COSA and EFORTS (p < 0.05). In addition, there was a significant difference between the CP, ADHD, and SpLD diagnosis groups and the comparison group in terms of sub-parameters of COSA and EFORTS score (p < 0.05). The findings showed that children with different diagnoses within neurodevelopmental disorders have difficulties in different EFs and occupational performance areas. Also, the pattern of association between EF and POP was different for each group. Therefore, therapists need to consider occupational performance and POP with EFs in their assessments before planning their intervention.

Background: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder, the etiology of which has not been clearly determined yet. There is increasing evidence that synaptic and dendritic changes are involved in the etiology of ASD. The aim of this study is to determine whether serum Thrombospondin-1 and Thrombospondin-2 differ between ASD patients and healthy controls. This study also investigates possible correlations between clinical symptomatology of ASD and serum Thrombospondin-1 and Thrombospondin-2 levels. Method: A total of 44 children with ASD and 21 healthy controls under 6 years of age were included in the study. Symptom severity and behavioral problems among children with ASD were evaluated by using Childhood Autism Rating Scale and Abnormal Behavior Checklist. Serum levels of Thrombospondin-1 and Thrombospondin-2 were measured by using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. Result: No statistically significant differences were found between the two groups in terms of serum Thrombospondin-1 and Thrombospondin-2 levels. In addition, no correlation was determined between Thrombospondin-2 levels and clinical symptomatology and severity of ASD. However, the Thrombospondin-1 level was found to negatively correlated with the total score of Childhood Autism Rating Scale, inappropriate speech and stereotype subscale scores of Aberrant Behavior Checklist scale. Conclusion: Thrombospondin-1 might have a potential role in the etiopathogenesis of ASD. Further studies are required to clearly elucidate the association between Trombospondin-1 and ASD.

Introduction: The current study aimed to investigate the psychological impact of the Turkey 2023 earthquakes on children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their parents residing in Hatay, Sanliurfa, and Ankara provinces, encompassing the periods both before and after the Turkey 2023 earthquakes. Method: This cross-sectional, multicenter study included 103 children and adolescents with ASD aged between 6 and 18. Participants were evaluated based on their residence in Ankara, Hatay, and Sanliurfa, three cities affected differently by the earthquake. Parent-report questionnaires were utilized to assess the children's autism symptoms and behavioural problems. The Childhood Autism Rating Scale was used to determine autism severity. The psychiatric problems of mothers were also assessed with self-report scales. Results: Significantly increased levels of core autism symptoms, irritability, and hyperactivity were found in Hatay and Sanliurfa participants after the earthquakes compared to before, while no differences were detected in children from the Ankara group. Scale score increases in the Hatay group, which had to take a more extended break from special education, were higher than in the Sanliurfa group. Participants with late-diagnosed ASD exhibited a more significant increase in their scale scores after the earthquake. Depression, stress and hopelessness scores were the highest, and the life satisfaction levels were the lowest in mothers of the Hatay and Sanliurfa groups. More pronounced increases were observed in aberrant behaviours among children of mothers with low educational levels following the earthquake. Discussion: Our findings demonstrate that the exacerbation of core ASD symptoms and behavioural deterioration after the earthquakes are associated with disruptions in specialized education services, exposure to earthquake-related trauma, and the educational level of mothers.