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This review analyzes studies carried out between 2008 and 2018 which examined the educational impact of interventions based on the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) for students with Intellectual Disabilities (ID). The review aims to determine the research designs and methods of these studies, and their interventions and effectiveness. Seven studies met the inclusion criteria used in this review. The review demonstrated the diversity of research designs and methods used, which included quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods. The interventions included the use of digital environments, e-books, shared stories, audio systems, software and educational activities; all based on the principles of UDL. The reviewed studies confirmed the effectiveness of these interventions in educating such students, whether in academic, social or behavioral aspects. The study recommends further research to give greater clarification of the impact of UDL on the academic, social and behavioral aspects of the education of students with ID. It also recommends increasing the number of research participants and using a qualitative approach to better understand the lived experience of applying these interventions.

This study evaluates the positive impact of citizenship education in students with an intellectual disability in disability centers in Saudi Arabia. The understanding of citizenship rights is widely perceived to be helpful for the successful integration of disabled students in a diverse society. A qualitative close-ended questionnaire was used as a data collection tool to evaluate the citizenship knowledge of 6-12-year-old students who were randomly recruited from the disability centers in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. The study revealed an average level of citizenship knowledge among the students with intellectual disabilities. The results of the present study are statistically significant and suggest the importance of reforms in the educational institutes of disabled students, in order to ensure the development of citizenship knowledge in these students and help them to be a part of a diverse society.

This study outlines the literature relevant to the Cross-cultural issues and the politics of SEN and the different perspectives arising from the literature on this widely debated issue are addressed. In addition, the origin of the term "special educational needs" (SEN), its definitions and the types of special education needs are presented. Appropriate pedagogy for children with SEN is also discussed. The results from the literature review indicated a number of gaps in the present frameworks. As a result, this has led the scholar to work additional on these frameworks for the aim of this study.

This paper seeks to provide a cogent outline of the current policies that six separate countries have on Individual Education Plans (IEPs), identifying the key features in each system. The chosen countries are Australia (Queen Island), Canada (British Columbia), New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and Saudi Arabia. The aim of the paper was to have greater insights of the globalisation of IEPs at public schools in these above countries. It looked into a set of factors closely associated with each other; such as, to enable the exploration of how IEP policy is implemented at public schools in the same countries. The findings from the literature review showed a number of gaps in the current frameworks. Therefore, this has led the researcher to work further on these frameworks for the purpose of this paper.

Faculty at the special education department of the University held mixed concerns about e-learning opportunities for Students with Disabilities (SWD) during the COVID-19 pandemic. This research investigated their attitude using a questionnaire survey. The sample was 70 faculty members who specialized in tutoring students with disabilities. The Pearson regression (0.655) established the reliability of the data collection instrument. The results showed that faculty members held a positive attitude toward the application of e-learning technologies for SWD and supported its ability to allow for cognitive, social, and education interaction during the pandemic. While faculty agreed the method was no more time-consuming than regular classroom sessions, they were reluctant to invest the time in training. The research concluded the views of department members in the design of appropriate systems/curricula would help to eliminate barriers and encourage more support for e-learning of SWDs during the pandemic. The faculty had several recommendations for the successful application of online learning during the pandemic for special needs students. Most suggested the need for adequate educational resources within the departments, and appropriate software and hardware to enable teaching appropriate skills to the learners with disabilities. There was a further recommendation that e-learning should be incorporated into the curricular programs.

Background: Using games as a medium to master certain learning outcomes enables students to explore and understand the world around, which is important for students with intellectual disabilities. The purpose of this study was to gain insight into the potential effects of online games on social interaction of adolescents with intellectual disability, and how parents view these effects. Method: This study employed a quantitative approach using a quasi-experimental, pre-test and post-test and follow up design. Descriptive approach is also employed to investigate how parents view effects of online games on social interaction of adolescents with intellectual disability. To test the third hypothesis, qualitative method through interview was employed. 40 adolescents with mild ID aged between 15 and 18 years and who were enrolled in the ID Inclusion program, as well as their parent/guardian were recruited. Results: On the basis of the statistical analysis, It was observed a significant effect on adolescents with ID's social interaction capability. Looking at between-group differences, the groups were statistically significantly different in their levels of social interaction at the end of the intervention, with participants in the experimental group exhibiting significantly higher levels of social interaction in comparison to the controls. Conclusion: This study provides a potential support to the effectiveness of online games on social interaction of adolescents with intellectual disability. The main conclusion arising from these findings is the need to broaden the study of online games and their possible benefits to other variables than social interaction, such as cognitive variables and diverse populations, especially those with ID and autism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined the efficiency of thyme in improving the productive and reproductive performances in male rabbits living in hot climates with the further lowering of the faecal ammonia and adverse heat stress. One hundred and twenty-five Zealand-White male rabbits were assigned to five dietary treatments [age: 60-day-old; body weight (b.w.): 1 362 ± 20 g] (n = 25). The basal diet was supplemented with either 0 (control), 4, 8, 12 or 16 g/kg of thyme leaves. The experiment lasted for 90 days. The feed and water were provided ad libitum. The animals were housed in an open system (39 °C ambient-temperature and 30-35% relative-humidity). The dietary thyme leaf levels significantly improved the appetite, body weight gain and growth performance compared to the control (P < 0.001). The weight gain and feed conversion ratio were directly proportional to the thyme leaves intake. The faecal ammonia was markedly lowered in response to the feeding with thyme leaves. The thyme leaves significantly improved the liver and kidney functions as indicated by their biomarkers. The testosterone concentrations and semen characteristics were also significantly improved in the thyme leaves-treated groups compared to the control (P < 0.01). In conclusion, thyme leaves, at an optimum dose of 16 g/kg of the diet, could be an efficient feed additive for rabbits surviving under hot climatic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]