Susana Castro-KempUniversity College London | UCL · Institute of Education
Susana Castro-Kemp
PhD
About
37
Publications
20,488
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393
Citations
Citations since 2017
Introduction
Interested in inclusion, SEND profiling, multiagency work, positive functioning in childhood, meantl health in Education. Mixed methods.
Personal Website: www.castrokemp.com
Additional affiliations
September 2013 - September 2020
Publications
Publications (37)
Portraying the voices of children with complex genetic neurodevelopmental disorders about their health, care and education needs in their statutory documents is a challenging task. This study examined the ways by which the perspectives of children diagnosed with Down Syndrome (DS) and Williams Syndrome (WS) are portrayed in their statutory document...
Several studies on the impact of Covid-19 on children’s wellbeing have been published, including for those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. However, limited evidence is available on who these children may be, their socioeconomic background, age, gender or type of school attended. This study examines the role of socio-demographic cha...
COVID-19 has had substantial impact on children’s educational experiences, with schools and educators facing numerous challenges in adapting to the new reality of distance learning and/or social distancing. However, previous literature mostly focuses on the experiences of families [including families of children with special educational needs and d...
The implementation of social distancing measures (e.g., school closures) by governments worldwide to prevent the spread of COVID-19 has affected millions of children and their families. However, the consequences of such measures on the wellbeing of children with special educational needs (SEN) and their caregivers are not fully understood. The pres...
It is widely recognised that cross-sector partnerships are key to improve outcomes for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). However, evidence-based strategies fostering these partnerships have not been systematically identified, and terms designating different forms of collaboration are used interchangeably. This study a...
Children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities and their families are likely to be significantly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic at various levels, particularly given the implementation of school closures during national lockdowns. This study employed a survey design to assess parental perspectives on the impact of scho...
Objective: In recent years, school belonging has been associated with wellbeing and has been targeted in mental health promotion programmes in schools. Less attention has been paid to the relationship between school belonging and loneliness, especially during primary school years. This study aimed to first analyse the relationship between socioemot...
The Me and My School Questionnaire (M&MS) is a brief self-report measure of elementary school students’ (ages 8–12) social, emotional, and behavioral challenges. As there is a need for brief self- report screening measures for students in elementary, or primary, school, this study examined the factor structure and measurement invariance of the M&MS...
Background
It is widely accepted that early childhood intervention for children with disabilities should address the assessment-intervention cycle holistically. Documenting both assessment and intervention is important to support provision effectively. In England, the official document that describes needs and provision for children with special ed...
A dual approach to mental health in schools has been widely defended, where the assessment of psychological distress and the examination of strengths/well-being are two separate continua. In line with a well-being approach, school belonging has been referenced as an important indicator of mental health in children. This study explored the predictiv...
In England, the Children and Families Act 2014 has been regarded as the most radical change in the Special Educational Needs and Disability provision for decades. Building on the recommendations of the Warnock report and subsequent 1981 Education Act, the 2014 Act introduced the Education Health and Care plans to replace the Statements of Special E...
Background: The new special educational needs and disability legislation in England has introduced Education Health and Care plans as statutory documents for children with special educational needs, and has extended provision beyond compulsory education, placing transition in a compelling position. This policy recognises the need to include the vie...
Recently, the Children and Families Act 2014 was introduced in England to regulate provision for children with disabilities. According to this policy, statements of special educational needs were replaced with education, health and care plans, which should include high-quality, holistic and participation-focused outcomes to regulate provision; this...
This study explores the views and experiences of 12 young people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in transition to post-16 education and employment, in light of the changes introduced by the new special educational needs and disability (SEND) legislation in England. The extension of provision until the age of 25, and the introduction of person-c...
The Psychological Sense of School Membership (PSSM) scale has been used for more than 20 years to measure students’ sense of school belonging, yet its psychometric properties have had limited examination with pre-adolescent children. This study investigated the utility and psychometrics of the PSSM in three primary school samples from the United St...
Background: A crucial issue in special educational needs and disability policy and provision
is the documentation of children’s functioning, for which many countries have a statutory
document. In England this is the Education Health and Care plan. Recent research challenges the quality of these plans.
Purpose: To provide evidence on the usefulness...
This study aims to explore the role of three specific factors within the childenvironment
interaction process - engagement, independence and social interactions - in
influencing development and learning of children with disabilities in inclusive
preschool settings. The main question is whether children can be categorised in
homogenous groups based...
The need for a focus on the voice of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) has received increased recognition internationally both in policy and research. In England, this was emphasized in the new special educational needs framework introduced in 2014. As part of this new policy, children with disabilities and/or addition...
In 2014 a new policy for special educational needs and disability (SEND) provision was introduced in England. As it has been the case in countries where SEND reforms were introduced, these changes raised challenges and opportunities for the professionals supporting children with SEND. However, to date, little systematic and large-scale evidence has...
An Emerging Approach for Education and Care provides a synthesis of the extensive research that has been conducted worldwide about the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health for Children and Youth in education and care. The main purpose of the ICF is to provide a classification of functioning for adults and children with...
The definition of special educational needs and disabilities has changed considerably over time. These changes were often accompanied by modifications in the classification of special educational needs and disability (SEND) and in policy regulating its provision. In this context of change, classifications of disability are relevant because they ref...
Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) has been defined as a system of coordinated services and resources for young children (ages 0 to 6) with disabilities or at risk for developmental delay and their families (e.g. Meisels & Shonkoff, 2000). Within a biopsychosocial approach, ECI aims to empower children and their environments in order to ensure chil...
Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) has been defined as a system of coordinated services and resources for young children (ages 0 to 6) with disabilities or at risk for developmental delay and their families (e.g. Meisels & Shonkoff, 2000). Within a biopsychosocial approach, ECI aims to empower children and their environments in order to ensure chil...
With the introduction of the Children and Families Act 2014, changes in the process of assessment and identification of children in need of special support in England and Wales have been introduced. These changes are regarded as the most significant in two decades, with consequent implications for service provision. In this paper, we suggest that t...
Die vorliegende Arbeit beschreibt die Entwicklung und Einsatzmoglichkeiten eines ICF-CY Core-Sets fur Kinder mit Autismus-Spektrum-Storungen (ASD), das relevant fur die Beschreibung der Lebenssituation von Vorschulkindern mit ASD ist. Das Core-Set (Altersgruppe 0 – 2) hebt die Bedeutung der Umwelt hervor, wahrend im Alterssegment 3 – 6 die Partizip...
Objective: The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health for Children and Youth (ICF-CY) provides a universal taxonomy to describe functioning. One of the most relevant applications of the ICF has been the development of code-sets for particular contexts/situations, such specific age groups. An important step in research ar...
Child engagement has been defined as active participation in classroom routines, appropriate interactions with the environment and it also predicts academic achievement. Therefore, it is necessary to identify predictors of engagement over time. Moreover, cross-cultural data is needed to provide a global picture of the quality of Early Childhood Edu...
Objective:
This study aims to identify functioning categories of the International Classification of Functionality, Disability and Health for Children and Youth covered by the Griffiths developmental scales and the Schedule of Growing Skills II (SGS-II), as well as to analyse levels of agreement between coders when assigning its items to the ICF-C...
Purpose:
This study aims to: (1) link measurements used in the diagnosis of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) with the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health - Children and Youth Version (ICF-CY) and (2) analyse issues relating with interrater agreement within this process.
Method:
Three instruments for A...
Objective:
(i) To study the functioning patterns of young children with disabilities compared with typically developing children, using a new ICF-CY based tool--the Matrix for Assessment of Activities and Participation; (ii) study the factors that predict these functioning patterns.
Methods:
The MAAP tool was administered to three groups of chil...
Purpose:
Framed within a biopsychosocial approach, this study aimed to identify the main functionality dimensions that experts in the field of child development and child psychopathology considered as essential in the assessment-intervention process with young children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), using the International Classification of...
This study analysed 33 Individualised Education Programmes developed for pre-schoolers with autism, attending inclusive special education services in North Portugal, based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health for Children and Youth. The study identified dimensions of functioning addressed in the Individualised E...
The purpose of this study was to explore resources to improve the assessment-intervention-process for young children with special needs. The Biopsychosocial Model of development, along with the International Classification of Functionality, Disability and Health for Children and Youth (ICF-CY; WHO, 2007), provide a theoretical framework, as well as...
Projects
Projects (6)
Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) is widely recognised as key for positive development, and health but also for economic growth, particularly when it abides to the principle of interdisciplinary collaboration. In South Africa (SA), a developing country with nearly 7 million children under 6, of which two thirds live in economically vulnerable households, ECI often falls short of true partnerships between sectors (health, education and the community of care), with implications on its effectiveness. With the Covid-19 outbreak these challenges are even greater.
This project aims to contribute to optimise effectiveness and equality of collaborations in ECI in SA, considering new challenges brought by the Covid-19 outbreak. A nation-wide survey will be conducted, followed by focus groups and interviews with key ECI stakeholders (in education, health and community care). ECI strategies for interdisciplinary collaboration will be tailored to these stakeholders’ needs and, supported by digital multimedia production, made accessible to all.
Ofsted statistics are clear regarding the fact that most nursery settings are rated as ‘Good’ and that the most deprived areas have fewer ‘Outstanding’ settings and more ‘Requires improvement’ when compared to the least deprived areas (Ofsted 2019 data). Although Ofsted provides guidance on what to observe, final decisions about quality are ultimately individual judgements. Little is known about the common factors underlying those judgements, in particular those of qualitative nature. This information would be unique and important because it has the potential to highlight procedural challenges in the quality assurance system for early childhood education. The aim of this study is to generate evidence of what constitutes high-quality early years provision from the Ofsted point of view, while also examining how these judgements relate to children's developmental outcomes and managers' 'vision' of high-quality early childhood education.
ICF-Train is a project from the EU program "Lifelong Learning", which is co-financed by the European Union. 12 partners from 6 European countries are working on this project, coordination is at the early intervention center VINCO in Kapfenberg, Austria.
The main project content is the transfer of a Web2.0-based online tool for reflection and assessment of resources and development risks in transdisciplinary teams for early learning, SPZ or integrative daycare, in combination with an online training tool.
This tool is intended to facilitate the use of the ICF-CY as a "common language" for specialists and clients in early intervention / childcare, upbringing and education.
