The purpose of this study is to investigate the usefulness of salivary α-amylase activity (sAA) as an index of stress related to invasive medical procedure in children with cancer. sAA and heart rate (HR) were measured before and after bone marrow aspirations or lumbar punctures in pediatric cancer inpatients. Child's self-report, parents' and physicians' reports were also collected to evaluate children's fear and distress during the procedure. As a result, sAA immediately before and immediately after procedure were significantly higher than 30 minutes before procedure and after recovery from sedation. HR showed no significant differences. Physician's rating of child distress was significantly related with sAA. In this study, sAA was shown to sensitively reflect children's physical and mental stress, and was measurable non-invasively and easily. It can be a useful index of stress related to invasive medical procedure in children with cancer.

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The purpose of this study was to clarify the developmental change of accuracy in word spelling and related factors in deaf children. We conducted a word spelling test which included syllables with dakuten or special Japanese syllables withinvolving seventy deaf children aged 6 to 12 years. The participants' schools mainly used the auditory-oral method in daily communications. The results indicate that word spelling accuracy improved with participants' development, especially from 6–8 to 9–10 year-olds. Multiple-regression analysis of factors affecting the accuracy of spelling revealed that higher speech intelligibility and reading ability of the participants related to higher accuracy of word spelling.

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We examined the impact of three-tiered instruction on multiplication facts for Japanese second-grade public 
elementary students (N=59). In Tier 1 (about three months), all students received regular classroom instruction from their classroom teachers. We monitored the accuracy and fluency of their performance on multiplication facts. In Tier 2 (about one month), teachers conducted a 10-minute supplemental instruction (flash card practice) (n=17). In Tier 3 (about three weeks), students (n=5) practiced multiplication facts through the “cover-copy-compare” method and a timed trial procedure. We calculated the percentage of correctly answered problems and assessed the number of correct and incorrect problems per minute in 1-minute timed trials. A multiple probe design across instructional materials was used to evaluate the effect of Tier 3 instruction. Fifty-three of the 59 students demonstrated mastery of all multiplication facts during Tier 1 and Tier 2. However, the remaining six students including one who did not complete the study did not master all multiplication facts in Tier 3. Results of this study suggest concrete practical issues that should be addressed in future practical research.

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In Norway, inclusion in education is seen in a wide sense as increasing learning and participation for all. The historical background of inclusion in a country with a long tradition for inclusinve schooling is reviewed but in this article inclusionary practices as well as exclusionary tendencies in the current situation are identified. Present challenges are discussed in national and international perspectives.

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