Background: In many countries, the goal of secondary education for students with intellectual disabilities is to transition to the labour market. However, research and reviews consistently show that employment rates are very low for graduates with intellectual disabilities. The aim of this article is to scrutinise the preparation for school-to-work transition in Norwegian upper secondary education and employment services to elicit what really goes on.

Methods: This article is an in-depth interpretation of two earlier published, empirical Norwegian studies of upper secondary education for students with intellectual disabilities and their school-to-work transitions.

Findings: Analysis of the characteristics of Norwegian upper secondary education identified a trajectory away from the labour market—reinforced by the social security and support systems.

Conclusion: Drawing on Argyris & Schön’s (Organisational learning: A theory of action perspective, Addison Wesley, Reading, MA, 1978) classic work on “espoused theory and theory-in-use,” the analysis identified a hidden curriculum based on a perception of “realistic” ambitions which pave the way for a graduate life consisting, mostly, of welfare services.

This study investigates parents’ lived experiences of having a child diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The aim was to explore parents’ meaning-making processes in relation to their children’s ADHD with a focus on understanding the impact that receiving a diagnosis had on the parents’ perceptions of, and ways of managing, their children’s challenging behaviours. Drawing on data collected through semi-structured interviews with 12 parents, we carried out a content analysis of the parents’ accounts, producing a range of categories describing different aspects of the parents’ meaning-making processes in relation to their child receiving an ADHD diagnosis. Five conceptual categories were identified, describing components of a process of adaptation through which the parents – using the diagnosis as a tool – were able to transform feelings of distress over their difficulties in managing their child’s challenging behaviours into feelings of being able to cope with these challenges of integrating the ADHD diagnosis into everyday family life. This research suggests that understanding the long-term processes involved in parents’ meaning-making of an ADHD diagnosis is important and can open up a pathway to developing initiatives to support parents in dealing with their child’s challenging behaviours in everyday life.

A comprehensive review of educational interventions for pupils with intellectual disabilities showed that most studies report positive results for a variety of interventions. The aim of this article is to explore how these results can be understood. We draw on similar earlier findings concerning intervention effects in psychotherapy and social work, discussing the so-called Dodo bird conjecture, indicating that established methods for identification of evidence-based practices can provide false, positive results influenced by so-called common factors present in most interventions. In conclusion, we argue for a new paradigm of research on educational interventions for pupils with intellectual disabilities, replacing the present ambition to find evidence-based support for specific interventions in favour of a line of research exploring alternative explanations in terms of, for instance, common positive factors.

The objective of this article is to explore the complexity and continuity of self-identities of persons with intellectual disability. This is done by close reading of four life stories. The findings are that intellectually disabled people's self-identities are basically plural and fluid. A fruitful approach to understanding this plurality is given by positioning theory developed by Harre & Langenhove. We analyze the subject's sense of continuity in terms of our own concept of inner dialogue. Our point of departure is a review of literature with special focus on multiple identities. We distinguish between three strands of knowledge within this field: (1) sociological studies of other-defined, identities, which are hard to change; (2) psychological studies of dynamic, self-defined identities characterized by adaptation and continuity, and (3) discursive studies of fluid and plural self- and other-defined identities. The third strand has contributed significantly to the field of disability studies by transcending the classic dichotomy of normalcy or deviancy (of identity) of persons with intellectual disabilities. In our aim to probe deeper into the issues of plurality and continuity of self-defined identities, we turn to Stuart Hall's noteworthy text: Who needs identity?' (Hall & Du Gay, 1996). Hall proposes that a new direction for a theory of identity needs to build on input from discursive studies, but it should also embrace the question of how the subject maintains a sense of personal continuity.

L’objectif de cet article est d’explorer la complexité et la continuité des identités des personnes en situation de handicap intellectuel. Une lecture attentive de quatre récits de vie montre que les identités exprimées par des personnes qui présentent une déficience intellectuelle sont fondamentalement plurielles et fluides. La « théorie du positionnement » de Harré & Langenhove est particulièrement utile afin de rendre compte de cette pluralité. Par ailleurs, nous analysons le sens de la continuité de l’identité personnelle à l’aide du concept de « dialogue intérieur », que nous avons développé dans le cadre de ce projet. Notre revue de la littérature explore l’usage de la notion d’identité multiple. Trois champs de recherche sont examinés : (1) les études sociologiques des identités stables attribuées par les autres ; (2) les études psychologiques des diverses identités dynamiques que la personne s’attribue à elle-même, avec un accent porté sur l’adaptation et la continuité et (3) les études discursives des identités fluides et multiples, définies aussi bien par soi-même que par les autres. À l’issue de cette revue, il apparaît que le troisième champ de recherche est particulièrement fertile pour l’étude de l’identité des personnes en situation de handicap car il transcende la dichotomie entre la normalité et la déviance. Afin d’approfondir notre compréhension de la pluralité et de la continuité des identités personnelles, nous nous appuyons sur le texte souvent cité de Stuart Hall : Who needs identity? (Hall & Du Gay, 1996). Hall propose une théorie de l’identité qui combine les apports des approches discursives à ceux des approches qui se centrent sur la continuité de l’identité personnelle.

I løpet av de siste 25 årene har levekårene for mennesker med utviklingshemming blitt radikalt annerledes. Spesialskoler og sentraliserte institusjoner for funksjonshemmede er erstattet med inkludering og én skole for alle.

Antidiskriminering og universell utforming har også blitt en del av norsk lovverk. Hvordan har dette påvirket menneskers liv?

Forskningen som presenteres her, spenner fra teoretiske tilnærminger til utviklingshemming til empiriske undersøkelser av oppvekst, skole og voksenliv og politiske trender. Bidragsyterne er noen av de fremste forskerne på funksjonshemming i Norge og Norden.

Boken er spesielt godt egnet for studenter innen vernepleie og spesialpedagogikk, og vil i tillegg være nyttig for alle med interesse for funksjons- og utviklingshemming.