Country Briefing: Special education in Denmark

Denmark is a country with a relatively high expenditure on education, and was one of the first countries in the Integration movement. Now the country is including all but 1.25 per cent of all pupils in a comprehensive school. The 1.25 per cent are attending special schools or special classes. To make this possible, 13 per cent of all students in regular schools on a yearly basis receive special needs education support as a supplement to regular education. Special education within the regular school system has existed for 99 years, and special teacher training has a 66-year history, originating in training of speech therapists. At present, the prevalence of special needs education is between 25 and 35 per cent, and this gives rise to questions about the relation between special needs education and differentiation of instruction which, in turn, has implications for training of teachers in special needs education.     

Educational services for mentally handicapped children in Northern Ireland: A survey of provision

Abstract

Until April 1987 mentally handicapped children were legally excluded from education in Northern Ireland. Provision was made instead in special care schools administered by social services authorities. This contrasts with the position in the rest of the UK where all children have been educated in schools administered by education authorities since the early 1970s. A survey was conducted to investigate aspects of provision in special care schools. Comparative samples of special schools for children with mental handicap in England, and special schools for other categories of children with special needs in Northern Ireland were also surveyed.

Results show that the special care school pupils were disadvantaged often seriously, compared with the other samples. Staffing ratios were inferior in most respects of provision. Other resources were often criticized by head teachers as inadequate. The special care school transport system was also shown to be seriously deficient, causing the length of the school day to be reduced for a very large proportion of pupils. The inadequacies identified impinged particularly on severely and profoundly handicapped pupils, despite earlier Government arguments that the interests of this group could be damaged in a transfer to education.

Nearly one fifth of the special care school population were aged 19 and over, and nearly one third of the profoundly handicapped pupils were 19 or over. In many cases adults and children shared the same facilities.

These results are compared and contrasted with Government documents which claimed parity of provision in special care schools and special schools in England, and which adopted a stated policy of normalization in the development of services for the mentally handicapped.     

‘Reading drop‐outs’: Can they be predicted?

Abstract

In the Netherlands many pupils in grade one have difficulties in beginning reading. Approximately 7.5% of all children do not succeed in learning to read well enough to be able to proceed to the following school‐year together with the other pupils. These children either have to repeat a year or have to go back to kindergarten; alternatively, they are referred to special education. These children are called ‘reading drop‐outs’.     

The Tasks of the Class Teacher: Tradition and Renewal – An Evaluation of Development Projects Carried out in the Danish Folkeskole

This paper firstly outlines some of the problems children can experience as a result of transferring from primary to secondary school. It then goes on to describe an initiative by the West Midlands Quaker Peace Education Project, Blessed William Howard Roman Catholic School in Stafford and its feeder schools to coordinate a secondary school preparation project. This involved special training for all primary pupils about to enter the school and a group of sixth formers.     

Special Education in Finland

FINLAND is a small North‐European country with a population of about 5 million. It has historical ties with Sweden and Russia. Consequently, there are two official languages in the country: Finnish and Swedish. The education system is based on a 9‐year comprehensive school. Education is compulsory for all children between the ages of 7 and 16. Health and welfare services for children with disabilities are mainly provided within the regular services but special services are ensured by special laws. Special education services are provided at every level of education and learning environment modifications range from remedial education to individual instruction at home. In the comprehensive school about 16% of all pupils receive special education in some form. The majority of special pupils receive part‐time special education by resource room teachers. Individual and group integration has increased strongly during the last decade and more emphasis is placed in the development of individual special education programming.     

Preparing to transition to secondary education: perceptions of Dutch pupils with migrant backgrounds

Background: The transition from primary school to secondary school is a crucial period of time for children and this may be especially the case for pupils with migrant backgrounds. While there has been considerable research on the transition from primary to secondary school, more needs to be known specifically about the experiences of this group of pupils during their final year of primary school, as they prepare for their transition to secondary school.

Purpose: The study investigated how Dutch children with migrant backgrounds in their final year of primary school perceive the preparatory process for the transition to secondary school. In particular, we were interested in who the children felt were the important ‘actors’ (e.g. pupils, parents, teachers and others) in the preparatory process.

Sample: We collected data from 76 primary school pupils from three schools in an urban city in the Netherlands. The sample included pupils who, according to the Dutch system, were preparing to follow an academic pathway (i.e. the tracks known in this system as ‘HAVO’ or ‘VWO’) and those who were preparing to follow a vocational pathway (i.e. the track known as ‘VMBO’) in secondary education.

Design and methods: We used photo elicitation (N = 76) and also conducted semi-structured interviews with a subsample of the pupils (N = 25) to examine the roles of the important actors in the preparatory process. Data were analysed qualitatively; responses were coded and underwent pattern analysis in order to identify and describe repeating structures in the data. Data were grouped according to whether the pupils received school recommendations for an academic track or a vocational track.

Results: Findings suggested that the pupils perceived the most important actors to be the pupil, the classroom teacher and the parents. Both teachers and parents were considered valuable resources for pupils in the preparatory process. Patterns representing the participants’ perceptions of the roles of three actors – namely, (1) the child, (2) the classroom teacher and (3) the parents, were identified. Six patterns were identified with respect to the child, four with respect to the classroom teacher and two with respect to the parents. For some patterns, it was apparent that the responses of children in the vocational group and the academic group had different emphases.

Conclusions: The study highlights the importance for teachers and parents of children in their final year of primary school to be aware of the pupils’ perceptions of and feelings about their preparation for secondary school, so as to be in the best position to support them collaboratively.     

Mother and teacher ratings of maladaptive behaviour in children with special needs

ABSTRACT

Parents and teachers of 109 children selected from the Special Needs Register and living in a multiethnic urban health district participated in the study. Their perceptions of children's behaviour at home and at school were measured by the Aberrant Behavior Checklist(ABC). About two‐thirds of the subjects presented with at least one type of maladaptive behaviour of at least moderate severity within their family, and 50 per cent had similar difficulties at school. The dimensions of hyperactivity and irritability were the main causes for concern by both sources. Contrary to previous studies, high rates of parent‐teacher agreement were found. This significant association was not affected by factors such as age, ethnicity or type of school. The implications for the provision of services for children in special education are discussed.     

Developing the nurturing school

Abstract

This article describes how establishing a nurture group in a challenging infant school had a profound effect on whole school development. Since May 2000 the nurture group has been the hub of an evolutionary process, which the author was able to experience at first hand as the nurture group teacher. Under her guidance, all mainstream classrooms became increasingly nurturing and the impact of the nurture group practices became entrenched in the policies and practices of the whole school. This has had a significant, positive impact for a number of the most vulnerable pupils with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties and their mainstream peers. The mainstream application of these principles supported the school's evolution from special measures in 1997 to its current position, judged by Ofsted as a good school, representing good value for money and very effective in helping pupils with special educational needs.     

Classroom organisation and interactions of pupils with moderate learning difficulties in mainstream and special schools

Abstract

This paper reports a research study which used the technique of systematic classroom observation to describe pupil behaviour and pupil‐teacher and pupil‐pupil interaction in four classrooms in schools for children with moderate learning difficulties. The results are compared with those of a previously published study in mainstream junior‐age classrooms. The results show that a predominantly individualised mode of working with children prevails both in the mainstream and the special school classrooms and also that, despite the smaller class sizes, teachers in the special school classes are even less likely to use whole‐class approaches than those in the mainstream. Conversly they are more likely to use group work. Children in the special school classes receive considerably more individual attention from the teacher than those in the mainstream. Overall levels of pupil‐pupil interaction are similar but in special school classrooms this is less likely to involve more than two children at once.     

Education of Teachers in the Field of Teaching Natural Science Is Lagging behind the Requirements of the Inclusion of Pupils with Special Needs

ABSTRACT

In this theoretical study, we combined two approaches regarding the education of teachers in the field of teaching pupils with special needs with focus on teaching natural science topics, in Slovenia and in the Part of Northern Cyprus, respectively. We analysed syllabuses for different study programmes for teachers in primary schools in selected faculties in Slovenia. We focused on the specific content in those subjects, which are developing competences of students to be able to teach natural science topics, in particular physics topics, in primary schools in the adequate way, so the pupils with special needs can achieve the same goals as the other pupils. In addition, we included some accents regarding the children with special needs from approach to this topic at Near East University. We find out that the integrated content in the study programmes for the requirements of the inclusion of pupils with special needs in primary school is not sufficient or the inclusion in primary schools is planned too broad, if we take into account the current state of knowledge of the students in this specific field.     

Learning potential tests for ethnic minorities

ABSTRACT

The education of special needs students in Portugal goes back to the beginning of the nineteenth century, but its major developments were initiated after the middle of this century. At the beginning of the 1960s, a movement for integration was begun that gained a considerable impetus after the April 1974 revolution and the re‐establishment of a democratic regime. Since then, this movement and the inclusion of SEN pupils has grown both in quality and quantity. Portugal has shown itself to be very open to models coming from abroad and created a significant experience in this field, integrating in regular schools approximately 75 per cent of the existing SEN pupils. New challenges have appeared with the Inclusion movement that have not only changed the strict scope of the ‘handicapped’ population, but have acquired ambitious aims with regard to the improvement of regular schools and education for all.     

‘The way I understood it,it wasn’t meant to be understood’ – when 6th grade reads Franz Kafka

In recent years, literacy problematics and different concepts (Cooperative Learning, Learning Styles) have taken up much of the school’s literature teaching. It has pushed discussions of the professional content into the background. This article takes up the content discussion for renewed debate, but now also with the aim of discussing the literary texts one can present to children in school. The research questions posed are: Which texts can justifiably be presented to children as part of teaching in school? What will happen if 10 to 12-year-old Danish school pupils are presented with classical and canonized texts by authors like Kafka, Proust and Dostoyevsky? How will they react? How will they read the texts? The point of departure for the article is an observational and interview study of a Danish 6th grade’s reading and analysis of classical and canonized adult literature. The study takes its starting point in three concepts rooted in theory, i.e. unpredictability, defamiliarization and entitlement, which are subsequently used to get to grips with the empirical part of the study. The article does not attempt to depict a hard-and-fast picture of all children being equally enthusiastic about the new texts. Instead it presents a picture of a class in which lively literary conversations are conducted. And irrespective of whether the child is one of those who enjoys the texts, whether the children are irritated, challenged or provoked by them, they are never experienced as trivial or irrelevant.     

Disability,curriculum and integration in China

ABSTRACT

Current data indicate that there are six million young people of school age with disabilities in China. Of these, only about 50 per cent attend any form of schooling, with approximately 220,000 of them enrolled in special schools and classes. The remainder attend regular classrooms. This means that there are about three million students with disabilities who at present lack any access to education. In May 1996 it was declared that in order to improve this situation, over the next five years, China plans to provide school places for 80 per cent of its disabled youngsters. In order to achieve this goal, the Chinese central education authorities have announced a significant change in policy direction towards integration. Instead of their previous commitment to the establishment of increasing numbers of special schools, it is now planned that the current number of about 1,400 special schools will be increased to 2,000, so that all regions of the country have access to at least one. At that point, no more special schools will be built. The extra places needed to increase the school attendance rate of youngsters with disabilities will be created in regular classes in regular schools. This paper gives an overview of the curriculum arrangements in China's four types of special schools, including their historical development, subjects taught, teaching arrangements and management. A number of difficulties confronting China's special education policy‐makers are canvassed and reasons suggested for their increasing commitment to a strategy of integration. It is proposed that China enjoys three advantages in the pursuit of an integrated school system.     

Children and youth in behavioural and emotional difficulties,skyrocketing diagnosis and inclusion/exclusion processes in school tendencies in Denmark

In parallel with a national school policy on an inclusive school with a marked reduction in the number of pupils who, due to their disruptive behaviour, are referred to educational provisions outside of the ordinary school environment, a sharp rise has been seen in the number of children and teenagers who are given a clinical diagnosis, first and foremost that of ADHD (Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders). Over just a few years, the skyrocketing of diagnoses has turned notions of children and teenagers with emotional and behavioural difficulties upside down. From being young people who should ‘just pull themselves together and behave properly’ many have become pupils with a neurological dysfunction that requires treatment. The article provides insight into how diagnoses over very few years have come into focus in schools and in special needs education, and how this has made a deep impression and changed understandings of the best possible special and general educational provisions for children and teenagers with behavioural and learning difficulties. The article focuses on trends in Denmark and therefore builds primarily on Danish sources.     

Parental Attitudes and Beliefs about Bullying: An Investigation into Parents whose Children Attend an Inner-city School

Pupils’ perspectives are clearly a very significant element in seeking to understand and evaluate the educational process. In spite of this, research into ‘the way pupils see it’ has been limited. This paper focuses on a group whose views have so far suffered particular neglect. The writer sought the views of pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties attending special schools. These pupils were asked what factors had influenced the way they had behaved in mainstream school. Their views on many aspects of their experience have implications which go beyond the education of this specific group. The paper concludes with a number of proposals for changes in mainstream education which might reduce the number of pupils currently educated outside the mainstream.     

Legal Regulation and Professional Discretion in Schools

ABSTRACT

The paper aims to analyse how pupils’ equal educational opportunities are warranted. We focus on how regulations of adapted education and the right to special needs education provide school leaders’ and teachers’ room for discretionary decision-making, how it is interpreted and how discretionary power is justified. The paper draws on findings from an interdisciplinary study (education and law) on the transformation of legal standards into professional actions in schools. This paper employs interview data from three compulsory schools (grades 1–10), legal documents, and public reports, and the analysis is guided by a conceptual distinction between structural and epistemic aspects of discretion. Based on our findings, we question whether the discretionary space regarding special needs education gives too many opportunities for action and, hence, weakens pupils’ legal rights. Under the guise of a common school, there is a risk that pupils’ special needs are made invisible.     

Inclusive education in Israel from a curriculum perspective: an exploratory study

ABSTRACT

Teachers of young schoolchildren are generally thought to have consistent ideas on developmental and learning problems of their pupils. Therefore, their assessments are also deemed valuable for the early identification of children at risk. However, this can only be the case if these assessments have a high predictive value for learning and behavioural problems in children at a later age. This article reports on a longitudinal research project whereby young children's teachers made assessments on their pupils’ development, which were compared with the later performance of these children in school. The predictive value proved to be insufficient, and the implications of this finding are discussed.     

Developing an emotional awareness programme for pupils with moderate learning difficulties at Durants School

Abstract

Emotional awareness programmes and initiatives in education have a high profile. Training courses in emotional literacy and emotional literacy projects are being promoted nationwide. However, whilst many successful projects and programmes have taken place in the context of mainstream school settings, by comparison relatively fewer projects have been reported in special school settings. A seven-week emotional awareness project was designed for seven pupils in a Year 8 form group (12–13 years of age) who were presenting with emotional and emotional/behavioural difficulties in Durants School, which caters for pupils with moderate learning difficulties. The project drew upon principles of circle time and placed emphasis on multisensory activities and role play. The purpose of the project was to identify whether an emotional awareness programme would lead to an increase in the pupils’ awareness and understanding of their own emotions, and whether an awareness of other people’s feelings/emotions could be integrated as a core module of the school’s personal, social and health education curriculum. This project illustrates that an emotional awareness programme can be adapted creatively for pupils with special educational and learning needs without involving expensive resources, and can give pupils life skills that can be applied both in and out of the classroom.     

School factors that facilitate or hinder the ability of teaching assistants to effectively support pupils with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in mainstream secondary schools

Growing numbers of pupils with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are attending mainstream schools, and increasing numbers of teaching assistants (TAs) are being deployed into classrooms to support them. Evidence suggests, however, that pupils who have a TA may underperform academically, receive less attention from their teachers and be isolated from their peer group. Issues relating to the deployment and training of these staff, and their relationships with class teachers have been raised as contributing to the negative impact of TAs. However, school factors – such as inclusive school culture and teacher training – have been overlooked. In light of this, the objectives of the current study were to (1) develop understanding of the aspects of school culture that TAs feel contribute to the development of inclusion, and (2) identify aspects of school culture, policies and practices that facilitate or hinder their ability to effectively support pupils with ASD. Fifteen TAs supporting pupils with ASD in four mainstream secondary schools were interviewed. Thematic analysis identified positive attitudes towards pupils with special educational needs, school leadership support for inclusion, collaboration and respect as components of an inclusive school culture. The factors perceived as facilitating or hindering the ability of TAs to effectively include pupils with ASD included access to expertise, communication within school and teaching staff awareness of ASD. These findings are discussed in relation to the growing literature on inclusive education for pupils with ASD.