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Siauliai, Lithuania October 28, 2010. From defectology towards inclusive education. Inclusive education: Including all children in schools Including all children in mainstream schools. How far is inclusive education being achieved in developed countries?
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Siauliai, Lithuania October 28, 2010 From defectology towards inclusive education
Inclusive education: • Including all children in schools • Including all children in mainstream schools
How far is inclusive education being achieved in developed countries? • Can address this question through international comparisons
There is no international agreement on what “Special Education” means • OECD set out to create a definition • Those children receiving additional resources to access the curriculum
Data gathered using this definition varies widely from country to country but can be broken down into 3 broad categories: • Disabilities • Learning Difficulties • Disadvantages
Disability • Those with organic pathologies. • Educational need arises mainly from problems associated with these disabilities.
Learning Difficulties • Those with behavioural or emotional disorders or specific learning difficulties. • Educational need arises mainly from problems in the interaction between the student and the educational context.
Disadvantages • Those with problems arising mainly from socio-economic or cultural/linguistic factors. • The educational need is to compensate for the disadvantage associated with these factors.
Cross-national category A- Disabilities - Number of students receiving additional resources over the period of compulsory education in cross-national category A as a percentage of all students in compulsory education
Cross-national category B- learning Difficulties - Number of students receiving additional resources over the period of compulsory education in cross-national category B as a percentage of all students in compulsory education
Cross-national category C- disadvantages - Number of students receiving additional resources over the period of compulsory education in cross-national category C as a percentage of all students in compulsory education
Cross-national category A- Disabilities / location - Percentages of students receiving additional resources over the period of compulsory education in cross-national category A by location, 2005
Cross-national category B- Learning Difficulties / location - Percentages of students receiving additional resources over the period of compulsory education in cross-national category B by location, 2005
Cross-national category C- Disadvantages / location - Percentages of students receiving additional resources over the period of compulsory education in cross-national category C by location, 2005
Table showing proportions of children with disabilities and learning difficulties in compulsory education in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, 2005-2006
The structure for supporting children with special needs in Lithuania • Education: • Special commissions in schools • Pedagogical-Psychological Services • National Centre for Special Needs Education and Psychology • Teacher training (in-service and pre-service) that gives teachers skills • Parental involvement • Health: • Child Development Centres
Conclusions • Although there are some children with disabilities still at home and in boarding institutions, the vast majority are in schools • Most children with disabilities in ‘A’ were in special schools pre-1990, the majority now (70%) are in regular schools • This provision is significantly different from Latvia and Estonia
Conclusions • There is a comprehensive set of services and in-school specialised support that are improving all of the time • It has taken 20 years with substantial financial, political and technical support to get this far • There has also been strong parental and professional commitment to creating inclusive education
Conclusions • The evidence shows that these policies and practices are working to create inclusive education • Policies for the future intend to increase the amount of inclusion of children with disabilities in regular schools; and • To continue to change the services offered by special schools.
Thank you Peter Evans plcevans@hotmail.com