Although Nordic countries are committed to developing inclusive education, a gap often exists between policy, ideals, and the realisation of inclusion in practice. In Finnish schools, part-time special education is an important tool for promoting inclusive education in the three-tier system. In this study, our research questions were: (1) What…

As important decisions are being made with regard to educational legislation, policy and provision for children with special educational needs (SEN), it is critical that the views of these key stakeholders are heard and considered. This article reports the perspectives of 38 children and young people with special educational needs on their…

Over the past decades significant changes have occurred throughout all aspects of the field of Special Education in Spain. One of these changes is related to appropriate and effective instruction for students with disabilities and diverse educational needs in inclusive classroom placements. All of these change efforts have created the need to…

The main objective of specially adapted teaching in upper secondary education in Norway is to help students attain vocational or academic competence. However, a contested issue is whether it is conducive to place students with special educational needs in regular or special classes. Another question is whether boys and girls benefit to the same…

A survey conducted with 385 families of gifted children concerning their perceptions of their children's experiences in school indicated that most parents do not perceive their school's present curricula as meeting their child's intellectual needs. Further, there is substantial belief among these parents that special full-time classes for high…

The educational needs of 73 children who exhibited characteristics associated with autism were studied. Ss were children clinically diagnosed as autistic and having severe communication and behavior disorders. Trained observers completed behavioral observations, teacher interviews, student record reviews, and behavior and language questionnaires.…

The paper describes pilot work in seven classes with mainstreamed physically handicapped students and four special classes on two measures (Classroom Index of Student Needs and Classroom Index of Individualized Instruction) to describe degrees of student diversity in the classroom and of the individualized educational service provided there. The…

This study was a follow-up to a 1993 study which surveyed Iowa school districts to compare types of programs for gifted students in Iowa with the 16 types found in a 1985 national survey (the Richardson study). The present study examined the five program types which the 1993 study identified as having a large number of characteristics…