Education in segregated settings for pupils with intellectual disability (ID) has often been portrayed as a unified form of schooling. There is a risk of providing a simplified picture of these settings and of what pupils with ID need to learn. This is generally stipulated in policy documents, leaving room for staff in school to interpret…

Background and aims: Teachers serve as critical communication partners for students with intellectual disability (ID) who face communication difficulties. However, teachers may lack sufficient training in using communication partner strategies and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) in the classroom. This study aimed to explore…

"Positive Special Education" spotlights the power of positive special education, combining insights from researchers and teachers in special education from several countries. The expert team of authors, being both teachers and academics, highlight the powerful influence of teachers fostering optimistic approaches as well as the impact a…

This study aimed to explore parents' and teachers' meaning making of children's learning in transitions from preschool to school, for 5-7-year-old children with intellectual disability (ID). Although educational transitions is a growing area of research there is limited research about educational transitions of children with ID. These children…

This inquiry investigates whether effective implementation of pedagogical actions closely associated with strong engagement and greater than expected learning gains in writing by typically developing students apply similarly to engagement and gains in writing by students with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities (ID). It was undertaken in…

The inclusion agenda has influenced education systems around the world, resulting in better access to mainstream education for pupils with special educational needs (SEN). While numerous studies have compared outcomes of pupils with SEN in mainstream and special educational settings, research on the specific characteristics of these settings…

This article is based on an extensive study of teaching-learning processes in special educational settings organised for children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). There is a general assumption that children's learning will be supported through placement in a special class with few students and one or more teachers…

Students with special educational needs (SEN) are systematically hindered in their participation in test-taking and, as a result, are also excluded from participating in high-quality learning. Hence, participation in the assessment situation is connected to power relations and future prospects and possibilities to participate in society. This…

The aim of the research was to explore how 55 Swedish independent schools, directed at (or limited to) students in need of special support (SNSS), describe their organisation, work and visions. The empirical data of the research consisted of the schools' website presentations, which were processed and analysed in consecutive steps. The results…