Children with Emotional and Behavioural Disorders - Essay Example

137394 Inclusive education does not have a succinct definition, but only means that all should be part of it and it is different from integration. Here the question is connected with students who require special needs, or SEN students. SEN students or students with educational needs and the equal opportunity issue and their inclusion in the mainstream had been taking a lot of ink recently. Earlier SEN people were either ignored or relegated into special institutions, for additional skills and support, were not given much thought. Now, they are given new rights in developed and even under-developed countries and their demands or necessities are gaining special attention even in countries like Czechoslovakia. "The students with severe and profound mental disability, autism and complex needs are offered to follow the Frame Educational Programme for Special Needs Education tailored to meet their needs and built up on the principles of the national programme for compulsory education and reflecting the students special needs" http://www.european-agency.org/nat_ovs/czech/9.html SEN students need special provisions and other support system according to their individual needs, like speech therapy, additional teaching staff, psychological counselling, special pedagogical support, more hours, sign language or more material visual, audio or any other kind of compensatory assistance. Through Acts of Legislation, Governments of advanced countries have empowered themselves to open exclusive schools for SEN students and at the same time, have also taken meaningful steps towards integration and inclusion of these students into the mainstream. Special need education within the Education System has been given careful attention in most of the countries today. "Looked at in this way, inclusion, understood as a movement for educating learners with special educational needs in mainstream schools and classes, is a resolution that emphasizes the commonality pole of the dilemma. It focuses on learners who are 'different' in ways that have the most obvious educational significance, and argues for their right to be educated alongside their peers, within a common institution and, frequently, within a common curriculum" Mitchell (2005). Please put page number here; I don't have the book. Schools are wary of accepting these students, due to their low attainment, and additional responsibility. Schools are also worried about the extra demands on teachers, peer group, emotional upheavals for normal children and the possibilities of SEN students being ragged by other able-bodied children, and this so, in spite of inclusion and integration. "All learners are the same in their essential human characteristics, in the rights and entitlements which are ascribed to them and in their participation within some more-or-less loosely defined process of education" Dyson, Alan, (March 2001). British Journal of Special Education, Volume 28, No. 1, p.25. In Dyson (2001), we come across various methods of inclusions that could be adaptable and challenging and the most important are one-track, dual-tracks and multi-tracks. Almost all the countries that are tuned to inclusion are trying to adapt one system or other and sometimes both according their needs. As an explanation, it could be told that one-track means serving all students in one system, under the same curriculum, same classes without marginalising the SEN people and treating them as equal and similar to other students. Psychologists feel that this would provide permanent bonding and friendship with normal children and the inferiority complex would disappear, as they feel accepted. It also provides challenge, appreciation and hope for future. Theoretically, this is the best method in which SEN people do not feel segregated. But the practical challenges facing could be different from the best theory and children with problems might not be able to cope with the pressures and trials of rigorous education. Under such circumstances Dual-Track education could help, by way of providing special education for SEN students under one system, and normal education for the students without learning disabilities. This system had been accepted for a long time, as SEN people were seen as in need of special attention and thought to be inadequate for participating in the normal education system and hence, were provided with special educational needs, while others were grouped into another more general one. The justification of this policy is questioned today as a policy of inequality. Still a few countries, according to their needs and atmosphere are pursuing it. Multi-track system is attaining the same object by many different approaches to help the students according to the individual needs of students, and this means, there should be many approaches, depending on diverse needs. This is perhaps the most practical of the three, but it does not fully ensure the rights of SEN people to be included in the main stream. Ideally speaking, this could be a better method as individual attention would be provided to each SEN person. But arguments of such a person being excluded from the mainstream, and being unable to assimilate with the society in future are gaining ground. Inclusive education, the most popular term in the field today, is naturally of one -track system, which does not differentiate between SEN and normal students. SEN students play a similar role, very much like any other student and thus, are not marginalised from the mainstream. "The one-track approach refers to countries that have developed policies geared towards the inclusion of almost all students in regular education, with support services" and this includes Italy, Portugal, Sweden, Greece, Norway, USA, Canada, Australia, China, South Africa, Latin American Countries etc. http://academia-research.com/files/message/250539_Essay%20Propisiton%203%20%26%204%20%28tracks%29.doc Naturally the special education has to be very close to the normal education so that SEN children develop skills akin to normal children. These skills will shape their lives, give self-confidence and psychologically make them secure. "For these reasons alone, any provision for special education, whether made in special schools or classes or elsewhere needs to be closely related to that made for normal children in ordinary schools. There is another reason. The aim of special education is to develop the child's resources and by the use of special techniques where necessary, enable him to share as far as lies within him the learning experiences of normal children," Department of Education and Science (1972, p.33-34).E 2T140Rrno030aIdaotgE.6050yeig1et060rDlo DENMARK (Multi-track) Denmark is one of the European countries that had been lately giving significant attention to the field of education, especially that of SEN persons. Even though it started reforming the needs of special students very recently, it has earmarked an impressive budget into the goal and to a large extent, country favours inclusion and integration. "The general objectives of special education are that handicapped children should as far as possible be taught in ordinary school environments, and that all children are entitled to an instruction which is adapted to their prerequisites, possibilities and needs" http://www.european-agency.org/nat_ovs/denmark/4.html Focussing on the current state of art of special education policies, European Agency for Development in Special needs Education, says in its 2003 report says: "A fundamental principle of Danish educational policy is that everyone should have the same access to education and training that is basically free of charge from the time a child is five or six years old. All pupils are entitled to instruction that is adapted to their situation, the possibilities and the needs of the Individual pupils" (p.31). Here, SEN students are identified on the basis of their difficulties at school and not on behavioural backgrounds or medical testimony. This is done disregarding the fundamental melodies of class, gender, ethnicity, opportunities and racial outlook. It is like recognising the SEN group as similar, but in need of additional educational needs, and simply it is establishing their rights to be educated along with other absolutely normal children. Denmark, which has multi-track system, has invested a relatively higher amount on education and 1.25 percent of her children are attending special classes according to the special needs. With the special schools Denmark was pursuing a double-track system for her children. In 1961, school psychologist, Kurt Kristensen, popularised the new trend of establishing special classes in regular schools which eventually brought the SEN group into regular schools for the first time. Small groups of children, for a few hours in a week are given special attention with special needs; according to their situation and it was a multi-track system which spread to neighbouring and far off countries quickly. It runs a successful Special Teacher Education training programme to meet all the needs of this system. Denmark had been paying new attention to the special need people in order to mainstream them along with others. Earlier, these children were either ignored, or sent to special needs school, where there was hardly any monitoring. "School must be sufficiently inclusive to meet the needs of the individual pupils. This does not necessarily mean that teachers should be able to meet the educational needs of all children in the ordinary mainstream school classes. The special schools with their expertise are, and will continue to be, a valid alternative educational provision" http://www.european-agency.org/nat_ovs/denmark/6.html Denmark is a Nordic country, situated in the North Western Europe, a constitutional monarchy like United Kingdom, with very less population, consisting of six large islands and 400 small islands, has cold weather, unending coastline and long winters. SEN people cannot be expected to be sturdy and strong. On the contrary, most of them have very weak constitutions, being unable to participate in games and athletics. These students are unable to travel a great distance to attend exclusive special schools and having schools nearby just like any other child is beneficial for them. Denmark has compulsory education till 9 for its children and is one of the countries that provide free education. It also provides complete psychological care through Pedagogical Psychological Counselling centres. SWEDEN (ONE TRACK) Sweden has adopted the One Track system and has produced marvellous results. Even though the SEN students have been unable to fully take advantage of the new opportunities, their fundamental rights are guarded. Sweden feels that its new educational strategies should provide ample diversities and possibilities for the SEN as the mission statement proclaims. "A school for all this motto of Swedish education expresses the objective of creating a school that has the expertise, the readiness, and the ability required to provide the best possible education to all students, based on their individual needs. It is a school in which all students take part in instruction, where community and equality are part of everyday lift," http://www.european-agency.org/ict_sen_db/national_pages/attachments/ict.html Sweden has done extensive research to provide a highly effective one-track system to its SEN, so that their rights are not mutilated in any way, and at the same time, they could be benefited by attending the schools with the same facilities and educational possibilities as any other children. "The research from Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and the United States highlights the myriad issues involved in values and beliefs about the social constructs of disability, what constitutes "special education," how to allocate and use education resources, the importance of context, and the interplay of policy, research, and practice in education across local and national levels of governance" Smith (1998), International Journal of Educational Research 29 (1998) 161-166. Swedish educational act proclaims that no difference will be made between normal and SEN students while taking account of special need requirement. "The Swedish Education Act stipulates equal access to equivalent education for all pupils and young persons, regardless of sex, geographical location and social and economic circumstances" http://academia-research.com/files/message/280295_Special%2520Education%2520in%2520Europe.pdf The educational act has supplements that provide to the special needs of SEN. Sweden has tried to stick to the one-track system, in spite of a few setbacks and some of the SEN have improved very well under it mainly because they do not feel marginalised in any way. Municipalities have taken the responsibility of running special schools for children with special requirements. The 1980 WHO analysis has made a profound impact on Sweden's educational system. "It implies that a handicap always has to be defined in terms of the relationship between the individual and his or her environment" (ibid). Sweden has long winter too, and there are difficulties for the students with problems to keep up with the normal children. But the municipalities are conducting extra classes and giving extra attention to the needy children. SWITZERLAND (Dual Track system) In spite of many changes in the educational systems in other countries, Switzerland has adopted its own dual track system and is doing very well in its frame work. It has normal schools for ordinary children and special schools for children with learning difficulties. Switzerland has never deviated from this educational policy, because in the extreme cold weather that the country has, perhaps this is the best system that could be followed. In such difficult weather children with disabilities cannot compete with normal children, either in learning or in attending the schools. They are given special attention and great care under the special education system, and that suits them better than being taught under one track system, which would have laid additional stress on them. Swiss educational system is highly diversified and caters to the particular need of the child. The French speaking and Italian speaking cantons function separately and they do not have to include children with special needs in their schools. Teaching is individualised and differentiated according to needs, through special schools, special classes and to some extent, through inclusive schooling. There is no special curriculum in special schools and instead, they follow the mainstream school curriculum and they attend special schools according to the severity of their handicap. "Pupils with severe disabilities who are recognised by invalidity insurance are rarely found in special classes; they are generally educated in special schools. Special classes are mainly devoted to the teaching of pupils with learning difficulties and behavioural problems" (ibid). In the Editorial of International Journal of Inclusive Education, Vol. 10, No. 4-5, July-September 2006, pp. 293-294, on Critical analyses of inclusive education policy: an international survey (Par5t 2), Roger Slee (2006), says: "I detect sensitivity for cultural nuance which militates against limitations of comparative education in its traditional form." Culture, background and mind sets had been interfering SEN inclusion in many countries. Push for inclusive education and argument in favour of special education is perhaps going on in every country, with doubts and misgivings freely expressed. Still there is a positive trend towards inclusive education, which might go a long way in its favour in many of those countries, where human rights are given importance. Also there is a category which cannot be reached easily, because they are too ill to attend any of the schools, and for such children, there is only one option of home tuition. Poulton and Jeremiah (1970, p.51) wrote three decades ago: "Home tuition is a useful part-time service which can be offered by teachers who are not available for full-time appointments, but unfortunately they are usually rather scarce." No doubt, situation has improved now. Evaluation of every model is necessary as the systems need constant monitoring. Any programme involving SEN children or adults need careful evolutional procedures imbibed in the education itself. "Application of child performance evaluations to the several components of the data-based programming model allows for a continuous process of refinement and verification of the content and procedures of each component," Gardner (1977, p.578). There is always a fear that special schools can create another problem of exclusivity, which will not be the same in one track schools, where all children mix together. "Opportunities for social contacts with the non-handicapped children were fewest for the children in special schools sharing a campus with an ordinary school. Only a very small proportion of the PH children, including those who had all their lessons in the comprehensive (though remaining on the roll of the special school), had made friends with non-handicapped children, and in general the administrative arrangements did not facilitate this," Swan (1981, p.171). One track system had not been beyond reproach either. In one track system, there are complaints that SEN students destroy the concentration and cause emotional difficulties in normal children. "Pupils with emotional, behavioural and social difficulties (EBSD) may in some cases, but certainly not all, disrupt the education of othersSometimes EBSD may arise from features of the school setting or may be made worse by them. EBSD may also be associated with other learning difficulties," Farrell (2003, p.63). Another point that has to be mentioned is the acute necessity and significance of continuous research in special needs, which will contribute to all the three track systems by making education easier for teachers, peers and SEN people. "While much needs to be done to verify teaching methods, teaching materials, learning characteristics and educational environments, research has contributed greatly since 1945 to bring greater order and relevance to the education of most exceptional children," Cruickshank and Johnson (1975, p.20). Since the 1981 Act for people with special needs, United Kingdom had always been in forefront in providing appropriate education to them, with the acknowledgement that it was their right and most of the European Union countries simply follow suit. Integrating them into main stream schools had been one of the main agendas in many countries in recent years. So, again and again, after going through all available data, we return to the same three track systems and come to the conclusion that they are sensible and could be applied according to the countries and their needs. People who are responsible for the implementation of these policies in their homelands have to decide, after extensive research which tracks system suits them better. Seminars, discussions, academic inputs all help in breaking many barriers. The fundamental right of the child to education, according to its learning needs, unique characteristics and desires, has to be fulfilled by designing the education according to the individual desire of the child, as it is a SEN student, and cannot venture farther. BIBLIOGRAPHY: 1. Cruickshank and Johnson (1975), ed., Education of Exceptional children and Youth, 3rd edn., Prentice-Hall, Inc., New Jersey. 2. Dyson, Alan (March 2001), British Journal of Special Education Volume 28, No. 1. page 25. 3. Department of Education and Science (1972), Education Survey 17, Her Majesty's Stationery office, London. 4. European Agency for Development in Special needs Education, Trends in Provision in 18 European Countries, (2003, p.31). 5. Farrell, Michael (1997), The Special Education Handbook, 3rd edn., David Fulton Publishers, London. 6. Gardner, William I. (1977), University and Behavior Characteristics of Exceptional Children and Youth, Allyn and Bacon, Inc., London. 7. Heath, Nancy Lee et al (2004), Inclusion in the Final Frontier, INT. J. INCLUSIVE EDUCATION, JULY-SEPTEMBER 2004, VOL. 8, NO. 3, 241-259. 8. Mitchell, David (2005), ed., Contextualising inclusive education, Explaining Old and new international perspective, Routledge, London. 9. Poulton, Irene A. and Jeremiah, T. Graham (1970), An Outline of Special Education, Basil Blackwell, Oxford. 10. Smith, Ann (1998), Crossing Borders, Learning from Inclusion and Restructuring Research, International Journal of Educational Research 29 (1998) 161-166. 11. Swann, Will (1990), The Practice of Special Education, The Open University Press. ONLINE SOURCES: 1. Complete National Review, http://www.european-agency.org/nat_ovs/czech/9.html (accessed on 6.11.2006. 2. Heath, Nancy Lee et al (2003), Inclusion on the final frontier: a model for including children with emotional and behaviour disorders (E/BD) in Canada, INT. J. INCLUSIVE EDUCATION, JULY-SEPTEMBER 2004, VOL. 8, NO. 3, 241-259. 3. http://taylorandfrancis.metapress.com/media/3768ukygxkct4fxhlbcl/contributions/q/8/g/0/q8g0bed14tpvgyrb.pdf 4. http://www.ccsd.ca/perception/252/specialed.htm 5. http://www.european-agency.org/nat_ovs/denmark/4.html 6. http://www.european-agency.org/nat_ovs/denmark/6.html 7. http://www.european-agency.org/ict_sen_db/national_pages/attachments/ict.html 8. http://academia-research.com/files/message/280295_Special%2520Education%2520in%2520Europe.pdf 9. Read More