Support provision for students with Special Educational Needs in Irish Primary Schools

Abstract

The provision of support for students with special educational needs in schools is seen as a critical factor in the development of inclusive education. The means through which support is provided, continues to be based upon assumptions that individualized learning approaches may remediate learning difficulties. This paper reports findings from a longitudinal study of provision for students with special educational needs conducted in The Republic of Ireland. The authors identify in‐class and withdrawal approaches to support and consider the impact and efficacy of these. It is suggested that the withdrawal of students from class continues to be a dominant model, and that this approach has limitations and may not be conducive to the promotion of inclusive practice. Drawing upon data obtained through interviews with service users (students and parents/carers), and service providers (teachers, paraprofessionals, principals), and those gained from a national survey, the authors present the authentic voices of individuals to illustrate the experiences and opinions of those directly involved in special education in schools.

The Factors Important in Inclusive Education of the Pupil with Traumatic Brain Injury Identified on the Basis of the Lived Experience of His Mother

“…Decision-making between the two individual educational systems (inclusive and special) is also described in the experiences of parents of children with different types of physical disabilities (PD) [33][34][35]. In this study, we could meet positive contributions as well as barriers in both types of educational facilities.…”

The Impact of Evidence-Based Dialogic Training of Special Education Teachers on the Creation of More Inclusive and Interactive Learning Environments

“…While there is growing consensus regarding the relevance of creating evidence-based interactive learning environments to move toward the goal of ensuring an inclusive education for all (Pinto et al, 2019 ; Duque et al, 2020 ), segregation—usually in the form of withdrawing pupils with Special Education needs from the general classroom for support—is still a common practice in the field of Special Education in many countries (Rose and Shevlin, 2020 ; Somma, 2020 ). Faced with this reality, our study pointed to dialogic teacher education as a powerful strategy for the professional development of Special Education teachers, a field that is facing important changes (Rock et al, 2016 ) linked to the need to promote more transformative teacher education models aligned with the principles of inclusive education.…”

“…Moving toward a more inclusive education through the promotion of interactive learning environments often implies reexamining and expanding the role of Special Education teachers. From the focus on responding individually to the needs of students with special needs—which often implies withdrawing them from the general classroom, thus limiting their opportunities for social interaction with their typically developing peers—recent conceptions of the role of specialist teachers are evolving toward more inclusive approaches, aimed at promoting opportunities for collaborative work and social participation among diverse peers within the general classroom (Rose and Shevlin, 2020 ). Consequently, if the goal is to transform classrooms into interactive environments that offer the maximum opportunities for learning and development for all students, it is necessary to better prepare and support teachers to offer adequate scaffolding to students, so that high-quality interactions among diverse students can take place (Hong et al, 2020 ).…”

Breaking new ground? An analysis of the use of embedded occupational therapy in a postsecondary education programme for students with intellectual disabilities

“…The result of this was a rapid increase in the numbers of children with SEN attending mainstream schools with numbers rising to 26.9% of the whole school population by 2018 (Cosgrove et al, 2018). The challenges of this rapid growth in students with SEN and what this means for education providers and students has been widely documented (Drew & Cahill, 2020; O'Síoráin & Shevlin, 2021; Rose et al, 2015). Combined with debate around the use of special classes within schools (Banks & McCoy, 2017) and the work of special needs assistants (SNAs) (National Council for Special Education [NCSE], 2018b), the education system continues to evaluate and evolve on how it is best placed to provide mainstream education to students with special educational needs.…”