Identification of special educational needs - Netherlands

In identifying special educational needs two different assessment procedures can be distinguished: one for pupils falling under the so-called Together to School Again policy (see development of integration/inclusion) and the other for pupils possibly eligible for special education placement.

Under the Together to School Again policy assessing pupils with learning difficulties and mild mental impairments is basically the responsibility of the classroom teacher. If the pupil’s special needs are difficult to meet, the teacher can be supported by the school’s special needs coordinator or by support teachers from the regional school support service. A next step would be to refer the pupil for assessment to a regionally operating assessment team. These teams, which generally comprise a psychologist, physician, social worker and experienced special needs teachers, assess pupils in order to decide on the support needed. Parents’ permission is required for such an assessment. The initiative to do this is usually taken by the regular school teacher in consultation with the school principal, school support service and parents. In general teachers refer pupils who have severe learning problems or show deviant behaviour within the classroom situation.

The law on the Expertise Centres states that pupils are eligible for special education if they meet certain criteria. These are largely based on existing practice. Criteria for the visually impaired are a visual acuity: <0,3 or a visual field: < 30 and limited participation in education as a result of the visual impairment. For hearing impaired pupils a hearing loss > 80 dB (or for hard of hearing pupils 35 -80 dB) and limited participation in education are required. The decision to provide extra funding for mentally handicapped pupils will be based largely on IQ < 55, for physically impaired and chronically ill pupils medical data showing diagnosed disabilities and illness are needed. The criteria for behaviourally disturbed pupils require a diagnosis in terms of categories of the DSM-IV, problems at school, at home and in the community and a limited participation in education as a result of the behaviour problems.

Generally the assessment consists of examining  somatic/medical aspects, cognitive development, specific developmental aspects (language development, communication, concentration, motivation, etc.), social-emotional development (behaviour, emotional stability, independence, etc.), as well as profiling the family situation, neighbourhood and/or cultural background. The emphasis in the assessment depends on the reason for referral and the pupil’s impairments. Assessment teams try to formulate the findings not only in terms of eligibility, but also in terms of educational planning.