IDENTIFICATION OF SPECIAL NEEDS

The overall aim is to identify pupils with SEN as early as possible. All local health centres co-operate with the educational-psychological service centres, so many children with SEN are identified before they start school.

Educational psychological services
Health service, kindergartens, schools and parents can ask the educational-psychological service centre for help. Before the centre can write an expert report about the pupil's needs, the parents have to give their written approval. The expert report has to contain reasons why a pupil needs special education and describes the content of the special education, the extent and how the education ought to be organised. The school then works out an individual plan. This plan must take into consideration the advice of the pedagogical psychological service centre, but also adapt the special education to the curriculum taught to the rest of the class. The expert report gives advice to the municipality on how the measures taken for the pupil can ensure that s/he will get an equivalent education to that of pupils without SEN. If the municipality has professional reasons for not following the advice, these reasons must be documented.

Parents
Parents must give their written approval before the educational-psychological service can investigate the SEN of their child and give advice on the help the child needs. The parent must also give their approval before a child can be placed in a special school.

As special education is decided by an individual decision, parents can make a complaint at the national educational offices if they are not satisfied with the special education provided for their child.