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SPECIAL NEEDS EDUCATION WITHIN THE EDUCATION SYSTEM
Mainstream educational services
For detailed information regarding the organisation of mainstream educational services in Norway, please visit the Eurydice information service at:
http://www.eurydice.org/Eurybase/Application/frameset.asp?country=NO&language=EN
Special systems
The inclusion of children (and adults) with special needs in mainstream educational settings is the general rule. Specialised institutions exist, but only 0.6% of the school population are enrolled in provision outside their local school system.
The aim of all special provision is to ensure that pupils are provided with an educational programme best adapted to meet their needs.
The term 'special educational needs' (SEN) is used for pupils who are unable to follow the mainstream course of studies. Pupils with SEN are not categorised in the law or in the curriculum. The national resource centres and to some extent also specialist teacher training are organised according to categories that are left over from the old special school system:
- visual impairment
- hearing impairment
- physical impairment
- communication and speech impairment
- behavioural and emotional disorders
- specific learning disabilities
- severe learning disabilities
In practical work with pupils with SEN, there has been a shift from the use of medical diagnosis to a description of how a pupil functions. Special education should be based on the possibilities in the pupil's abilities rather than focused on weaknesses. A 'handicap' is described as a discrepancy between the capabilities of the individual and the functions demanded of him or her by society in areas, which are essential to the establishment of independence and a social life. This means that changes in society may reduce a person's handicap.
For the majority of pupils with SEN, special education is provided at the mainstream school to which the pupil belongs, most often within his or her own class. The pupils may also be taught in small groups together with other pupils with SEN, or individually. For many pupils a combination of these organisation models is practised.
Until 1992, Norway had 40 national schools for special education. As a part of the re-organisation of special education, 20 have been closed and 20 of the former national special schools have been changed into resource centres. There are resource centres for pupils with certain disabilities including visual and hearing impairment, dyslexia, behavioural and emotional disorders, severe learning difficulties and mental disabilities. In collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs, four regional resource centres have been established for persons born both deaf and blind. An autism programme and a national resource centre for MBD/ADHD, Tourette's Syndrome and Narcolepsy have also been started. For Northern Norway, a special development programme has been initiated.
The national average of pupils receiving special education after an individual decision is about 6.5%. However, there are variations between counties and municipalities concerning how many pupils receive special education after an individual decision (1.6% to 19%). The variations do not reflect differences in the incidence of SEN, but differences in organisation of provisions on regional level. Schools with a lot of variation in pedagogical methods include more pupils in the mainstream class education.
In Norway in 1996 about 0.5% of all pupils (7–15 years) followed special education in special classes in mainstream school, or in special schools. The total number of pupils from seven to 15 years old is 478,500; of these about 31,000 receive some form of special education. Only a small number of pupils are educated in special classes (n = 654) or special schools (n = 1,856).
As the number of special schools is very limited, they play no important role in the inclusion process. In Norway, the support system for mainstream schools is not based on support from special schools or visiting teachers. The support system consists of the educational psychological services (270 offices) and the resource centres.
Co-operation with other services
A key feature of special education in Norway is partnership with parents. Part II of the national curriculum describes the importance of co-operation of parents. Where pupils with SEN are concerned, co-operation with their parents is particularly important in arriving at the best overall educational course and at shared understanding of what efforts and progress can be expected of the pupils. Co-operation with parents is also important in connection with the individual adaptation of teaching for pupils from linguistic and cultural minorities.
In order to make knowledge and information regarding special education more readily available, all responsible local authorities are included in 'resource networks' where a high level of co-operation between municipal, county and national authorities is required |
