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Belgium (Flemish)
Country	Belgium (Flemish)
Topic:	Identification of children with special educational needs
	The new legal definition of special education (Decree 1997) is based upon a true concept of special needs (see below*). The main reason for referral to special education is no longer the child's disability or personal problem. The decree refers primarily to the difficulties/incapacity of the ordinary/mainstream school to provide for the optimum personal and social development of all pupils. Therefore, the nature or the degree of an impairment or a disability does not justify a referral to special education; referral is made on the basis of the balance between the possibilities of a mainstream school and the educational needs of an individual pupil. It is clearly stated that it is the mission of every mainstream school to provide for the optimal education and development of every pupil. This mission must be implemented within the regular provisions. To be enrolled in a special school a child needs to obtain from a PMS centre two documents: - an attestation which states that the child demonstrates clearly "a need for special education and may usefully attend a special school organising teaching of type X at level Y." This formal statement does not imply that the pupil must go to a special school, but rather that he/she has a right to attend a special school or to have special support in a mainstream school. - a document which justifies this attestation and contains a synthesis of the psychological, pedagogical, social and medical data from the examination. It must be pointed out that the PMS centre has only an advisory role and cannot force the parents to enrol their child in a special school. In the event of litigation between parents and school, a regional commission intervenes and gives a second opinion. The final decision however remains always with the parents. Admission to integrated education requires a certificate, just as with admission to special education. This certificate refers to an "integration plan". This plan is the result of consultation amongst all parties involved: the pupil or his/her parents, the mainstream school, the supporting school for special education and the advisory teams of the PMS centres. (*) In this Decree special education is defined as: "education, based on a pedagogical project, that provides adapted schooling, care and therapy for pupils whose general personal development cannot be or can insufficiently be guaranteed, temporarily or permanently, in an ordinary school."
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