QSP
Quality in Special Needs Education: An Austrian Project of Research and Development
QSP wants to revive the questions of how the education system deals with students with disabilities and impairments and how students with special needs contribute to the enrichment of the Austrian school.
As a point of departure the project took stock of special needs education in Austria, twelve years after integration had become legally binding. In addition a “map” of strengths, weaknesses and development potentials of special needs education was elaborated in order to develop future-oriented approaches on this basis.
Until the end of 2006 groups of experts, supported by the initial project team formed to work out sustainable proposals for reform in five crucial areas:
- Setting quality standards for instruction in inclusive classes and special schools
- Making use of individual education plans as tool for instructional planning , evaluation and quality assurance
- Development of more objective procedures regarding assessment of special educational needs – stronger consideration of the principles of educational diagnosis, participation and informational transparency
- Making resource allocation for special needs support more flexible to better allow for preventive (not only curative) action
- Promoting changes in the professional self-conception of teacher’s dealing with SEN-pupils.
The outcomes of this work have been presented to the professional public in December 2006. They can be downloaded in German from the project’s website http://qsp.or.at as well as the German and the English version of the interim report which are available by clicking Qualität in der Sonderpädagogik: Ein Forschungs- und Entwicklungsprojekt or Quality in Special Needs Education. The final report "Individuelle Förderung im System Schule – Strategien für die Weiterentwicklung von Qualität in der Sonderpädagogik" can be downloaded from http://qsp.or.at/downloads/QSP_report_1.pdf. The English translation will be available in the near future.
An article on QSP initiative can be downloaded in German and English:
Austrian Education News
Integration of children with ‘autistic behaviour’ in Vienna
Normally a special educational needs teacher and a class teacher work together in class with one child with autistic behaviour, two to three children with other special educational needs and 18-20 ‘normal’ children.
The cooperation between the ‘Österreichische Autistenhilfe’ (Austrian Autistic Foundation) and the ‘Stadtschulrat für Wien’ (Vienna Board of Education) allows the assignment of personal assistants at schools who accompany the children (1:1) if required.
At present different students are working as personal assistants in 17 of the 46 classes. They are in a period of practical training which includes pedagogy, psychology, clinical psychology or psychotherapy.
The coordination and supervision is guaranteed through two clinical psychologists from the ‘Österreichische Autistenhilfe’. The training of the personal assistants includes the study of professional literature, the attendance at workshops and collaboration in the Family Advice Centre of the ‘Österreichische Autistenhilfe’.
This specialised training will enable them to accompany children at kindergarden and in their leisure time.
The concept for personal assistance at workstations and in everyday life has been developed by the ‘Österreichische Autistenhilfe’ and other organisations and extended in cooperation with other institutions such as the “Bundessozialamt” (Federal Social Institute) and the “Fond Soziales Wien” (The Foundation for a Social Vienna). This is an ongoing development to extend the capacity of the training centre for personal assistants.
Ruth-Renee Kurz, Mag. Carolin Steidl – Austrian Autistic Foundation
(In cooperation with: Dipl.Päd.Brigitte Mörwald – Integration Advice Centre)
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