Education of Children with Intellectual Disabilities in Slovenia

Abstract

AbstractIn the Republic of Slovenia, the concept of inclusion was formally codified with the adoption of the Placement of Children with Special Needs Act (2000, 2007), which calls for inclusive education of students with special needs in settings as close to their homes as possible. Despite numerous innovations, Slovenian legislation still maintains a dual education system. Some students with special needs are educated separately from age peers in special schools/institutions (specialization), while others attend regular schools along with age peers (inclusion). This dichotomy results from thinking that many children with special needs (especially those with intellectual disability) are not able to achieve at the standards set for their age peers, that schools have not provided adapted programs to accommodate lower expectations of academic achievement, that many Slovenian school teachers do not have suitable skills and knowledge appropriate for educating children with special needs, and that most schools lack the capacity and resources that permit teachers to focus on children with special needs. Strategies for bringing about needed changes in practice are required, and some of these key strategies include: enforce the legal provisions enabling children with special needs to receive appropriate schooling; institute prevention processes of the improper placement of children with disabilities; constitute a strategic plan for effective inclusive education of children with intellectual disability; comprehensively monitor and evaluate education practices and inform education policy‐makers of findings; and involve special schools and institutions in the implementation of inclusion of students with intellectual disability in regular schools.