How many children with special needs in regular classes? Official predictions VS teachers’ perceptions in South Australia and New South Wales.

Abstract

This report provides some recent data on the numbers of students with different types and degrees of disability and special educational need placed in mainstream primary classrooms in South Australia and New South Wales. Information was collected from teachers in seventy‐seven classrooms, representing a total enrolment of 1919 students. The authors have computed the overall prevalence rate for students with special educational needs, together with the prevalence rates for different types of disability or difficulty. These rates have been compared with those reported in the national and international literature. The results suggest that the commonly accepted notion of 20% of the school population as the upper limit for students with special educational needs is almost certainly too low. The indications are that up to 32% of students may need some degree of additional short‐term or longer‐term support. Comparisons are made between the two states, and some implications for the planning and funding of support services and resources are briefly discussed.