Inclusion of Ukrainian children with special needs in Germany

Abstract

Today, in the context of the war in Ukraine, more and more Ukrainian refugees are seeking refuge in European countries, and a significant number of Ukrainians are temporarily staying in Germany. As of April 2023, 205,000 children and young people from Ukraine are integrated into the German education system. A particular challenge is the inclusion of children with special educational needs in Germany and all over Europe. This article analyzes the current situation and main challenges related to the integration of Ukrainians in Germany. The purpose of the article is to explore the main difficulties associated with the inclusion of children with special needs in the German education system. For coping with this huge and complicated problem, we should develop some strategies for teachers and parents to make them understand the causes of the main difficulties; also we should give them instruments to improve current situation and minimize maladaptation in the future. The first step for all these purposes is to analyze the near future: explore the main challenges for Ukrainian refugees in the German education system and analyze the prospects for efficient inclusion of this group of students into German education institutions. In the course of the study, based on the results of a survey of parents of children with special needs, the main challenges for children with special needs and their parents when integrating into German society were recognized. They are conditions of chronic stress, language barrier, and difficulties with integration into peer groups. As for the school environment, the main problems are the lack of Ukrainian-speaking teachers and insufficient attention of the teaching staff to the processes of socialization, integration and behavioral characteristics of children. Strengthening special support for children in the educational environment is also desirable. The processes of comprehensive integration of Ukrainian refugees into both educational and social environments require further study, because most of the problems faced by children with disabilities and their parents in Germany are also characteristic of the wider refugee population from Ukraine in Europe. Keywords: Ukrainian refugees, inclusion, children with special needs, German education system.