The integration of children with special needs in ordinary schools

Abstract

The study investigates the attitudes of headteachers, teachers and parents towards integration and issues related to it, giving their recommendations on how ordinary schools could function better to help children with special needs. It also takes into account the views of children with special needs who are in ordinary schools and the reactions of their classmates. Twelve different cases were observed and various interviews/questionnaires were carried out with different people to arrive to certain conclusions. Results of the study show that people have different attitudes towards integration, but although a reasonable number of children with special needs are managing to integrate successfully, there is still room for development in our educational system to give the best education possible to these children in ordinary schools.