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Models of Special Needs Education in Austria

In the years after World War II special needs education more and more specialised and turned into something detached from mainstream teaching. In many ways special needs education was reduced to special needs schools with all the given social implications. However, discontent with this situation was growing, and it was especially parents associations in the late seventies and early eighties that effected a sharp change in thinking. New legislation was considered and later introduced, research was initiated, and experimenting with various models was encouraged (and paid for) by the government.

Gruber and Petri (1989) give an account of the most successful models that were being tested throughout the country.

1. The Integrative Classroom

2. The Co-operative Classroom

3. Supportive Class ("Förderklasse")

4. Support Teacher

1. The Integrative Classroom            

The central idea is very simple: children with disabilities are educated together with the other children in the same classroom.

This model would avoid segregating children who do not meet the requirements of a general school and try to meet their special needs at the same time. The children will go to a school close to their homes, beside cognitive learning there will be emphasis on social learning, and the new class situation will be a challenge and, hopefully, encourage teachers to experiment with new forms of teaching and learning. It seems appropriate to have two class teachers and a reduced number of pupils (around 20).

This model is highly consistent but makes high demands on the teachers.

Problems: Apart from the high costs the most acute problem seems to be the variety of possible disabilities for the teachers to cope with: how can you most effectively support e.g. a child with speech deficits, another one with learning difficulties, another one with a visual impairment and one with behavioural problems alongside with 16 mainstream children? This will be a challenge.

It is to be pointed out, however, that a radical change has taken place in the way that curricula and children are matched. Whereas formerly a child was allocated to a special curriculum and type of school, tables have been turned: the adequate curriculum will have to be chosen to match the needs of the individual child.

2. The Co-operative Classroom

With this model the special needs class remains an independent learning group. In less achievement-oriented learning areas, however, they would be taught together with mainstream children.

On the one hand, a homogeneous group of disabled pupils can get the best support and special training. On the other hand, the tendency towards isolation and segregation will be counteracted in joint activities and co-operative learning. The extent of shared instruction will depend on the particular children involved and can range from occasional school events to shared classes in less cognitively dominated subjects to predominantly shared instruction. This is when the co-operative model comes close to the integrative model.

This model makes a lot of sense when a special needs class has already been formed and/or is in the same building. Another suitable point would be the first year of school when the children can be divided into two classes without experiencing this as an act of separation.

There could be problems with growing age when the increasing complexity of the learning material will reduce the opportunities for shared instruction. The growing extent of separated teaching could involve the attribution of a pupil to a particular class and could then have a stigmatising effect for the disabled children after all.

3. Supportive Class ("Förderklasse")

The supportive class should be a small class to help children to overcome difficulties with learning and behaviour. Temporary separation shall prepare them for shared instruction at a later stage.

This model should help to prevent learning difficulties and behavioural disturbances; on the other hand, children with special needs should be able to be taught within the framework of a primary school and a secondary school. The special needs teacher will ensure that therapeutic dimensions are included and thereby offer chances for development which would not be given in a regular primary school.

On top of these qualitative features there is also a reduction of the number of pupils to a group of between six and ten and a possible extension of the primary school period to five years.

The problem with this model seems to be that children with physical disabilities find little additional support, those with mental disabilities hardly any. In addition, there is the danger that acceptance into this supportive class will eventually lead to disintegration.

4. Support Teacher

Especially in thinly populated areas it will be difficult or impossible to have a whole group or class that can be taught by a special needs teacher. This model, therefore, is to find out under what conditions a special needs child can take part in regular classes at a local primary school. Instruction is normally given by the class teacher only, and the support teacher's role is simply that of helping the child with disabilities.

Obviously, a one to one teacher pupil ratio cannot be financed. This means that it must be possible for the class teacher to give his classes alone because the support teacher will only be present in some lessons. Apart from that, it will be difficult for the support teacher to be competent and therapeutically efficient for all possible disabilities.

This chapter is based on Gruber-Ledl 1992

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