Jan van der Burg
Simply participate?
Inclusion of children with disabilities in regular Dutch schools has become an important policy in the Netherlands. In the current situation regular education and special education exist in parallel. Special educational needs in regular schools are often met through counselling and additional funds are available for the school to implement extra instruction time and specific help for the child, However, the child’s participation in the social network of the class and the school is sometimes hindered, and, as a consequence, social-emotional development may be at risk. In this project, we: (1) make a survey of assessment instruments and educational and training programs and materials for the social-emotional development and investigate their usefulness for children with physical disabilities in special schools and rehabilitation centres, (2) evaluate the psychosocial adjustment of children with a physical disability or chronic disease who attend regular schools, and examine the teachers’ need for help in this domain.
