EDUCATION OF PEOPLE
WITH SPECIAL NEEDS IN
SLOVENIA
QUALIFICATION OF
TEACHERS
LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATION OF
CHILDREN AND YOUTH WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
 The education of children with special needs is
regulated by The Placement of Children with
Special Needs Act (2000)
 The Act defines procedures for placement of
children with special needs in all types of
education from pre-school to upper secondary
education.
INTEGRATION
 The Placement of Children with Special Needs Act enables
the integration into regular forms of education of those
children who, with additional professional help and the
provision of adapted programmes, will be able to achieve
comparable educational standards.
 These are mostly children
with sensory disorders
and milder forms of behavioural disturbances.
 A mobile special-education service provides additional
help to children with sensory disorders.
PLACEMENT IN PROGRAMMES
 Children are placed in regular programmes
of pre-school, basic and secondary
education, where they are offered adapted
programmes and additional professional
help.
ADDITIONAL PROFESSIONAL HELP QUALIFICATION OF TEACHERS
 It is provided by:
– specialists for children with special needs
who are especially trained in working with
special-needs children;
– by teachers additionally qualified to teach
those children
 It is provided either during normal classes
or afterwards.
INCLUSION (PLACEMENT), DIAGNOSIS
AND GUIDANCE
 The school team consists of:
– A vzgojitelj (pre-school teacher) or učitelj (teacher),
– A paediatrician or physician with a specialisation diploma in
school medicine,
– A psychologist,
– A social worker,
– A specialist for children with special needs and physician
with appropriate specialisation in various types of disorders.
 The team places a child in an appropriate educational
programme on the basis of documentation, co-operation with
health and teaching institutions attended by the child, and
findings in the procedure.
TEACHERS AND OTHER PROFESSIONAL STAFF IN
EDUCATION OF CHILDREN AND YOUTH WITH
SPECIAL NEEDS
 In normal schools, specialists for children with
special needs with appropriate specialisation in
various types of disorders teach alongside class
and specialist subject teachers, providing help to
children with special needs.
 Psychologists, speech therapists and social
workers participate in the educational process as
well.
GENERAL OBJECTIVES
 to provide qualifications to each individual for a vocation and for an active life
in their social environment:
– equal opportunities with simultaneous consideration of the differences
among children;
– maintenance of a balance between different aspects of children’s physical
and mental development;
– involvement of parents in the educational proces;
– assurance of appropriate conditions allowing optimal development of each
individual;
– timely placement in an appropriate educational programme;
– organisation of education as near as possible to permanent residence;
– integrity and complexity of education;
– individualised approach,
– continuity of educational programmes;
– interdisciplinarity.
METHODS OF TEACHING AND TRAINING
 methods should ensure the optimal development
of each individual child and the achievement of
optimal goals in the educational process;
 the methods are defined in the annual school plan
of action;
 each school has to prepare an individualised
programme for each integrated child, it also has to
take into consideration the child’s disorder and
needs in the educational process;
 parents are also involved in the preparation of
individualised programmes.
EDUCATIONAL OFFER OF
SEMINARS FOR CHILDREN
WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
OVERVIEW OF CATALOGUE
FOR PERMANENT
PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION
OF TEACHERS
ORGANIZATION OF
SEMINARS
 Seminars are organized and financed by state
institutions, there are no private institutions as
organizers:
– University of Ljubljana (Pedagogical Faculty,
Department for Special Education);
– Centres for blind and weak-sighted, Centres for
hearing and speech correction (secondary
schools with adapted programmes);
– Slovene central establishment for schools and
sport.
TARGET GROUPS
 Regular school teachers from pre-schools to high schools
(pre-school educators, primary school teachers, secondary
school teachers) who are qualified, trained professionals
(linguists, biologists, mathematicians …) who fulfil
standards for teaching, however have no knowledge of
special education for teaching pupils with special needs
(behavioural disturbances, sight, hearing or physical
impairments);
 Teachers in schools with adapted programmes who work
daily with children with special needs,
 social workers who work with children with special needs.
SEMINARS’ THEMES AND OBJECTIVES
 to raise awareness and sensibility of teachers who
work with integrated children;
 to learn about the psychology of persons with
mental or physical disabilities;
 to gain knowledge and skills for organization of
work in classes with integrated children;
 social integration of children with special needs is
emphasized, especially of children with
behavioural disturbances;
SEMINARS’ THEMES AND OBJECTIVES
 special consideration is paid to methods which should be
used in successful temamwork with parents;
 a wide range of seminars offers knowledge of didactics and
also knowledge of various methods in teaching children
with special needs;
 methods, used in adapted teaching of deaf, blind pupils are
being thoroughly presented;
 an important segment of educational offer also deals with
instructions for preparing an individualized programme for
an integrated child.
SEMINARS’ THEMES AND OBJECTIVES
CONCLUSION
 The Slovene educational public as a whole moves towards
sensibility for children with special needs.
 Teachers should learn what kind of disabilities there are,
how to carry out the lessons, how to prepare individualized
programmes, how to really help integrated children.
 The whole idea behind the seminars is to equip, support
teachers with appropriate knowledge, methods and
techniques for effective teaching.