By Nina Thorup Dalgaard, Senior researcher, VIVE
Inclusion of children with special educational needs (SEN) in mainstream educational settings does not, in general, improve their learning outcomes or well-being. In our recent systematic review and meta-analysis, we found studies showing that inclusion has positive effects, and studies that show the opposite.
The systematic review analyses 94 studies from OECD countries on the effects of inclusion. Outcomes include learning and the psychosocial adjustment and well-being of students with SEN.
What we found was that inclusion in mainstream educational settings is not a one-size-fits-all solution that automatically promotes learning and well-being for all children with special needs. This is probably due to the fact that children with SEN have very different educational and psychosocial needs. At the same time, it is entirely possible that some forms of inclusion have a positive effect for some groups of children.
The increasing use of inclusion
In traditional special education, children with SEN were taught in separate classes. However, since the 1930s, children with special needs have been included in mainstream classes at an increasing rate.
This systematic review provides research evidence that can be used by policymakers and practitioners, such as teachers, who are working to create the best conditions for children with special needs.
Our findings also clearly show that future research should look at children with different types of special needs and different models of inclusion separately, to better explore what works for whom.
More about the review
The systematic review includes studies that evaluate the effects of placing children with special educational needs in mainstream educational settings (inclusion). The studies included children with multiple types of disabilities such as learning disorders/intellectual disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, ADHD, physical handicaps, visual impairments, and Down syndrome.
All included studies were published after 2000 and therefore constitute the most current evidence available. The studies compare children with special needs who go to a special school or receive special education with children with special needs who are included in mainstream education settings.
After a quality assessment, only 15 of the studies were included in a series of meta-analyses, which examined learning in the form of mathematics, language and literacy, and well-being. Some of the studies show that inclusion promotes well-being and learning, and some of the studies show the opposite. This leads to the overall conclusion that it is very unlikely that children with special needs generally gain better well-being or learning from inclusion in mainstream educational settings.
Click here for a plain language summary of the review.