Search results for ‘Subject term:"learning disabilities"’ Sort:
Results 1 - 1 of 1
Teaching methods and curriculum models used in Finland in the education of students diagnosed with having severe/profound intellectual disabilities
- Authors:
- KONTU Elina K., PIRTTIMAA Raija A.
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 38(3), September 2010, pp.175-179.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
It was only in 1997 that children diagnosed as having severe/profound intellectual disabilities were allowed to attend and study in Finnish comprehensive schools. Teaching is mainly organised in segregated special education groups. The nationwide intensive developmental work for creating a curriculum for this group of students began in the 1980s. The aim of this study was to discover what types of curriculum models and which teaching methods are currently in use. Questionnaires were sent to all Finnish special education teachers working with children diagnosed as having severe/profound intellectual disabilities in Finnish comprehensive schools. Completed questionnaires were returned by 93 teachers in 66 schools. These teachers reported that they had a total of 419 students between the ages of 6 and 16. The findings of this survey indicated that the most widely used principle for planning teaching directed at this group of students is based on normal psychological development of a young child. Of all teaching methods used, the most popular ones were categorised as sensory and environmental enrichment and stimulation. Another large group of teaching methods was discovered to be based on behaviour analysis.