Current situation regarding the enrolment of children with mental disabilities into the education system the inadequacy of the sen referral process and some suggestions for future action

Mag. Matej Rovšek

Summary:  The article deals with the current situation regarding the inclusion of children with mental disabilities into the education system in terms of the suitability of the SEN referral process. Experience and certain findings point to the fact that many special needs children are referred to an inappropriate and, in most cases, too demanding educational programme. Even though the negative consequences of such inadequate referral are mainly felt by the children, it is important to also discuss this problem from the viewpoint of pedagogical ethics, the rights of parents, and last but not least, with regard to inappropriately used financial resources. The article also includes some suggestions for regulating the situation.