Assessing special educational needs in Austria: Description of labeling practices and their evolution from 1996 to 2013

Schwab S, Hessels GPM, Obendrauf T, Polanig CM, Wölflingseder L. Assessing special educational needs in Austria: Description of labeling practices and their evolution from 1996 to 2013. Journal of Cognitive Education and Psychology. 2015;14(3):329-342

Assessing Special Educational Needs in Austria: Description of Labeling Practices and Their Evolution From 1996 to 2013

Even if the label special educational needs (SEN) is similarly used in various countries for indicating students with disabilities, the practices and diagnostic criteria leading to this label vary widely. This study aims to clarify the diagnostic process in Austria that leads to labeling. A sample of 169 special needs teachers who regularly write SEN reports participated in the online survey. The survey questions were based on those of a study by Ansperger (1998), who questioned special education teachers writing such reports in 1995–1996. Results show that, although more and more standardized instruments are used, still quite several unstandardized assessments are reported. Little time is available for the assessments, and only few reports include information on future pedagogical/educational intervention. It is concluded that in inclusive education, assessment should be more oriented toward educational intervention to address the diversity in learning needs among students than at diagnosing disabilities