Examine the difference between the social and the medical Essay

Examine the difference between the social and the medical understanding of special educational needs. Provide examples of where - Essay Example If the policies of education for people with SEN in the beginning of the twentieth century began with segregation, or separating children with SEN from mainstream students by placing the former in special education facilities, the Warnock Report in the 1970s started the evolution of special education toward integration, and later on, to inclusion (Tassoni, 2003, p.14). Integration is differentiated from inclusion, because integration can refer to the mainstream system remaining the same, but with addition of facilities for SEN. Inclusion, on the contrary, is defined by Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) (2001, p.2) as the: ...process by which schools, local education authorities and others develop cultures, policies and practices to include pupils. With the right training, strategies and support nearly all children with special educational needs can be successfully included in mainstream education. (qtd. in Lloyd, 2008, p.222). Inclusion, however, has its conceptual and p ractical dilemmas. Terzi (2005) observes the â€Å"dilemma of difference†, which pertains to the conflict between treating children with SEN as the same as mainstream students and providing individualised education instruction to attend to their individual special education needs. This paper differentiates the social and the medical understanding of special educational needs. It gives examples of where each is demonstrated in policy and practice and personal experiences. It begins with a brief history of SEN and then a discussion of social and the medical understanding of special educational needs. The final sections are personal experiences and the conclusion. HISTORY OF SEN SEN evolved greatly for the past two centuries. It started from the medical model, followed by the social model of understanding special education needs. This section focuses on the Warnock Report and developments in policymaking and educational practices after 1981. Warnock Report In 1973, Margaret That cher, then Secretary of State for Education, commissioned the Warnock Enquiry. The Enquiry began the seminal review of the state of British special education, which was under pressure from worldwide calls of â€Å"integration† (Rayner, 2007, p.20). The Warnock Report was published in 1978 and formed the concept of special education needs (SEN). SEN refers to the whole extent of children experiencing learning difficulties and the Report indicated that 20 per cent of the school population would need â€Å"special help† during their school careers (Rayner, 2007, p.20). The Report stresses that a child with disability should be viewed as an individual with complete human rights and definite special education needs, instead of a patient with a medical illness or disorder (Rayner, 2007, p.20). It also stressed that professionals should work with parents, because the latter are partners in helping the child cope in school. This marked the departure from the medical model of s pecial needs toward the social model. The Report also made numerous recommendations. It referred to the importance of a â€Å"whole school policy† in making provisions for SEN and the need to adopt integration