This master’s thesis researches the inclusion of special needs children into the regular programs of primary school. It mainly focuses on the inclusion into the class as a whole, spatial adaptations of school spaces, accessories, methods, lesson adaptations and competencies of working with special needs children. It also researches the collaboration of school counselors and primary education teachers, opinions of school counselors and primary education teachers about the schooling of special needs children in regular programs of primary school. The theoretical part presents the naming and classification of “special needs children”, the education and training of special needs children, the concept of integration and inclusion, organizing and adapting lessons, school counseling and the competencies of working with special needs children. The empirical part includes the interviews of five school counselors and four primary education teachers that have been employed in one of the public primary schools with regular programs in central Slovenia, as of May 1st 2022, I have found out that: special needs children are well integrated with other children, as they have friends with whom they can relate to at school and in their free time. The differences between the inclusion of special needs children and the inclusion of the others, most interviewees do not notice, as well as discrimination towards special needs children from the classmates. There are cases of special needs children not being popular among their classmates. The interviewees report worse inclusion of children with “speech disorders”, children with “autistic spectrum disorder” and children with “emotional and behavioral disorders”. It is mainly children, who lack well developed social skills, have strong emotional and aggressive reactions to classmate provocations as well as those that have difficulty sharing things, that are less included. School counselors help special needs children with inclusion through conversing, various workshops, group reflections, role play, games that exercise bonding, and asking more successful children to help the less successful children. The teachers help special needs children by including them in group games, pair work, small group work, encouraging one another’s company and helping one another. Special needs children are taking part in all school activities, including sports and culture days, school in nature, and if they wish, after-school activities. Special needs children are only not included in school in nature if their parents decide not to sign them up. Activities are adapted to children’s abilities if necessary or another teacher is provided for company. In the case that the activity cannot be adapted, the child is only present. Classrooms and other school spaces are specially adapted to movement-impaired children. Accessories that school counsellors and primary education teachers mainly use with special needs children are: Play-Doh, picture cards, board games, toys for relaxing and calming, stuffed toys, various balls, balls for squeezing and pillows for sitting. The interviewees use various methods with special needs children. They mainly work with them individually, yet often divide them into pairs or small groups. The interviewees do not use the same methods with kids who have the same “category of special needs”, but they use an individual approach with each child. The adaptations that each child receives in class are customized and tailor-made in accordance with the needs of the individual child. However, there are some adaptations that primary education teachers make use of more often than others, such as regular knowledge testing, additional explanation and repeating information. Special needs children can receive adapted materials and adapted knowledge testing, if needed. Teachers have problems with adjusting the class material to special needs children and the rest of the class. All students who show the need for extra help and adaptations receive it. However, in three schools children who have been diagnosed as “special needs children” receive more and more structured help. Most teachers believe that their competencies are not sufficient to work with special needs children appropriately. Most teachers run into problems when working with special needs children and perceive their work as difficult. School counselors and primary education teachers work well together. Whenever teachers need advice, support, or help form school counselors, they receive it. All the interviewees have opportunities to attend various education and training courses as part of their work, and most attend them quite often. One interviewee does not agree with the inclusion of special needs children into the regular program of primary school, the rest of them partly agree with that statement. A lot of the interviewees believe that choosing the most suitable school program for special needs children depends on the individual, and that it is good for some of them to be included in the regular program of primary school. Others are hindered by this and would benefit from special programs. The interviewees support the inclusion in case of “minor” impediments and visible progress and where the child is capable of functioning normally in the regular program. However, if the child does not show progress, despite help and adaptations, and they need smaller groups and greater teacher control, and it is not possible to make any further adaptations, the interviewees do not agree with inclusion in regular primary school programs. Most interviewees believe that additional expert assistance and adaptations, simultaneously help and hinder inclusion.
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