Diagnos i skolan. En studie av skolsituationer för elever med syndromdiagnos

Abstract

The research problem in this study concerns syndrome-diagnoses and educational response to special needs. The aim was to describe and analyse school situations, in which pupils with a syndrome-diagnosis were participating. The study was carried out in a multi-disciplinary co-operation, taking advantage of knowledge from different disciplines, mainly special educational research and psycho-medical research on syndrome-diagnoses. School situations of 50 pupils representing four different etiological syndrome-diagnoses with very different symptoms were studied and analysed. Ethnographic research strategies were used and were adjusted to conditions in the different school situations. The understanding of what was going on in the school situations was searched for in a continuous dialogue with parents, school personnel, pupils, researchers and professionals from relevant disciplines and activities. The results stated that the individual pupil at school is involved in a complex interplay with the surrounding context, so it is necessary to look at the entire school situation to grasp what influences what happens at school. Societal ideology and regulations seemed mainly to influence through local interpretations and decisions. Groups that co-operated with school were the homes of pupils, pre-school and recreational centre and medical and rehabilitation services. The parents often acted as co-ordinators between institutions and acitivities. In Special educational practice within school environment and organisation framed the daily activities which depended on intertwined and interdependent aspects. The most important elements in the complex interplay between different actors in different settings and contexts on different levels in school and in the surrounding environment appear to be communication, personal relations, and co-operation between the various actors. The contribution of a syndromediagnosis as an explanation of what happens in school situations and as a guide in pedagogical questions seems, from the results of this study, to be rather limited. Finally, for a good understanding of school situations and for a special educational response that optimises the possibilities for participation and learning of pupils with a syndrome-diagnosis, it seems clear that communication and co-operation are more important than a diagnosis. Through its multi-disciplinary design, this study is an attempt to create something new, to break established boundaries of research and activities.