September 2014 marks the beginning of a new law proclaiming inclusive education for all Dutch children. The goal of inclusive education is to have education in which all children can develop...Show moreSeptember 2014 marks the beginning of a new law proclaiming inclusive education for all Dutch children. The goal of inclusive education is to have education in which all children can develop optimal cognitive, social and emotional skills. Currently, the selection of the type of special education for children with a handicap and/or behavioral problems is based on the diagnosis of the developmental disabilities of the child. In inclusive education, the educational needs of the child constitute the starting point. Teachers favor these changes, but are afraid that the amount of children with behavioral problems in the classroom will increase. The principle of inclusive education will result in a different distribution of children with a behavioral problem in the three different types of education for children with educational needs: primary education, special primary education and specific needs education. Children with diagnosed ADHD will also be part of this redistribution. To be able to serve children with ADHD well, it is important to know what children with ADHD in special education programs need. This research aims to contribute to this by investigating the differences in psychosocial skills among children with ADHD in the three before mentioned types of education in Holland. The variables measured are: psychosocial skills, level of ADHD-symptoms, cognitive development, and family and demographic characteristics. The random sample consisted of 93 children aged 4-12 with (the presumption of) ADHD in the three types of education in Holland. The results show that the psychosocial skills of children with ADHD are good predictors of the three types of education the children with ADHD will get. The less well-developed the psychosocial skills are, the more specialized the level of special education is. The educational level of the wage-earner in the family en the gender of the child also are important predictors. What is striking, is that there is no difference in ADHD-symptoms between the three types of education. It is concluded from the research that inclusive education must focus on the psychosocial skills of children with ADHD and support the development of these skills in primary education to optimum achieve the goals of inclusive education.Show less
