The special education profession in four Nordic countries in light of evolving policies on inclusion and special needs education

The purpose of this study was to explore the role of special educa-tion professionals in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden inlight of educational policies and reforms. The study places empha-sis on (a) the policy context of inclusion and special needs educa-tion, (b) the formal qualifications required of special educationprofessionals, and (c) the position of these professionals in compul-sory education. Our approach involved a comparative analysis ofhow legislation and policies interact with the field of special educa-tion as a ‘professional jurisdiction’ in each of the four countries. Wefind that the major thrust of reforms has been aimed at reducingthe number of students who receive special needs education andtheir placement in segregated settings. The introduction of earlyintervention, multi-tiered systems of support, and collaborativeapproaches are seen as means of reaching this goal. In addition,findings reveal that the special education profession is weaker inDenmark and Norway compared to Sweden and Finland. We arguethat a lack of a consensus regarding the role and qualifications ofspecial education professionals creates problems for schools andlimits the availability of diverse forms of expertise which are neces-sary for inclusion.