Terminological determinations in the field of inclusive education

Abstract

This paper is on the review and analysis of some terms connected to the process of inclusion of children with developmental difficulties into the regular school. In the first part of the paper, there are definitions of inclusion and inclusive education, which analysis points at different comprehension of these processes. For the purpose of thorough understanding of inclusion, we have pointed at the significance of creating distinctions between the terms inclusion and integration. Considering the fact that within different interpretations of inclusion, the common characteristic is understanding that it, primarily, refers to students' education with developmental difficulties in the regular school, and the second part of the paper is devoted to terminology and classification which are connected to these children. It is evident that these terms have been changing, in the way the relation of society towards these people had been changing. In order to develop coherent theory and praxis of inclusive education, it is necessary to overcome inequalities of some terms and in this way to lessen misunderstanding and contradictions in practical realization.

U ovom radu dati su pregled i analiza pojedinih termina koji su vezani za proces uključivanja dece sa smetnjama u razvoju u redovnu školu. U prvom delu rada preovlađuju definicije inkluzije i inkluzivnog obrazovanja, čija analiza upućuje na različita poimanja ovih procesa. Radi potpunijeg razumevanja inkluzije, ukazano je i na značaj pravljenja distinkcije između pojmova inkluzije i integracije. S obzirom na to da u okviru različitih tumačenja inkluzije zajedničku karakteristiku predstavlja shvatanje da se ona, pre svega, odnosi na obrazovanje učenika sa smetnjama u razvoju u redovnoj školi, drugi deo rada posvećen je terminologiji i klasifikaciji koje su vezane za ovu decu. Primetno je da su se termini menjali i unapređivali kako se menjao odnos društva prema ovim osobama. Kako bi se razvijala koherentna teorija i praksa inkluzivnog obrazovanja, važno je prevazilaziti neusaglašenosti pojedinih termina i na taj način umanjivati nerazumevanja i protivrečnosti u praktičnoj realizaciji.