The implementation of reflection-based approaches in the education and rehabilitation of children with disabilities

Abstract

Education and rehabilitation of children with disabilities represent complex processes that need to be approached in continuous, structured, and sustained programs. Professionals need to have the competences to understand, plan and support every aspect of evaluation and intervention, which sometimes can be a challenge, undergoing a meaning-making process of the child’s learning and development, trying to answer to questions such as: how the child is learning, what his or her difficulties mean, how difficulties can be overcome and progress be achieved, the better support of needs and interests of child with disabilities while meaningful learning experiences are created. It is essential to understand how and why the child learns in a specific way, how can intervention become conceptualized, operational and implemented in various educational and social contexts, what creation of opportunities mean and the role of environment. The reflection-based approach has known a growth and application in the domain of special and inclusive education, promoting the concept of reflexive practitioner who analyzes, projects and reconsiders assessment and intervention according to observations and results. The presentation will focus on the implications of the practices based on reflection in planning and developing assessment and intervention programs, the specificity and the functional outcomes.