Policy
The Education Bureau (EDB) adopts a dual-track mode in providing special education. Subject to the assessment and recommendations of specialists and the consent of parents, the EDB will refer students with more severe or multiple disabilities to special schools for intensive support services. Other students with special educational needs (SEN) will attend ordinary schools. Currently, the SEN of students in ordinary schools are mainly categorised into nine types, including Specific Learning Difficulties, Intellectual Disability, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Physical Disability, Visual Impairment, Hearing Impairment, Speech and Language Impairment and Mental Illness.
The EDB has been encouraging ordinary schools to adopt the Whole School Approach (WSA) to integrated education (IE) based on five underlying principles, namely “early identification”, “early intervention”, “WSA”, “home-school co-operation” and “cross-sector collaboration”. Premised on the synergy of culture, policies and practices, schools have to set up a Student Support Team and motivate all teachers to adopt the 3-tier Intervention Model to cater for students with SEN. Schools strive to help these students overcome their limitations and difficulties, attain the learning level in accordance with their abilities, and realise their potential at different stages of development so that they can become increasingly independent with adaptability and the learning to learn capabilities to embrace the challenges in life.
For more details, please refer to the Information Sheet on Whole School Approach to Integrated Education and the Information Sheet on Special Education.