Chapter 8: Inclusive education for young children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

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Chapter authors

  • Jan Georgeson
  • Emma Short
  • Helen Adams
  • Kate Ullman

Chapter overview

This chapter traces a brief history of provision for very young children with identified special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEN/D). It considers the promise of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), with – as yet – an unfulfilled focus on legal rights to provision. The remainder of the chapter demonstrates, through the experience of early years leaders, how policy plays out in practice.

Chapter objectives

  • To briefly set out legal and policy contests for young children with identified SEN/D
  • To describe practice for young children with SEN/D in three different settings
  • To identify key issues for the future

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