Education

Help for children with learning difficulties and special educational needs in Belgian mainstream schools.

It is usually found to be unrealistic to design a strict chronological plan. Individual students have varied requirements, and one student's dyslexia may be easier to deal with than another's.

We try to design an ideal assistance programme, incorporating different phases. These phases may not be in the same order for each student, and may be repeated if necessary.

Cycle of modules:

Module 1: Choice of school and registration
A well thought-out choice of school consists of:

• Inquiring at CLB about schools with a suitable specialisation or experience in approaching the problem.
• A visit to the school where you can ask questions about their approach and their experience. Use the “EC-OC Schools checklist”. Try to obtain a recommendation from someone who has had experience of the school.

You will need some documents for registration. It is useful to make copies and keep the originals safely at home.

Module 2: Observation at school more details
Once registered, you should ask for a meeting with the tutor or a CLB-representative. Be sure to raise the following points:

• Who will contact the teachers about your child's difficulties and when ? The teachers have to know from the beginning that your child needs a special approach.
• Who coordinates the assistance and who can you talk to ? Who can be approached by the parents, by the student, by social workers outside the school, by the teachers?

With the transition from one school year to the next (within the same school) who will inform the new teachers about your child’s special needs?

Module 3: Creation of an image: making a profile and diagnosis of the student
Module 4: A motivated report
Module 5: Plan of action and approach
Module 6: Follow-up by the parents