千葉大学教育学部研究紀要 第５５巻 １〜５頁（２００７）

Rethinking the concept of Special Educational Needs―an interactive model―
SANAGI Tomomi
Faculty of Education, Chiba University, Japanhandicap has been changed to consider inevitably its
social aspects, we can still see such a tendency in thepoint of view of teachers whole the world.
The concept of special educational needs and practice of special needs education is different from one
contry to another.
However, can we develop effective special needs
education without consideration of educational environment？
OECD （１９９９） recognized that there were some
types of using the term special needs education.
Some European countries are using it as just about
education for children with disabilities, on the otherhand, it has very broad meanings in some countries. It
is dependent not only on the differences on education
system and status of pupulation, but also on lack of theunified concept of special educational needs. As the application of the concept into practice is dependent on
the context of education systems, traditions and cultures in each country, it is a natural outcome that theactual condition of Special Needs Education is different from country to country. However, we shouldmake the concept of Special Educational Needs in
unified definition.
It is well known that the concept of special educational needs was introduced as combination of individual and their environment Gulliford, R. １
９７１）
. He
pointed out the lack of view on educational environment was inadequate to understand educational needsof children with disabilities.
Warnock Report （１９７８） has also pointed out weshould consider children s educational needs not fromthe so―called medical model but from more educational aspects. They emphasised the term special educational needs as a wide range of disability or learning difficulties insted of the diagnostic categories. Then,the British government abolished the categories of disability in education field, and introduced the term
special educational needs by the Law（the Education
Act１９８１）.
Over the last two decades, there has been a great
diffuse the term and concept of special educational
needs whole the world. And, there has been drastic extention the concept of disability from social perspectives.
However, there are still not enough to be focused onthe educational environmental of children with disabili-Introduction
Everyone use the term special educational needsin the field of special needs education. However, theway of using or defining the concept is largely dependent on authers to authers and also country to country.
This inconsistence of the concept of special educational
needs makes some confusions in practice and somemisunderstandings in discussions. And, for implementing the concept into inclusive practice, it is importantand nessesary to be understood this concept by allteachers.
The new education system named Tokubetsu
Shien Kyoiku （Special Support Education） has recently been introduced in Japan. It is characterized byconsiderable intention to inclusive education, appointment of Special Support Education Coordinator in
every primary, secondary and special school like as
SENCO （Special Educational Needs Coordinator） in
Britain, and development of new roles of special school
as disability and special needs centre in community.
However, because of its initial phase, there are many
confusion in schools. Especially, coordinators in mainstream schools are baffled by new roles and responsibilities of them. Although education authorities havelaunched to train many experienced teachers as coordinator, yet most of in―service training courses for coordinators consist of some methods for assessment ofpupils difficulties and psychological character of disabilities, screening procedures of pupils, and making
relationship between school and outside professional.
In consequence of that, as many teachers in mainstream schools have been untrained as professional for
special education up to now, they have become to beinterested in disabilities, especially in autism, learning
disability, and AD／HD, as individual problems.
On the other hand, they have paid little attention toeducational environment in their school.
Although it is the common sense that the concept ofMr. Tomomi Sanagi, M. Ed.
Associate Professor
Department of Special Education, Chiba University
１―３３, Yayoicho, Inage, Chiba, Japan２６
３―８５２２１

千葉大学教育学部研究紀要 第５５巻 ¿：教育科学系

ties and learning difficulties in schools. This tendency
could be especially found out in teachers view in regular classroom in mainstream schools.
Many teachers focus on disability and difficulty ofpupils in detail. However, some of them would not takecare of educational environment of pupils. We can findout such kind of tendency in IEPs（Individual Education Plans）. There are many IEPs only focused andanalized on pupils disabilities and／or difficulties
for making provisions.
Do you have IEPs which have analysing areas of environmental status of the pupils in the school？ Is IEP
that you have developed able to make it clear how theeducational environment of pupils made positive／negative effect on pupils？ Did you make assessments ofthe educational environment of pupils before？ And,
did you make IEP with taking account of pupils special educational needs consisted of both individual andenvironment？ Didn t you make the provisions only
for pupils, and little for educational environment, didyou？
Then, I would like to make a proposal of the conceptof special educational needs here again with more considering the environmental factors and structure of it.

The interaction of individual and environmental factors
has spiral structure.（Fig.２）In case there are negative interaction, that is, individual and environmental
factors make effects negatively to each other, pupils
special educational needs will be enhanced more severely. On the other hand, in case there are positive interactive structure, it will be reduced. It must besought to develop positive interaction in every schools.
This is the main aim of assessment of structure that is
the interaction between individual and environment.
Individual factors consist of disabilities, congnitivecharacters, language abilities and other specific properties of the individual.
Environmental factors consist of human resouces（teachers, other pupils, parents／forsters, assisstants,
school psychologists, doctors, nurses, other professionals etc.）, material resources （school architectures,classroom design, teaching materials, etc.）, and educational condisions（school policy of special needs education, regular／special curricurulm, teaching methods,
group settings in learning, characteristic of individualteaching, etc.）.
The theory of Special Educational Needs is a concept that the causes and the structure of learning difficulties of pupils will be analysed in dynamics of the interaction between individual and environment ,and develop the necessary provision to meet pupils
sepcial educational needs.
The aim of the theory of special educational needs isto develop qualitative schools for all children. The
qualitative school will be able to include each pupils diversity into their school environment and provide suitable provisions for them.
Whenever we are standing at this theory, we canimprove learning context and develop excellent schoolfor pupils more effectively.
Although we have taken account of some environmental factors of person with disability or special
needs since １９８０s, there are still a tendency to focus

A definition of Special Educational Needs
Once I showed my original definition of the conceptof Special Educational Needs as follows: （Sanagi,２００３）
Special Educational Needs：
It is defined as a result of the interaction of Individual factors and Environmental factors. And, it issustained in this dynamics. Students needs provisions
in condition with a certain cost or different way forproviding in allocation of budget, taking time, andwork load to others, which added to regular provision
for development, implement, and monitoring of suitableprovision to meet pupils educational needs.（Fig.１）

Fig.１

Special Educational Needs is defined as interaction of individual and environmental factors
Sanagi,２００３. p.５１（The original was in Japanese.）２Rethinking the concept of Special Educational Needs

tional needs focused on not only individual factors but
also environmental factors certainly. Especially, it isimportant we should remember what factors contribute to reduce pupils special educational needs currently.
Please try to make an assessment of pupils special
educational needs with this figure. I think you will findsome points both it should be improved and there

only individual, especially in IEPs, as I mentionedabove..
In my interactive model of the concept of special
educational needs, we can make assessments both individual factors and environmental factors in fairly.
I show a sample figure for analysing SEN structure
in practice.（Fig.３）For using like as this figure, we do
not forget to make an assessment of special educa-

Fig.２ Spiral Structure（interactive cycle）of Individual and Environmental Factors
Sanagi,２００
３. p.５５（The original was in Japanese.）

Fig.３ Fill boxes for analyzing of SEN structure
Sanagi,２００
３. p.１５０（The original was in Japanese.）３

千葉大学教育学部研究紀要 第５５巻 ¿：教育科学系

were already suitable effects on pupils for environmental condition in your school.
Then, the condition of special educational needs shiftcontinuously with having some effects from individualfactors and environmental factors. If one of the factor
has changed, then the condision of special educational
needs shift its aspect dynamically.
Again, in the interactive model, it is essential bothindividual and environmental factors.

assessment of educational environment in schools, theinteractive model makes considerable benefits both for
pupils and schools.
In mainstream schools, it will develop more inclusive
environment. And, in special schools, it will develop
more high quality and sophisticated resources.

Inclusion and Special Educational Needs
There are some mainstream schools that they would
pick pupils with special educational needs up to special
resource units or special classroom outside regularclassroom. If teachers recognize only individual factors
without careful thought of educational environment of
the pupil, there must be made segregated environment
in the school. Because, although it is important that weshould recognize some pupils need individualizedteaching in suitable condition, if we do not take account of environmental factors such as the perception
to have special teaching of pupils with special educational needs, attitude of peer pupils in the classroom,
effects of separate learning place and teaching method
or materials on the pupil, and other teacher s attitudes
to the pupil etc., the lack of consideration of environmental factors will make negative effects on pupils
with special educational needs. The most serious negative effect on pupils is to difuse the notice that segregation is the best or the only one way to meet pupils
special educational needs among teachers in mainstream school, or regular classroom is not suitable for
special educational provision.
Avramidis, E. and Norwich, B. have pointed out thatthe successful implementation of inclusive policy islargely dependent on educators being. However, someteachers still misunderstand to meet pupils special
educational needs as only concentrated to provide special professionalised teaching to pupils directly. On
the other hand, they make little of learning environment of pupils or conditions of inclusive policy in theschools.
As I mentioned, there are some rationality for setting of special units in mainstream schools. However, it
is an option of the schools that they have made thebest effort to make provisions in inclusive policy andsought a improvement of learning environment for all
pupils in the school. It does not apply for schools without making such efforts.
For development of inclusive mainstream schools,
we have to keep carefully recognize any kind of diversity of pupils. One of the important nature in inclusion policy is continuously to extend the capacity of diversity of pupils needs in the schools.
If it is assinged individual teaching or special resource unit to pupils with special educational needs
without careful concern for their social position in theWhat problems will be expected to resolve withthis theory model？
The purpose and task in the theory of special educational needs should involve policy and obvious way to
improve the quality of both mainstream and special
schools. This theory bring an sophisticated analysing
way into practice.
It is not the aim of this theory that criticize schools
which had not made good provisions for pupils withspecial educational needs, much less blame teachers inthose schools. Instead of strictures, we should seek theway to develop qualitative schools with this interactivemodel.
For instance, attitudes of peer pupils of children
with disabilities or learning difficulties in the classroom
are one of the factor that make considerable effects topupils with special educational needs. In some cases,
those are negative element as exclusive environment,
and in other cases, those are very positive element forinclusive classroom. In using the analysis of interactivemodel, we can make it clear such a conditions of pupils attitudes with interaction between individual（＝pupil with special educational needs）and environment（＝peer pupils）, and decide on next policy to do in theclassroom in fairly. I mean, we should clarify not only
negative element that enhance pupils special educational needs but also positive element that reduce theneeds in peer pupils attitudes. When we analyse thestructure of what individual and environmental factors
make effects to pupils with special educational needs
and the interaction of them, then, we can regard theattitudes of peer pupils objectively and make proper
action in the classroom. It will improve the environment in the school.
The interactive model of special educational needs
can lead schools to make suitable provisions for pupils
with clarifying the structure of the interaction of factors.
The another reason why I emphasise the structureof special educational needs is that this interactivemodel of the concept of special educational needs canapply not only mainstream schools but also specialschools. This theory is effective to both mainstream
and special schools. And, because of its point of view in４

Rethinking the concept of Special Educational Needs

school, those schools are regarded as beeing segregated or exclusive, because there are high possibility
that these educational provision is in itself very special
for disadvantaged.
However, if we develop individual teaching, special
resource units, or small group settings as the resource
units for all pupils who are in need , and at the sametime we also include the needs of pupils who are giftedor high performance in learning as well, those schools
will be able to make well organised and suitable provisions for all pupils in need.
In the interactive model of special educational needs,
even if a pupil has disability, the pupil is not always as
having special educational needs because of its dynamics. On the other hand, pupils who are very gifted oradvance in learning also have possibility to need certain provision in special resource units or individual
settings.
Then, we should develop a school with including awide range of pupils diversity so that we can make aschool more inclusive.
The theory of interactive model of special educational needs contributes for making such a inclusive
policy in mainstream schools.
It is not to normalize special provisions in schools
but to include a diversity of pupils needs.
One of the important thing we should understand isthat individual teaching and special resource units are
not the symbol of exclusive environment in itself. Special schools can take considerable roles as resources
for inclusive education until mainstream schools provide well developed resources for meeting pupils educational needs.
In analysing the factors which make considerable
positive／negative effects on learning of pupils in any
kind of schools, classrooms, or units, if some structuresthat should be improved or facilitated have been clarified, we should make suitable provisions for pupils
with considering the structure of those individual andenvironmental factors and interactions of them.
This is the interactive model of the concept of special educational needs that contribute for all pupils
with ceaseless school improvement and create inclusive school resources.

special educational needs are in regular classroom inmainstream schools in Japan.
It seems that this figure is similar to other contries
such as Denmark. And, in practice , it is not so popular notion of the interactive model of special educational needs among nordic and western Europeancountries, though there are many teachers and researchers are struggling to develop qualitative inclusive education system with the same direction andaims.
Unfortunately, because of some reasons such as language and geographical distance and the small numbers who studies the concept of special educational
needs, there are a few collaborative work in this field
between European countries and Japan.
However, we have also the field of disability research and special needs education. Especially, nordic
conutries is well known as its advance of disability research. And, there is an academic association that isvery specialized in special needs education research inJapan as well. Then, there are many possibitilies tomake opportunities for discussion and collaborativeproject.
I hope collaborative works will be increased in research and practice among not only European and nordic countries, but also Asian countries in the future.

References
Avramidis, E. and Norwich, B.（２００２）: Teachers attitudes towards integration／inclusion: a review of theliterature. European Journal of Special Needs Education, vol.１
７, No.２, pp.１
２９―１４７.
Department of Education and Science（１９７８）: Special
Educational Needs.（Warnock Report）.HMSO.
Gulliford, R.（１９７１）: Special Educational Needs. Falmer
Press.
OECD（１９９９）: Inclusive education at work. students
with disabilities in mainstream schools.
Sanagi, T. （２００３）: A theory of Special EducationalNeeds. Bunrikaku.（in Japanese）〈Acknowledgment〉
I have discussed with and got some advices fromProf. Jesper Holst and Prof. Niels Egelund at DPU
when my visiting as a researcher at DPU（from Sep.―
Dec. ２００５）was supported by the Danish Rectors Conference and Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science.

Conclusion
There are about １．
４％ of pupils in segregated settings in special schools and special units（ie. specialclassroom and resource room in mainstream schools）,
and it is estimated that about ６―１
０％ of pupils with５