Determining special educational needs in Germany: current status and the coherence of the rationale of support recommendations

An important aspect of current practice in special educational need (SEN) assessment is the review and allocation to a particular focus of support. This study examines how specific such classifications are at least in the German practice by analysing coded text information regarding children’s characteristics as well as environmental conditions from 54 professional reports across diverse German federal states. These reports varied across five recommended support foci: emotional and social development, intellectual development, learning, language, or autism. Results replicated previous findings showing that deficits, rather than resources, were predominantly reported. Cluster analysis (k = 5), reflecting the number of support foci, revealed low accuracy, with reports of the same focus rarely aligning consistently to one category. A two-cluster solution best represented the data: one characterised by cognitive/learning deficits and the other by socio-emotional deficits. These findings beg the question of an over-differentiation of diagnostic SEN decisions at least in Germany. The results are highly relevant to other European countries, particularly those employing classification-based systems or exhibiting regional disparities in SEN assessments, as they advocate for a transition towards individualised, needs-based approaches to promote more equitable and inclusive SEN frameworks.