Special Education in the Context of Educational Shifts towards Inclusion

The paper analyzes a confusion in the special education field caused by paradigm shifts towards social model of disability and inclusive model of education of children with special needs. Theoretical considerations concern the changes in the subject of the special education field’s interests, terminology, teaching methods and methodology employed by a special education discipline. In the paper special education’s and inclusive education’s assumptions were confronted. As it turned out, in many points they are contradictory. Especially, the notion and practice of categorization rooted in traditional special education and demonstrable in special needs definition, teachers’ training or teaching methods seem to be very difficult challenges for implementation of inclusive education.