Inclusive education: perspectives and practices.

Abstract

The text discusses the limitations of the inclusive education model for students with profound intellectual disabilities (PID) and complex communication needs (CCN). Although inclusive education promotes the integration of all students into mainstream classrooms, this approach is inaccessible for those with severe intellectual, communication, motor and sensory difficulties. These individuals, while showing communicative intent, are unable to use conventional forms of language and require specialised support.

The diagnosis of PID is based on significant limitations in intellectual functioning and adaptive behaviour, originating before the age of 18. Those with profound disabilities are often dependent on the environment for care and have severe restrictions in acquiring academic and communication skills. Their expression is through gestures, vocalisations or symbols, rather than through traditional verbal or gestural language.

In this context, it is necessary to identify individual communicative profiles, considering forms and functions of communication. Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) systems play an essential role in facilitating interaction, either by supplementing or replacing speech. These systems enable people with PID and CCN to express refusal, make requests, initiate social interactions and participate in information exchanges, which is key to their ability to communicate.