Care for “extraordinary” children

Care for “extraordinary” children in Switzerland and Geneva

During this dinner, we discussed the care of children with developmental disorders by the public school system and its various intermediaries, in particular the Foundation for Extraordinary Children. We spoke about inclusive schooling, the necessary adaptations to the current system to encourage the integration of children with disorders, and the means to be put in place to achieve this.

Romain Lanners, Director of the Centre suisse de pédagogie spécialisée (Swiss Center for Special Education), shed scientific light on the subject, sharing his expertise on the benefits of including children with developmental disorders and the state of research in this field.

To present the strategy she intends to pursue within the Department of Education and her vision of inclusive schooling, we had the privilege of listening to Ms. Anne Hiltpold, State Councillor in charge of the said department.

After discussing the scientific and political aspects of inclusion, Ms. Adrienne Ody Werner shared with us the experience of inclusive schooling as seen through the eyes of the Foundation for Extraordinary Children, a structure that she heads up and which offers support to the ecosystem represented by children, parents, pedagogues and teachers. She outlined the challenges encountered and the innovative solutions proposed by the FEE.

To sum up, we have learned that the Geneva system, while not perfect, can nonetheless rely on a multitude of small private structures that enable children with non-disqualifying disorders to attend public schools. And even if there is still work to be done to ensure that all children are well cared for, and that those referred to specialized structures spend less time on transport, public-private collaboration works rather successfully in our canton.