Eldi Ahmeti

Eldi’s reintegration process

Eldi’s parents always knew that something was different with Eldi.
He struggled to express himself linguistically. As a result, Eldi often screamed.

After a trial day in a kindergarten, the parents were informed that Eldi did not fit in this kindergarten. They were informed that he has a mental disability. The parents were not prepared for this statement.

This was followed by an assessment by the school psychology service (SPD). Eldi started at a special education kindergarten at a special school. At the beginning, Eldi often displayed aggressive behaviour: he screamed, scratched, tore his hair and bit. It was a difficult first year for the family.

«He simply regressed here. We noticed that this wasn’t doing him any good.»

Eldi’s parents wanted him to switch to mainstream school.

«Let’s just try it. He can always go back.»

Together with the person responsible for integrative special education (IS) and the special education teacher, they applied to the SPD to switch to a mainstream school.

«I think it’s important that we as a special school – whether it’s a special school or a mainstream school – take parents‘ concerns seriously.»

The request was accepted. Contact was established with the principal of the mainstream school. Preparations were made for reintegration.

«Together with the mainstream school, we created a framework. How do we make this gradual transition to mainstream school? That was the first thing we had to do.»

The principal and the special education teacher at the mainstream school decided that Eldi should start at foundation level. Eldi then visited the foundation level for the first time.

Eldi finally started at the foundation level in the 2019/20 school year. In the first year, the special education teacher taught 15 lessons per week at the foundation level, including six lessons for integrative special education (IS). In the remaining nine lessons, she was responsible as class teacher for integrative teaching (IF) or for German as a second language (DaZ). In addition, lessons with class assistants were also discussed by the municipality.

The transition to foundation level was also not easy for Eldi. Eldi showed aggressive behaviour at the beginning.

«The transitional phase, the first few weeks that I can remember […], were very, very tough.»

The foundation level teachers worked closely with Eldi’s parents. A family escort was organised to provide support.

«We just wanted you (i.e. the parents) to have more support at home. We also knew that it was also a difficult situation for you at home. Then we started to think about what options we had.»

Eldi’s class teacher at the special school also supported the teachers at the mainstream school with her experiences in dealing with Eldi. There was continued dialogue between the teachers at the special and mainstream school in order to make the transition as smooth as possible for Eldi.

«We had to build a bridge between his previous schooling and the new one. I think that this helped a lot, and I thought it was a good point to start from.»

Over time, Eldi’s situation calmed down. He became part of the class and displayed less and less challenging behaviour.

«He was so good by the end […]. He wasn’t any different to the others.»

Lessons were again requested for the 2nd and 3rd school years at foundation level: The special education teacher was able to plan 12 lessons each per week in the class. Six of these were again for the integrative special education (IS) of Eldi.

During his time at foundation level, Eldi was assessed by the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Service (KJPD). In addition to his cognitive impairment, he was also diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This diagnosis also brought clarity for supporting Eldi.

Eldi spent a total of three years at foundation level. He then switched to a mixed class (3rd/4th grade). The transition was accompanied by the special education teacher. She offered to act as a point of contact for the new teachers. The new teachers quickly established a good relationship with Eldi.

«Well, they (the new teachers) just raved about how well things went, about how much progress he was making. They both became very fond of him. They can see the progress. They can see what is possible.»

At the time of the interview, Eldi had already spent a year in 3rd/4th grade.
Here, he also received six lessons for integrative special education (IS) and one additional lesson for German as a second language (DaZ). After the 2023 summer holidays, Eldi will start 4th grade.

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