The development of special education in China - A sociocultural review

Although China has a civilized history and distinguished Confucian traditio n of valuing education, special education as an institution was not establi shed until the 19th century, when Western culture began to influence China. The subsequent development of special education has been slow due to adver se political and economic conditions. After the 1980s, a modern system of s pecial education from preschool to higher education was formed, and since t hen, China has been moving toward the goals of effective inclusive educatio n in response to global trends and the open-reform policy. Through analyzin g the characteristics of the development of special education and the compo sition of the modern special education system in China, the authors reveal the critical social and cultural variables that underlie the development of special education: economic conditions, the Confucian tradition, Western c ultural influences, and prevailing Socialist ideology. These factors have c ontributed to bringing about changes in special education in China, from no special education to special education starting at birth, from minimal to large-scale special education, and from segregation to inclusion.