Abstract:

Until 1997 children with profound and multiple intellectual disabilities were exempt from compulsory schooling. They stayed at their homes or in care and medical institutions. As late as in 1997 Poland has adopted the Regulation on the Principles of Organisation of Revalidation and Educational Activities which has extended compulsory schooling to the children and youth with profound intellectual disability from 3 to 25 years of age. However, profound intellectual disability confronts a special education teacher with a range of challenges in educational and therapeutic activities on a daily basis. The purpose of this article is to study the requirements and challenges to be met by a special education teacher working with the children with profound intellectual disability. The methodology applied in this paper incorporates a number of different and complementary methods, such as an analysis of legislative documents, analysis of government papers and analysis of the statistical data published by the Central Statistical Office (GUS).

The following areas have been analysed:
- the need for and possibility of using innovative methods, forms of work and educational means by special education teachers;
- workspace and competences of a special education teacher relating to: awareness of the needs and capabilities of a child with profound and multiple intellectual disabilities (diagnostic sensitivity), work planning to create optimal development conditions for every child (planning sensitivity); conducting educational and therapeutic activities through communication with every child (performance and communication sensitivity);
- personality of a special education teacher in the changing reality: character features, exhibited values, capability of deepened ethical and moral reflection, sense of professional fulfilment, self-criticism.

This article is analytical in its nature and shows the complexity of educational and therapeutic process involving children with profound and multiple intellectual disabilities. The analyses have shown that, in the evolving reality, the special education teachers are faced with the need for harmonizing the above-mentioned areas which, in our opinion, are the building blocks of professional success of a special education teacher and educational and therapeutic success of a child with profound and multiple intellectual disabilities. The study has shown that it is important to reflect on the profession of a special education teacher working with a child who need support in every area of his or her life. Every day the teachers are faced the difficulties which result from the children’s disability, legal, moral and ethical requirements.

Keywords:

Education, teacher, profound intellectual disability.