Students with Reading Difficulties
Diagnostic Testing
No official policy exists on the use of diagnostic tests. Occupational therapists and educational psychologists are employed in some of the more affluent schools or have established links with well resourced schools, particularly in urban areas, and parents bear the costs. The majority of children in South African schools do not have access to services that can provide diagnostic information.
Instruction for Children with Reading Difficulties
Although ordinary schools are the norm in South Africa, a limited number of special education schools exists with approximately 116,504 students in 2013.22 These include schools for students with special education needs, such as those with learning disabilities, hearing or sight impairments, and certain cognitive or developmental disorders. Since 2012, provision has been made in the new curriculum for students who experience low level barriers to learning to be part of ordinary schools to promote inclusive education practices in all schools in South Africa.