On May 26, 2026, another meeting of the “Co-Author Reading” book club was held as part of the ”Science in Publications” series with the support of the MSUPE Boiling Point.
More than 60 participants from 30 cities and regions of Russia, as well as from Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan), registered for the event.
The discussion focused on the diversity of special educational needs (SEN) among students in inclusive schools.
Yulia A. Bystrova, Doctor of Science (Psychology), Associate Professor, Leading Researcher at the Federal Center for Inclusive General and Additional Education of Moscow State University of Psychology and Education (MSUPE), opened the meeting by presenting the Center’s activities and the results of a monitoring study of inclusive educational environments conducted across 83 regions of Russia. According to the findings, more than 917,000 students with disabilities are enrolled in general education schools, approximately 236,000 students hold foreign citizenship, and nearly 44,000 children are orphans or have been left without parental care. Gifted students are also included among learners with special educational needs. Particular attention was given to the structure of the population of students with disabilities. More than 60% are students with developmental delay, 21% have intellectual disabilities, around 11% have severe speech impairments, approximately 4% have autism spectrum disorders, and only 3.4% have musculoskeletal disorders.
Yulia Bystrova emphasized that the concept of special educational needs is not formally defined in the Russian Federal Law on Education, although it occupies a central place in international documents, including the Salamanca Statement and UNESCO materials, as well as in Russian approaches to inclusive education. Two major approaches were discussed—the corrective-developmental approach and the socio-psychological approach—along with the classification of special educational needs incorporated into the basic model of an inclusive educational organization.
In her presentation, Elena V. Samsonova, Candidate of Psychological Sciences and Leading Researcher at the Federal Center for the Development of Inclusive General and Additional Education, highlighted an important challenge. While diagnostic and support mechanisms for students with disabilities—such as psychological-medical-pedagogical commissions, adapted educational programs, and multidisciplinary support teams—are generally well established, comparable procedures have not yet been developed for other groups of learners, including children with a migration background, children in difficult life situations, and students displaying deviant behavior. At the same time, schools, teachers, and educational psychologists are increasingly requesting practical tools for working with these groups.
According to Elena Samsonova, the solution lies not in endlessly subdividing target groups but in shifting the focus from the category of the child to the specific challenges arising in a given educational and social context. An individualized educational pathway serves as a practical tool in this regard, bringing together the efforts of specialists, parents, and the child.
The speakers also presented research findings demonstrating a direct relationship between the level of acceptance within a classroom and students’ self-esteem, both among students with disabilities and their typically developing peers. In classes characterized by a high level of mutual acceptance, students’ self-esteem was significantly higher.
Participants raised the issue of accessibility of educational environments for students with musculoskeletal disorders. The relatively small number of such students in schools is often associated not with a lack of demand for inclusive education but with the absence of accessible infrastructure. The speakers confirmed that this remains one of the most pressing challenges in the field.
The speakers’ 
presentation is available for review.
A recording of the webinar
A recording of the webinar is also available on VK, Rutube, and Zen.
The calendar of webinars and meetings within the “Science in Publications” project for 2026.