Special education teachers' support of pupils with pragmatic language difficulties

The purpose of this study was to explore some specialist needs teachers' experiences regarding teaching students with pragmatic language difficulties. The teachers' own stories form the basis of the study and were collected by using semi-structured interviews. Seven special needs teachers working in primary school participated in the study. To clarify the focus of the study our questions were: What challenges do special needs teachers face when teaching students with pragmatic language difficulties regarding communication and collaboration? What teaching methods do some special needs teachers use to support students in pragmatic language difficulties? How do some special needs teachers experience their own competence in creating relationships with students in pragmatic language difficulties? How do special needs teachers support classroom teachers in working with students who have pragmatic language difficulties? Results: Several of the interviewed special needs teachers considered it important to have a good relationship with the pupils in order to be able to teach them pragmatic and communicative skills. They also meant that the best way to practice language and communication was in authentic social interactions. Good cooperation with parents and colleagues was also regarded as important