The competence centres for specialised psychopedagogy (centres de compétences en psychopédagogie spécialisée) are for pupils with special needs and their parents who wish to receive specialised services in addition to the services provided by primary or secondary education.
In which areas are the competence centres active?
In Luxembourg, eight competence centres and one agency are specialised in dealing with the special needs pupils may have. They are active in clearly defined areas:
- Centre for the development of speech, hearing and communication-related skills – Competence centre for language and hearing therapy (Centre pour le développement des compétences langagières, auditives et communicatives – Centre de logopédie, CL);
- Competence centre for the development of vision-related skills (Centre pour le développement des compétences relatives à la vue, CDV);
- Competence centre for socio-emotional development (Centre pour le développement socio-émotionnel, CDSE);
- Grand Duchess Maria Teresa Competence centre for learning development (Centre pour le développement des apprentissages Grande-Duchesse Maria Teresa, CDA);
- Competence centre for motor development (Centre pour le développement moteur, CDM);
- Competence centre for intellectual development (Centre pour le développement intellectuel, CDI);
- Competence centre for children and young people with autism spectrum disorder (Centre pour enfants et jeunes présentant un trouble du spectre de l’autisme, CTSA);
- Competence centre for children and young people with high potential (Centre pour enfants et jeunes à haut potentiel, CEJHP);
- Agency for the transition to independent living (Agence pour la transition vers une vie autonome, ATVA).
What types of support are available?
Various support measures are offered at the competence centres for specialised psychopedagogy to meet the pupil’s needs:
- Specialised diagnosis: the competence centres carry out specialised diagnoses which identify the detailed special needs of pupils and help implement appropriate measures.
- Advice: pupils and their parents, primary and secondary school staff, as well as approved departments and institutions may benefit from the advice and guidance provided by the staff at the competence centres, who have been specially trained for this purpose.
- Specific learning workshops: the competence centres may offer learning workshops specifically designed to meet a pupils’ needs. These learning workshops complement regular schooling and are organised either at one of the decentralised annexes of a competence centre, or at a primary or secondary school, or at any other appropriate venue.
- Rehabilitation and therapy: the competence centres offer rehabilitation and therapy sessions according to a pupils’ needs.
- Specialised ambulatory intervention (intervention spécialisée ambulatoire, ISA): in addition to the measures set up in primary and secondary schools, staff from the competence centres can assist pupils with special needs within a classroom, in close collaboration with the schools’ staff.
- Special schooling: pupils with special needs may attend a class at a competence centre, either full-time or in alternation with an attendance at a primary or secondary school. Classes may be organised either in one of the decentralised annexes of a competence centre or at a primary or secondary school as cohabitation classes.
Who can be contacted?
For primary education, you may contact the support teams for pupils with special educational needs (équipes de soutien des élèves à besoins éducatifs spécifiques, ESEB) or the inclusion commissions (commissions d’inclusion, CI) attached to the regional directorates for primary education.
For secondary education, you may contact the support teams for pupils with special educational needs (équipes de soutien des élèves à besoins éducatifs spécifiques, ESEB) or the inclusion commissions (commissions d’inclusion, CI) of the secondary school.
Adult pupils and parents can also contact the competence centres directly for more detailed advice or, if the parties involved find it useful and if they mutually agree, in order to obtain a specialised diagnosis.
