Special-needs education, special care, and education for physicians in Finland

Abstract

Finland is a large, sparsely populated country with a population of 5.4 million people. About one percent of its inhabitants are people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Every child with an IDD is now a pupil in the compulsory basic school system, and they have the right for general support, intensified support or special support if needed. The general social welfare and health care services are ae available for all people in Finland and if the services are insufficient to meet the needs of an individual, special care services are provided. The education program for physicians in the field of IDD medicine, created in 1987, has specialty recognition from the Finnish Medical Association, which has so far granted such specialist status to 30 physicians. Persons with mild IDD in Finland have a life expectancy comparable to the general population.