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The quality of school inclusion of children with special educational needs in a multidimensional perspective: A systematic review

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3280/rip2025oa22760
Submitted
maggio 11, 2026
Published
2026-06-22

Abstract

The quality of school inclusion could be considered as a crucial feature for children and adolescents, especially for those with developmental disabilities.

Starting from the QU!S-S model that focuses on the quality of school inclusion in a multidimensional perspective, this systematic review has the main aim to examine the key elements of the quality of school inclusion.

According to PRISMA guidelines, a systematic search strategy was adopted. First, 7134 records were identified through database searching; then, the title-abstract screening led to the identification of 742 potentially relevant studies and, finally, after the full-text screening, 23 studies were included.

Outcomes show some key elements of the quality of school inclusion such as the presence of effective responses to individual needs, the tendency to adapt teaching strategies to different situations, and the cooperation inside and outside the school. These key elements can have positive effects on the general quality of life of students, especially for those with developmental disabilities.

Furthermore, findings highlight that only a few studies considered the quality of school inclusion following a multidimensional approach.

This systematic review can offer readers insights into good policies and practices to adopt in the school setting to promote school inclusion, and well-being for students, especially those with developmental disabilities.

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