The right of all children to education, including those children in significant need of special support, is described in several international documents. The concept of inclusive education won international recognition when the United Nations (UN) put forth the idea of "Education for All" in 1990. Several countries have since implemented a policy to promote integration and, more recently, the inclusion of these pupils in regular environments. With this in mind, the professionals' attitudes are of great importance for a successful implementation of inclusion, which also is emphasized in the Salamanca Statement (1994). What attitudes do teachers in various countries have for inclusion of pupils with special needs in mainstream school? Some reviews of this literature already exist and willserveas a base for this study. The purpose of this review is todiscoverwhat previous international research says about teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion of pupils with behavior problems in mainstream school. This review summarizes existing research to provide a platform for further work and for identifying research gaps. It also aims to go beyond the individual studies and seek out and synthesize the research on teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion of pupils with special educational needs (SEN) in different countries and identify what is specifically found regarding attitudes to inclusion of pupils with behavioral problems.

Previous reviews (Avramidis & Norwish, 2002; De Boer, Pijl & Minnaert, 2010) indicate that teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion of pupils with SEN in mainstream schools are dependent on a variety of factors. They mention (1) the nature of the disability; (2) the teacher’s gender, teaching experience, grade level taught, and experience and training for teaching pupils with SEN, and (3) support services at the classroom and school levels. In previous reviews, the conclusions have been that teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion, dependent of the nature of the disability, are lowest when it comes to of pupils with behavioral problems.     

According to the OCED (2007), it is difficult to make international comparisons between different categories of disability; all countries use categories, but the categories used are not uniform within countries,and the definitions of the categoriesvaryamongcountries. Thisis partly because the cross-national categorization system has been developed. Important to note is that considering the apparent increase in the number of students who are described as having behavioral difficulties, no such category is used in all countries. For those that do, there is evidence of a greater differentiation within this disability than within other categories.

In Sweden, Socialstyrelsen (2010) defines behavior problems as when a child repeatedly violates the rules, norms, or expectations of his/her childhood environment, and most behavior problems are defined in terms of the values and norms ofthe social community. A certain act of the child could be perceived to be a problem in one situation (the protest against the teacher's demands in the classroom) but not in another (the protest against the bully). Children with behavioral problems are described as being a“motley crew.”

UNESCO (2009) describe the concept of behavioral problems similarly. SEBD(Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Difficulties) is consideredto be an umbrella term,regarded as imprecise and difficult to define since it is in a continuum of behaviorthat challenges teachers: normal, albeit unacceptable, behaviors that indicate serious mental illness. SEBD maymanifest as introverted, passive, depressive, or aggressive behavioral or self-destructive tendencies. Even UNESCO (2009) emphasizes that what is considered socially acceptable behavior in one culture and religious and traditional context may be unacceptable in another. Social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties are therefore highly sensitive to the background and situation of the children concerned.

Avramidis, E. & Norwich, B. (2002). Teachers’ attitudes towards integration/inclusion: A review of the literature. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 17( 2), 129–49. Cook, B. G. (2001). A comparison of teachers’ attitudes toward their included students with mild and severe disabilities. Journal of Special Education, 34(4), 203–213. De Boer, A., Pijl, S. J., & Minnaert, A. (2010). Regular primary schoolteachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education: A review of the literature. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 1(1), 1–24. OCED. (2008). Students with disabilities, learning difficulties and disadvantages: Statistics and indicators. OCED Publication. doi: 10.1787/9789264027619-en SBU. (2013). Utvärdering av metoder i hälso- och sjukvården: En handbok. Version 2013- 05-16 Stockholm: Statens beredning för medicinsk utvärdering (SBU). Retrieved from www.sbu.se/metodbok den 2014-01-22. Socialstyrelsen. (2010). Barn som utmanar: Barn med ADHD och andra beteendeproblem. Retrieved from http://www.socialstyrelsen.se/publikationer2010/2010-3-6 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). (1994). The Salamanca statement and framework for action on special needs education. New York: UNESCO. Unesco. (2009). Embracing Diversity: Toolkit for Creating Inclusive, Learning-Friendly Environments Specialized Booklet 3). Bangkok: UNESCO. Retrieved from http://www2.unescobkk.org/elib/publications/243_244/Teaching_children.pdf