Stockholm - Special needs children

In Sweden, there are a wide range of childcare alternatives including pre-schools play schools, family day nurseries, open pre-schools and integrated day-care facilities for children with learning or physical disabilities. Pre-school class must be offered from the year of the child 6th birthday.

Special schools are run by the State for children and young persons who are prevented by vision impairment, deafness, hearing impairment or speech impairment from attending ordinary compulsory school.  There are 8 such schools and the State pays all the pupils' expenses, including boarding house accommodation and travel.

The municipalities are obliged in accordance with the School Act to provide upper secondary education for young people with intellectual disabilities who are unable to attend ordinary upper secondary school because of their disability.

Schooling for the intellectually handicapped is compulsory for nine years (from 7 to 16/17 years of age). This type of school is divided in basic schools and training schools. Basic school is for pupils who are considered capable of learning to read and write and of acquiring new knowledge through these skills. Training school is for those unable to assimilate instruction in basic school. This education is 4 years in duration and may be started up to the age of 20. For persons over 20 there are similar education programmes within adult education

• Handikapp & Habilitering
  Hjalmar Cederström g.5, E-Huset
  Box 17519
  118 91 Stockholm
  Tel: + 46 (0)8 690 60 00
  website: www.hu.sll.se

In the Swedish system great care is taken of children with special needs.  Since a lot depends on the type of handicap the child is affected, the first thing you should do is to contact the following organization which will be able to direct you in the right direction:
"Handikappupplysningen"
For information :
Tel: + 46 (0)8 690 60 10
website: www.hu.sll.se  
but it is useful only if you can understand Swedish.