Children with Special Education Needs in Lithuania
Education in Lithuania is available to children with special needs at all
K-12 education levels - primary, basic and upper secondary etc.
Primary Education
Children with special education needs get the primary education in special schools. Following are the reasons for the special education needs:
Exceptional Abilities
Children with special education needs emerging from their exceptional abilities can pursue primary education along with specialised courses, such as sports, music, arts, etc.
In Lithuania, following schools provide primary education with specialized educational courses:
- Panevėzys Vytautas Mikalauskas Art School
- Kaunas Art Gymnasium
- The National M. K. Čiurlionis School of Art (Vilnius)
- Kaunas Gediminas Sport and Health Promotion School
- Klaipėda Eduardas Balsys Gymnasium of Arts (music section)
- Kaunas Juozas Naujalis Music Gymnasium
Unfavorable Factors
Children because of illness, repatriation or other factor could not attend regular primary schools, for such children special schools have been set up. Following are the schools for such children:
Sanatorium’s schools: These schools are for children who are going through a treatment in medical rehabilitation and sanatorium treatment institutions. Following are the schools:
- Kaunas District Kačerginė Child Sanatorium “Zibutė” School
- Vievis Sanatorium Boarding School
- Kulautuva Children Sanatory School
- Elektrėnai Sanatorium School
- Kaunas Vanda Tumėnienė Rehabilitation Centre School
- Palanga Sanatory School
- Druskininkai Sanatorium School
Hospital’s schools: These schools are for children who are going through treatment/medical care in stationary treatment institutions. Following are the schools in Lithuania:
- Vilnius Jonas Lauzikas Consulting Teaching Centre
- Vilnius Santariskės Consulting-Teaching Centre
Distance learning schools: These schools are for children who are going through stationary or home care and these kids for a certain period of time live abroad.
Lithuanian house: These are for children of Lithuanian-origin expatriates, foreigners, etc.
- Vilnius Lithuanian’s House
Health Problems
Children with health problems may attend special schools.
Other Types of Schools
In Lithuania, primary education can also be offered by:
Schools with non-traditional learning system-Following are such schools:
- Kaunas Waldorf School
- Kaunas “Vėtrungės” Primary School (Suzuki method)
- Vilnius Waldorf Secondary School
- Kaunas Montessori Primary School
- Vilniaus Catholic Versmė Gymnasium
- Saint Joseph’s School (Vilnius)
- Montessori Primary School “Be Yourself” (Kaunas)
- Kazlų Rūda "Elmos" Progymnasium (Waldorf method)
- St. Cecilia Gymnasium of Marijampolė
- Vilnius Private Christian School
- Kaunas Pranas Masiotas Primary School (Waldorf method)
- Jewish Secondary School “Menachem's house”(Vilnius)
International schools: These are private schools that focus on multilingualism and cultural diversity, and offer education to children with different citizenship, and to children whose parents live in Lithuania permanently or temporarily. Following are the international schools in Lithuania:
- Ecole Francaise de Vilnius
- Vilnius International Meridian School
- Vilnius International School
Basic Education
Children with special education needs arising from unfavorable conditions, disabilities or exceptional abilities can get general basic education in special schools.
Exceptional Abilities
Children with special needs due to their exceptional abilities are allowed to get basic education along with the specialized programmes, such as sports, arts or music. Children aged 7 to 18 may attend these special basic education schools. Following are the schools at the basic education level for children with special needs:
- National M. K. Čiurlionis School of Arts (Vilnius)
- Kaunas Juozas Gruodis Music Conservatoire
- Eduardas Balsys Gymnasium of Arts (Klaipėda)
- Panevėzys Vytautas Mikalauskas Art School
- Klaipėda Stasys Simkus Conservatoire
- Vilnius J. Tallat-Kelpsa Conservatoire
- Kaunas Juozas Naujalis Music Gymnasium
- Siauliai Saulius Sondeckis Music and Art School
Unfavourable Factors
Children with this type of special needs can obtain basic education in the following educational institutions:
Youth school: This is for children aged 12 to 16. Following are the youth schools providing basic education to children with special needs:
- Vilnius Youth School “Gija”
- Kaunas Youth SchoolKėdainiai Youth School
- Birzai Youth School
- Panevėzys Youth School
- Kaunas Pranas Eimutis Youth School
- Prienai Youth School
- Telsiai Youth School
- Rokiskis Youth School
- Ukmergė Youth School
- Kaunas Titas Masiulis Youth School
- Tytuvėnųai Youth School of Kelmė District
- Jonava Youth School
- Utena Youth School
- Marijampolė Youth School
- Radviliskis Youth School
- Siauliai Youth School
- Vilnius Jonas Ivaskevičius Youth School
Boarding youth school: This is for children aged 12 to 17 who are having behavioral or emotional disorders, or who have inclination towards drinking alcohol or other substances.
Special youth school for productive learning: This is for children aged 15 to 17 who have learning problems or who dropped out of schools.
Centre for children socialization: This is for children aged 14 to 16 with average care.
- Vilnius Children Socialization Centre
- Kaunas Children’s Socialization Centre "Sun"
- Children Socialization Centre "Sirvėna" (Birzai District)
- Gruzdziai Children’s Socialization Centre
- Vėliučionių Children’s Socialization Centre
- Centre for Children Socialization of Kaunas
School for imprisonments youth: This is for children aged 14 to 20
- "Kite" Secondary School of Kaunas
Sanatorium’s school: This is for children aged 6/7 to 16 who are going through a medical treatment in rehabilitation or sanatorium institutions.
- Kulautuva Children Sanatory School
- Elektrėnai Sanatorium School
- Palanga Sanatory School
- Vievis Sanatorium Boarding School
- Druskininkai Sanatorium School
- Kaunas District Kačerginė Child Sanatorium “Zibutė” School
- Kauno Vanda Tumėnienė Rehabilitation Centre School
Lithuanian house: These are for children of Lithuanian-origin expatriates, foreigners, etc. Children in the age group 6 to 18 may attend this school.
- Vilnius Lithuanian’s House
Hospital’s school: This is for children aged 6/7 to 16 who are going through medical treatment in stationary treatment establishment
- Vilnius Jonas Lauzikas Consulting Teaching Center
- Vilnius Santariskės Consulting-Teaching Centre
Distance learning school and gymnasium: This is for children aged 6/7 who is going through medical treatment in health establishment, and stays overseas not permanently.
Health Problems
Children with health problems, such as visually or physically impaired or other problems are also provided with basic education. Special education support is offered. Special basic education schools, centres and multi—education centres offers basic education to children with this kind of special needs.
Upper Secondary Education
Children with special education needs emerging out of health problems, unfavourable environmental factors or exceptional abilities, can obtain upper secondary education in special schools.
Health problems
Children suffering from health problem may get secondary education in special schools and education centres. These are:
- Lietuvos kurčiųjų ir neprigirdinčiųjų ugdymo centras
- Siaulių specialiojo ugdymo centras
- Kaunas District Special School
- Special Cultivating Centre of Siauliai
- Kauno specialioji mokykla
- Lithuanian Educational Centre for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Unfavourable Environmental Conditions
Following kinds of schools are available to children with special secondary education needs:
Sanatorium’s school: This is for children aged 6 to 17 who are going through medical cure in rehabilitation or sanatorium institution.
- Kauno Vanda Tumėnienė Rehabilitation Centre School
- Palanga Sanatory School
- Kulautuva Children Sanatory School
- Elektrėnai Sanatorium School
Centre for children socialization: This is for children aged 14 to 17.
- Gruzdziai Children’s Socialization Centre
- Centre for Children Socialization of Kaunas
- Vėliučionių Children’s Socialization Centre
- Kaunas Children’s Socialization Centre "Sun"
- Vilnius Children Socialization Centre
Hospital’s schools: This is for children aged 6/7 to 17 who are going to stationary treatment establishment
- Vilnius Jonas Lauzikas Consulting Teaching Center
- Vilnius Santariskės Consulting-Teaching Centre
School for imprisonments youth: This is for children aged 14 to 20 whose liberty was restricted to were deprived.
- "Kite" Secondary School of Kaunas
Lithuanian house: These are for children of Lithuanian-origin expatriates, foreigners, etc. Children in the age group 6/7 to 18 may attend this school.
- Vilnius Lithuanian’s House
Distance learning school and gymnasium: This is for children aged 6/7 who is going through medical treatment in health establishment, and stays overseas not permanently.
Exceptional Abilities
Children with special needs due to their exceptional abilities are allowed to get upper secondary education along with the specialized programmes, such as sports, arts or music. Children aged 7 to 18 may attend these special basic education schools. Following are the schools at the secondary education level for children with special needs:
- National M. K. Čiurlionis School of Arts (Vilnius)
- Klaipėda Stasys Simkus Conservatoire
- Vilnius J. Tallat-Kelpsa Conservatoire
- Eduardas Balsys Gymnasium of Arts (Klaipėda)
- Kaunas Juozas Naujalis Music Gymnasium
- Panevėzys Vytautas Mikalauskas Art School
- Kaunas Juozas Gruodis Music Conservatoire
- Siauliai Saulius Sondeckis Music and Art School
For more details see official website of Ministry of Education, Science and Sport https://smsm.lrv.lt/