Early childhood education is important for the development of children with special needs. The teacher and his/her perception of inclusive education are essential factors throughout such educational processes. The present study aimed to analyze early childhood teacher's perception of the education of children with disabilities aged three and six years. Their perception of current educational practices is different due to the presence of special needs children in their working environment. Twelve childhood education teachers participated in this study and were equally divided into three groups: those from special schools; those from ordinary schools, who work with children with disabilities and those from ordinary schools who don't have children with disabilities in the classroom. The data were collected using tape recorded semi-structured interviews. Content analysis was performed. The data indicated that the teachers see the disabled children's socialization as the main contribution of the inclusive process, however, they deemed that inclusion should be restricted to children with possibilities of independence. As to the learning process, they expressed that children with intellectual disabilities had more difficulty than the ones with physical disability. Problems regarding physical space, material and human resources as well as teacher education were pointed out. It was concluded that the teachers need preparation not only regarding the understanding of various disabilities and the educational needs related to them but also about adequate physical space, material resources and specific technical assistance.
Special Education; Childhood Education; Teacher Education; Special Educational Needs