From previous research, it can be inferred that students already show their capabilities in developing and applying characteristics of computational thinking (CT) in a variety of educational settings at a very young age. Unfortunately, less attention appears to be paid to students with special educational needs, learning disorders, developmental disadvantages, or students suffering from other limitations who can benefit from acquiring and applying skills attributed to CT from an diversity and inclusion perspective. Remarkably in this context, it is reflected from practical experience that students with special needs can achieve high CT performance, but this is not always reflected in curricula, facilities or available learning and testing methods. This is despite growing evidence showing that CT activities are ideally suited for students with learning disabilities and specific educational needs, where unplugged and technology-enhanced CT learning applications can act as reinforcing elements. To capture opportunities, as well gaps and unexplored areas regarding facilitation of CT for students with special educational needs, an inventory survey was therefore conducted in six different countries in primary education and childcare. This to identify perceptions of headmasters/managers regarding the implementation possibilities of CT in curricula, whether and how teachers/child attendants have already integrated CT into their teaching, and what activities are available in schools/child centers to facilitate CT development. Despite the fact that CT enables a development of both generic and specific skills from which all students can benefit, our survey revealed when it concerns teaching, learning and acquiring CT-skills, the pedagogical provision is often not attuned to specific needs of students, and the educational offer is often approached from a purely didactic perspective in order to teach specific (digital) skills for programming. Moreover, students sometimes appear excluded from CT activities based on their personal requirements; that such activities are only reserved for excellent students, or where facilities are not optimal. This is notable because managers and teachers/childcare workers indicate they believe it is important to integrate CT practices into schools, and developing CT-skills can equip students with skills for our future society. It also becomes apparent that, although materials for facilitating CT development are frequently available, they are often incompletely used, or teachers/childcare workers are not sufficiently equipped to use them effectively. Our survey also reveals that the assessment of CT seems to be insufficiently attuned to specific needs and required preferences of students to make concise statements on the demonstrated added value of CT for learning and development. It also appears that teachers are often still unfamiliar with the possibilities that CT contains, or teachers are insufficiently equipped to teach or integrate CT into a development-oriented provision. It is further indicated for teachers, childcare workers and staff it is important to receive training on diversity and inclusion. The results of our exploration shed light on the development, implementation, testing and training for new forms of pedagogy in primary education and childcare, and for professionalization of managers, teachers and childcare workers regarding a developmental focus on CT for children with special educational needs.

Keywords: Computational Thinking, special educational needs, diversity, inclusion, learning disorder, methodology, assessment, conceptual development.