STEAM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) represents an emerging pedagogical paradigm that seeks the coherent and interdisciplinary integration of these fields, with the aim of stimulating creative thinking, critical reasoning, and problem-solving skills. The artistic component added to the traditional STEM structure acts as an educational catalyst, contributing to the understanding of complex concepts and increasing the attractiveness and accessibility of the learning process, especially for students with Special Educational Needs (SEN).
This multidisciplinary integration has the potential to transform the educational experiences of children with SEN by offering a more inclusive pedagogical alternative compared to the rigid educational models characteristic of traditional STEAM approaches. The introduction of the artistic dimension aims to stimulate creativity, intrinsic motivation, and divergent thinking—factors that contribute to improving students’ perception of school and strengthening their sense of educational belonging.
Diversifying teaching strategies through the integration of visual arts and elements from nature, in order to facilitate the teaching of exact sciences and technologies, leads to a better comprehension of these fields. Thus, STEAM education becomes a viable pedagogical alternative for children with disabilities or those from socially vulnerable groups, categories often marginalized in traditional educational systems.
Specialized literature reflects a growing trend of research into the effectiveness of integrating the arts within STEAM education for students with SEN. Robinson and Foster (2020) argue that implementing STEAM strategies based on interdisciplinary methods can significantly reduce educational gaps, fostering active participation and conceptual understanding. Perignat and Katz-Buonincontro (2019) identify the main features of STEAM education as follows:
- promoting interdisciplinary thinking through activities that combine science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics, simultaneously engaging logical reasoning and creativity;
- valuing the process of artistic exploration in learning, encouraging students to experiment, make mistakes, and rethink problem-solving strategies;
- implementing experiential learning through applied projects and real-life experiments, strengthening learning through action and reflection;
- facilitating collaboration, individual responsibility, and effective communication through work in multidisciplinary teams;
- developing critical thinking through activities involving problem analysis, solution generation, and process adjustment based on feedback;
- adaptability to diverse learning styles and paces, thus promoting inclusion and diversity.
In a socio-educational context marked by accelerated digitalization and technological transformations, STEAM education stands out as an essential tool in preparing students for a constantly changing world. Taylor (2016) emphasizes that integrating the arts into STEAM enhances the accessibility of education for students with diverse needs, particularly those with SEN. The international study conducted by Lavitza et al. (2022) demonstrates that the use of innovative educational technologies within STEAM leads to greater engagement and improved academic outcomes for students with disabilities.
Experiences from the Finnish and Canadian educational systems, presented by Koskinen and Matthews (2021), show that integrating experiential learning into STEAM contributes to increased engagement of students with SEN, especially in science and technology fields. These systems emphasize creativity, collaboration, and curricular flexibility, thereby ensuring an inclusive and adaptable educational environment.
In this regard, STEAM educators are challenged to develop pedagogical frameworks that integrate both the development of disciplinary knowledge and skills and the promotion of creativity, innovative thinking, effective communication, and collaboration. A global community of practitioners is thus emerging, combining STEAM with the arts to shape citizens capable of responding to 21st-century challenges and contributing to the development of a multidisciplinary and ethically literate workforce.
The practical nature of STEAM education encourages risk-taking, adaptability, and experimentation, equipping students with essential skills to tackle complex problems, integrate emerging technologies, and generate innovative solutions. Research shows that graduates of STEAM programs stand out with professional profiles that combine creativity, ethical responsibility, design skills, and collaborative decision-making capacity (Taylor, 2016). In countries that implemented STEAM education early, graduates are increasingly employed in cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence, renewable energy, and biotechnology. STEAM education thus builds bridges between science, art, engineering, and design, generating interdisciplinary knowledge and fostering collaboration among experts from diverse fields.
As for students with SEN, they represent a heterogeneous category that includes learning difficulties, cognitive, physical, or sensory disabilities, speech and language disorders, as well as emotional and behavioral difficulties. It is essential to distinguish between disability and SEN: not every disability necessarily implies a special educational need, and SEN can exist even in the absence of a formal disability. Most often, children with SEN require personalized educational programs, adapted learning environments, and specialized support technologies.
According to the classification proposed by the World Health Organization (2004), SEN are defined in a bio-psycho-social manner, going beyond the narrow framework of the medical model of disability. Today, SEN are recognized as including not only cognitive or motor impairments but also educational barriers caused by socio-cultural, economic, or linguistic factors.
The most common categories of SEN include autism spectrum disorders (ASD), dyslexia, dyspraxia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, ADHD, Down syndrome, sensory impairments, emotional and behavioral difficulties. STEAM education provides a favorable framework for implementing accommodation strategies, curricular adaptation, and personalized interventions, thus facilitating access and progress for students with SEN.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5, 2013) specifies diagnostic criteria for specific learning disorders, including persistent difficulties in reading, spelling, written expression, and mathematical reasoning despite sustained educational interventions.
International studies (Kirk & Gallagher, 2019) highlight a series of frequent learning obstacles for students with SEN: difficulties in following instructions, recognizing graphic symbols, limited reading and writing skills, motor coordination deficits, sequencing deficiencies, and poor social integration. Likewise, Lamport et al. (2012) note that limitations in social skills significantly affect the ability of students with SEN to collaborate effectively in team activities.
Tomar & Garg (2020) argue that students with SEN require structured interventions, explicit support, and the use of „pedagogical scaffolds” in STEAM activities to facilitate active participation. Hwang & Taylor (2016) also recommend the use of sensory breaks and differentiated support to prevent cognitive overload, especially in activities involving prolonged effort, material handling, or trial-and-error learning.
According to synthesized results from a series of relevant studies (Perlado Lamo de Espinosa et al., 2021; Zhang & Jia, 2024; Khalid & Mohd Hanafi, 2013; Hebert et al., 2018; Westwood, 1997), multiple challenges associated with the learning process in STEAM fields among students with SEN emerge, including:
- Group activities may be a major difficulty, as these students may exhibit reduced attention span, atypical cognitive and learning styles, or social anxieties that inhibit effective collaboration. Without adapted support mechanisms, collaboration activities can become significant obstacles in STEAM learning.
- The abstract nature of many STEAM concepts can be a cognitive barrier. Studies indicate that the use of visual materials, graphic representations, and concrete examples significantly facilitates understanding, offering adapted support.
- Communication deficits, difficulties in following verbal instructions, maintaining attention, and completing tasks may compromise learning efficiency. Educational strategies based on augmentative and alternative communication, such as sequential visual instructions, have proven effective in improving concentration and task completion.
- Students with specific learning disorders such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, or dyscalculia face significant difficulties in processing and understanding information presented in conventional formats. Evidence suggests that breaking instructions into small, clearly defined, and manageable steps supports comprehension and active participation.
- Students diagnosed with ADHD, autism, or anxiety disorders may have low frustration tolerance, hindering engagement in trial-and-error activities—an essential component of STEAM pedagogy. Research recommends integrating emotional self-regulation techniques and reducing task-related pressure to foster perseverance and resilience.
- Students with SEN who feel comfortable in familiar environments and stable routines may experience reluctance or anxiety when facing environmental changes or new educational contexts. Studies highlight that gradual, structured exposure to new learning spaces and familiarization activities reduces discomfort and facilitates adaptation.
- Maintaining attention during educational activities is a recurring challenge. Didactic interventions that include short, frequent breaks alternated with interactive activities have proven effective in increasing cognitive engagement.
- Students with SEN often face obstacles in integrating and applying theoretical knowledge in practical contexts, which limits their ability to draw conclusions or build new meanings from educational experiences. Case studies recommend the simultaneous integration of practical and theoretical activities to facilitate semantic connections and reduce cognitive gaps.
- Students with sensory impairments (visual, auditory, etc.) require adapted materials and resources to access STEAM content. Assistive technologies—such as tactile or audio devices—significantly enhance autonomy and task completion rates.
- The severity of intellectual disabilities directly influences the ability to actively participate in the educational process. In cases of severe intellectual disabilities, effective learning may only be possible in individualized teaching contexts under specialist supervision. Personalized intervention becomes essential for achieving relevant educational outcomes.
Therefore, a comprehensive educational approach is required, integrating the academic, emotional, and social dimensions of these students’ needs. Necessary measures include: adapting instructions, providing adequate methodological support, behavioral assistance, and leveraging educational resources, including assistive technologies and practical experiences.
Analyzing this information, it is clear that there are certain challenges in teaching STEAM subjects to children with special educational needs. However, the STEAM approach may be more accessible than STEM, since most children with special educational needs tend to be more inclined toward the arts. Challenges encountered in STEAM activities may include difficulties in understanding commands or processes, accepting failure as part of learning, as well as teamwork. Furthermore, if STEAM lessons frequently involve changing environments or tools, this can further hinder the learning process for these children.
Bibliographic references
1. Robinson, T., & Foster, J. (2020). Challenges in group-based STEAM education for ASD students in the UK. British Journal of Special Education, 47(4), 399-412.
2. Perignat, E., & Katz-Buonincontro, J. (2019). STEAM in practice and research: An integrative literature review. Thinking skills and creativity, 31, 31-43.
3. Taylor, P. C. (2016). Why is a STEAM curriculum perspective crucial to the 21st century?.
4. Lavitza, A., et al. (2022). Technological and pedagogical innovations in STEAM education. Journal of Future Education, 10(3), 200-215.
5. Koskinen, M., & Matthews, L. (2021). Comparative analysis of inclusive STEAM education in Finland and Canada. Journal of Educational Research, 14(2), 100-118.
6. Kirk, S., & Gallagher, J. (2019). Educating exceptional children. Cengage Learning.
7. Lamport, M. A., Graves, L., & Ward, A. (2012). Special needs students in inclusive classrooms: The impact of social interaction on educational outcomes for learners with emotional and behavioral disabilities. European Journal of Business and Social Sciences, 1(5), 54-69.
8. Tomar, G., & Garg, V. (2020). Making steam accessible for inclusive classroom. Global Journal of Enterprise Information System, 12(4), 94-101.
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10. Perlado Lamo de Espinosa, I., Muñoz Martínez, Y., & Torrego Seijo, J. C. (2021). Students with special educational needs and cooperative learning in the ordinary classroom: some learnings from teaching practice. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 21(3), 211-221.
11. Zhang, C., & Jia, B. (2024). Enriching STEAM education with visual art: education benefits, teaching examples, and trends. Discover Education, 3(1), 247.
12. Khalid, G. B., & Mohd Hanafi, M. Y. (2013). Communication Strategies for Parents and the Community involvement at Integrated Special Education School. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention, 2(4), 2319-7714.
13. Hebert, M., Kearns, D. M., Hayes, J. B., Bazis, P., & Cooper, S. (2018). Why children with dyslexia struggle with writing and how to help them. Language, speech, and hearing services in schools, 49(4), 843-863.
14. Westwood, P. S. (1997). Commonsense methods for children with special needs: Strategies for the regular classroom. Psychology Press.