The inclusion agenda has influenced education systems around the world, resulting in better access to mainstream education for pupils with special educational needs (SEN). While numerous studies have compared outcomes of pupils with SEN in mainstream and special educational settings, research on the specific characteristics of these settings remains scarce. In this study a survey was conducted with teachers of pupils with an intellectual disability in mainstream (N = 254) and special educational settings (N = 392) in Sweden to investigate differences in instructional practices between these settings. The results showed that teachers’ in the two settings devoted approximately similar amount of time to learner- centred and teacher-centred activities respectively, which slightly more focus on teacher-centred activities in both settings. The results of a Mann-Whitney U-test revealed that teachers in mainstream educational settings, in comparison with teachers in special educational settings, reported significantly higher expectations of pupils’ performance but lower focus on supporting pupils’ social participation. Support of pupils’ social participation may be an important characteristic of special educational settings, and there is a need to further explore how knowledge of teacher practices in special educational settings may be used to support pupil’s social participation in mainstream settings.