BACKGROUND: This report maps autism and special education needs (SEN) policies, alongside teacher responsibilities in the education of children with SEN in Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, and Slovakia. METHODS AND PROCEDURE: A policy path analysis using a scoping review as an underlying methodological framework was performed. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: The end of communism and accession to the European Union were critical for the countries under study. They passed crucial policies after international policies and adopted a three-stream approach towards providing education: (1) special schools; (2) special classes in mainstream schools; or (3) mainstream classes. Special schools remain for children that cannot participate in mainstream schools. Teachers are given high levels of responsibility. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Changes in international guidance greatly impacted Austria, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. The education systems aim for inclusion, though segregation remains for children that cannot thrive in mainstream schools. Teachers are pivotal in the education of children with SEN, more so than with typical children.
- MeSH
- autistická porucha * epidemiologie MeSH
- dítě MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- postup MeSH
- Check Tag
- dítě MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Česká republika MeSH
- Evropa MeSH
- Maďarsko MeSH
- Rakousko MeSH
- Slovenská republika MeSH
BACKGROUND AND AIM: Previous studies have supported the advantages of an external focus of attention (EFA) relative to an internal focus of attention (IFA) in healthly adults. However, effects of attentional focus instructions on skill performance and acquisition in children are equivocal. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of attentional focus instructions on performance of a whole body coordination task in children with and without developmental coordination disorder (DCD). METHODS: Children with DCD (n = 18) and typically developing (TD) children (n = 21) (9-10 years) were asked to perform 3 countermovement vertical jumps in the IFA (Concentrate on the swing of your arms), EFA (Concentrate on getting as close to the ceiling as possible), and control conditions. RESULTS: The results showed that regardless of children's motor development proficiency, the jump height and vertical take-off velocity (VTO) were higher in EFA relative to both IFA and Con conditions. In addition, VTO was significantly higher in the Con relative to IFA condition. CONCLUSION: The results of the current study showed that EFA relative to IFA instructions could enhance the neuromuscular activation of dynamic contractions of the leg muscles in both children with and without DCD. The findings suggest that the beneficial effects of EFA relative to IFA instructions on children's motor performance is identical across children with different levels of motor proficiency.
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of reading mode (oral and silent reading) and braille reading patterns (one-handed pattern, mark pattern, parallel pattern, cooperative pattern) on the reading speed and comprehension of students with visual impairments in China. Seventy-three students with visual impairments aged 10-19 years participated in the study; 48 were students with congenital visual impairments and 25 were students with adventitious visual impairments. The participants' braille reading performance was assessed by the Chinese Reading Comprehension Test. Measurement indicators included reading speed (wpm) and reading comprehension. The results indicated that (1) Reading mode had a significant effect on both reading speed and reading comprehension. More specifically, although participants read faster in silent reading than in oral reading, they demonstrated better reading comprehension in oral reading than in silent reading. (2) There was a significant interaction effect between reading mode and braille reading patterns on reading speed. In particular, participants using cooperative and one-handed patterns read faster than other patterns in silent reading. This difference did not exist in the oral reading mode. (3) There was no difference between the measurement indicators of the students with congenital and adventitious visual impairments. Implications and recommendations are given based on the analyses.
- MeSH
- čtení * MeSH
- dítě MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- pochopení * MeSH
- poruchy zraku psychologie rehabilitace MeSH
- reakční čas * MeSH
- smyslové pomůcky * MeSH
- verbální chování MeSH
- Check Tag
- dítě MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Čína MeSH
BACKGROUND: Even though Down syndrome is the most common chromosomal cause of intellectual disability, studies on early development are scarce. AIM: To describe movements and postures in 3- to 5-month-old infants with Down syndrome and assess the relation between pre- and perinatal risk factors and the eventual motor performance. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Exploratory study; 47 infants with Down syndrome (26 males, 27 infants born preterm, 22 infants with congenital heart disease) were videoed at 10-19 weeks post-term (median=14 weeks). We assessed their Motor Optimality Score (MOS) based on postures and movements (including fidgety movements) and compared it to that of 47 infants later diagnosed with cerebral palsy and 47 infants with a normal neurological outcome, matched for gestational and recording ages. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: The MOS (median=13, range 10-28) was significantly lower than in infants with a normal neurological outcome (median=26), but higher than in infants later diagnosed with cerebral palsy (median=6). Fourteen infants with Down syndrome showed normal fidgety movements, 13 no fidgety movements, and 20 exaggerated, too fast or too slow fidgety movements. A lack of movements to the midline and several atypical postures were observed. Neither preterm birth nor congenital heart disease was related to aberrant fidgety movements or reduced MOS. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The heterogeneity in fidgety movements and MOS add to an understanding of the large variability of the early phenotype of Down syndrome. Studies on the predictive values of the early spontaneous motor repertoire, especially for the cognitive outcome, are warranted. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: The significance of this exploratory study lies in its minute description of the motor repertoire of infants with Down syndrome aged 3-5 months. Thirty percent of infants with Down syndrome showed age-specific normal fidgety movements. The rate of abnormal fidgety movements (large amplitude, high/slow speed) or a lack of fidgety movements was exceedingly high. The motor optimality score of infants with Down syndrome was lower than in infants with normal neurological outcome but higher than in infants who were later diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Neither preterm birth nor congenital heart disease were related to the motor performance at 3-5 months.
- MeSH
- Downův syndrom * diagnóza patofyziologie MeSH
- gestační stáří MeSH
- hodnocení výsledků pacienta MeSH
- kojenec MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- neurologické vyšetření metody MeSH
- pohyb fyziologie MeSH
- pohybová aktivita fyziologie MeSH
- postura těla fyziologie MeSH
- posuzování pracovní neschopnosti MeSH
- psychomotorický výkon * MeSH
- rizikové faktory MeSH
- statistika jako téma MeSH
- Check Tag
- kojenec MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
Academic self-concept could significantly affect academic achievement and self-confidence in children with epilepsy. However, limited attention has been devoted to determining factors influencing academic self-concept of children with epilepsy. We aimed to analyze potentially significant variables (gender, frequency of seizures, duration of epilepsy, intellectual disability, learning disability and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) in relation to academic self-concept in children with epilepsy and to additional domains of their quality of life. The study group consisted of 182 children and adolescents aged 9-14 years who completed the SPAS (Student's Perception of Ability Scale) questionnaire determining their academic self-concept and the modified Czech version of the CHEQOL-25 (Health-Related Quality of Life Measure for Children with Epilepsy) questionnaire evaluating their health-related quality of life. Using regression analysis, we identified learning disability as a key predictor for academic-self concept of children with epilepsy. While children with epilepsy and with no learning disability exhibited results comparable to children without epilepsy, participants with epilepsy and some learning disability scored significantly lower in almost all domains of academic self-concept. We moreover found that children with epilepsy and learning disability have significantly lower quality of life in intrapersonal and interpersonal domains. In contrast to children with epilepsy and with no learning disability, these participants have practically no correlation between their quality of life and academic self-concept. Our findings suggest that considerable attention should be paid to children having both epilepsy and learning disability. It should comprise services of specialized counselors and teaching assistants with an appropriate knowledge of epilepsy and ability to empathize with these children as well as educational interventions focused on their teachers and classmates.
- MeSH
- dítě MeSH
- epilepsie komplikace psychologie MeSH
- hyperkinetická porucha komplikace psychologie MeSH
- kvalita života psychologie MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mentální retardace komplikace psychologie MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- poruchy učení komplikace psychologie MeSH
- průzkumy a dotazníky MeSH
- sebepojetí * MeSH
- stupeň vzdělání MeSH
- úspěšnost MeSH
- výchova a vzdělávání MeSH
- Check Tag
- dítě MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
Siblings of children with a disability are an at risk group for emotional and behavioral problems. This study evaluated an intervention to promote the emotional and behavioral functioning of siblings of children with disabilities and chronic health conditions. SibworkS is a six-week manual-based, cognitive-behavioral group support program focussed on strengthening siblings' perceived social support, self-esteem, problem-solving skills, adaptive coping behaviors and positive sibling relationships. Fifty-six children aged 7-12 were allocated to either the SibworkS program (n=30) or waitlist control (n=26) in alternating sequence. The primary outcome was siblings' emotional and behavioral functioning. Additional outcomes were self-esteem, perceived social support, the sibling relationship and coping behaviors. Siblings were followed-up immediately after the intervention and at 3-months. Siblings participating in the SibworkS intervention were reported to have fewer emotional and behavioral difficulties than siblings in the control group immediately following the intervention and at the 3-month follow-up. Participation in SibworkS was associated with fewer emotional and behavioral difficulties for siblings. Implications for practice and future research include recommendations for improving program participation.
- MeSH
- adaptace psychologická MeSH
- Angelmanův syndrom MeSH
- chromozomální delece MeSH
- chromozomální poruchy MeSH
- dítě MeSH
- Downův syndrom * MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- lidské chromozomy, pár 22 MeSH
- mentální retardace * MeSH
- poruchy autistického spektra * MeSH
- postižené děti * MeSH
- sebepojetí * MeSH
- skupinová psychoterapie MeSH
- sociální opora * MeSH
- sourozenci psychologie MeSH
- sourozenecké vztahy * MeSH
- Check Tag
- dítě MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- randomizované kontrolované studie MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Jižní Austrálie MeSH
Comparing numerical performance between different languages does not only mean comparing different number-word systems, but also implies a comparison of differences regarding culture or educational systems. The Czech language provides the remarkable opportunity to disentangle this confound as there exist two different number-word systems within the same language: for instance, "25" can be either coded in non-inverted order "dvadsetpät" [twenty-five] or in inverted order "pätadvadset" [five-and-twenty]. To investigate the influence of the number-word system on basic numerical processing within one culture, 7-year-old Czech-speaking children had to perform a transcoding task (i.e., writing Arabic numbers to dictation) in both number-word systems. The observed error pattern clearly indicated that the structure of the number-word system determined transcoding performance reliably: In the inverted number-word system about half of all errors were inversion-related. In contrast, hardly any inversion-related errors occurred in the non-inverted number-word system. We conclude that the development of numerical cognition does not only depend on cultural or educational differences, but is indeed related to the structure and transparency of a given number-word system.
- MeSH
- dítě MeSH
- jazyk (prostředek komunikace) * MeSH
- kognice * MeSH
- krátkodobá paměť MeSH
- kulturní charakteristiky * MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- matematika výchova MeSH
- psycholingvistika * MeSH
- sémantika MeSH
- studenti psychologie MeSH
- Check Tag
- dítě MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- srovnávací studie MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Česká republika MeSH
