Special Needs Children

1) Learning difficulties

In the Czech Republic the most studied area in the field of SEN is probably that of specific learning disorders. This already has its origins in the middle of the last century and during the 1960^’s the first classes for children with impaired reading skills were initiated. Currently the long-term trend towards the integration of special-needs children into mainstream schools is carried out on the basis of individual plans. The fulfilment of a special approach to every pupil is often problematical, especially at the secondary school level. But there are still special schools and classes for children with learning and behavioural difficulties. The children who are diagnosed with more pronounced difficulties, which prevent them from coping with learning in a mainstream school, are catered for there.

2) ADHD (Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder)

This disorder is based on neuroevolutional retardation which expresses as an executive functions disorder. Its appearance is mentioned between 2 and 12% (Hort, Hrdlička, Kocourková, Malá a kol., 2000). The main symptoms include:

· Cognitive functions disorder (attention disorder, disorder of analysis and synthesis, motivation disorder, executive functions disorder). It practically means such a child is incapable of paying attention to important information, is incapable of systematizing its work, of structuring its leisure time. It has a limited capability of analyzing its behaviour and is not able to fully control itself. The child is not able to carry out a task although it has capability to do so.

· Motional-perceptive disorder (hyperactivity with relaxation disability, motional unhandness, visual-motional coordination disorder)

· Emotions and affects disorder

· Impulsivity

Children tend to behave abruptly, regardless of context. The behaviour seems to be unexpected, unpredictable, and chaotic.

· Social adaptation problems

Children are frustrated by social unsuccessfulness; they try to attract attention by all means. Especially in teen age behavioural disorder may occur – lying, pilferage, drugs and alcohol abuse.

Due to its broad appearance, the ADHD can be often recorded in schools with children branded as “problematic”. Similarly as children with learning difficulties, these are integrated into ordinary schools. However, in the 1980’s special buffer classes were established for them which were supposed to meet their needs better (more frequent breaks, working space flexibility, less pupils in class). This trend is coming back in “special classes“. Educational space and situation adjustment is then responsibility of the teacher. It can also be set in an individual education plan.

3) Children with a sensory handicap

· Visually handicapped

It is possible to talk about specific early development caused by limited or missing visual stimulus with visually handicapped children. The child needs special treatment in order to be able to learn how to replace the deficit part with other senses.

In the Czech Republic the children with a light visual handicap are placed into regular primary schools or into special schools based on their parents’ request or a psychologist’s statement. There is a separate category of special schools for visually handicapped or blind ranging from kindergartens to high schools.

· Auditory handicapped

Auditory handicap, deafness is the second most serious handicap – according to WHO (World Health Organization) – in terms of its impact in daily life. Missing auditory stimuli cause differences in thinking of people and their separation from the social majority.
Historically, deaf people were treated as a special group, minority. Before November 1989 special schools for auditory handicapped children were divided into schools with oral education (for talented children, high schools etc.) and hand-language schools. Nowadays, the dominating trend is that of a combination of both depending on the needs of a child. However, the hand-language is considerd to be the primary one (sort of a „mother tongue“). Special schools ranging from kindergartens to high schools are being established for auditory handicapped the same way as for the visually handicapped children.

4) Children with a physical handicap

Special schools for children with a physical handicap have a long tradition in the Czech Republic and their forms vary from kindergarten to high schools. The Jedličkův ústav has been in operation since 1913 and its main aim has not changed. It concentrates on creating same opportunities for the handicapped to study. The organization offers barrier free space, special instruments (equipment, software, hardware etc.) Integration into kindergarten and elementary schools is not usual in the Czech Republic, however it is more common with high schools and universities. In elementary schools the integration is very rare and is the result of extraordinary effort made by both parents and a school.

5) Children with intellectual disability

Mental retardation is defined as a disability in the development of intellectual capacity of a prenatal or very early aetiology that leads to the reduced functioning capability of an individual within his/her social environment. According to ICD 10 (International Classification of Diseases, 10^th revision), on the basis of intelligence tests these individuals reach an IQ of less than 70. However, as stated by Krejčířová (1997), the numerical values of the IQ must be considered only as guidelines. The handicap in cognitive ability of people with mental retardation is often very uneven and a precise IQ value will not be calculated simply through an examination of intelligence. It is necessary to take into account the social and adaptive abilities of children, which may significantly impact their potentialities in the ordinary course of their life. Mental retardation has an impact on the entire socialisation process of a child. In order to involve these children in learning and games increased activity is required on the part of both parents and teachers. It is necessary to adapt the stimuli employed to the understanding of the child.

ICD 10 defines the following classifications of mental retardation:

· Mild mental retardation (IQ 50 – 69)

In the early period, mostly the child only appears to be "behind" in terms of developmental stages. This may sometimes lead to a delayed diagnosis, especially in a more challenging environment; more pronounced problems may not occur till pre-school age or even till the commencement of schooling. The primary characteristics of these children are a reduced ability for abstraction, stereotypical thinking and mechanical memory. In the Czech Republic, children with mild mental retardation are assigned to special schools. However the question of integration is also a real factor here.

· Moderate mental retardation (IQ 35 - 49)

In this case the disorder is usually detected earlier; an obvious backwardness is already clearly evident at the toddler stage. Significant problems can be noted particularly in the development of speech, and learning ability is restricted to reading, writing and counting. Currently, in the Czech Republic, there is a functioning network of special schools which are available for these children.

· Severe mental retardation (IQ 20 – 34)

This often manifests as a disorder in combination with, for example, sensory impairment or failure of means of locomotion. Disability of cognitive functions is already very pronounced in these cases; in a large number of instances children will not learn verbal communication or they will use only a few basic words. However, it is important to develop communication to the maximum possible extent, which can be achieved effectively with the assistance of alternative and augmentative communication methods. If a child is not exempted from school, s/he is placed in a special school.

· Profound mental retardation (IQ below 20)

At this level of disability severe difficulty of movement is also virtually always present. Children are totally dependent on assistance, the majority of them do not learn even the basics of speaking; also the understanding of speech is usually disrupted. The purpose of educational activities is to assist the child to achieve the maximal possible autonomy.

The integration of children with mental retardation in mainstream schools is limited and, in our environment, is based mostly according to individual cases. However it may prove enriching both for the challenged child and for his/her classmates. The challenged child is always educated on the basis of an individual education plan, often with the help of a personal assistant.

6) Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome

Characteristic manifestations of a disorder; the autistic "triad" of disability

The autistic triad of disability characterises the areas in which the specifics of children’s auti