Psychology of Children with Special Needs

Pre-requisites: Passed exams: Developmental psychology, Educational psychology. Knowledge of certain topics in personality psychology.

Course objectives: Sensitising to and understanding the meaning of special needs within the framework of Social inclusion model; Familiarizing with experience in inclusive education, the initial skills of creating individual plans of support for the child with special needs attending regular school; family partnerships skills.

Course description: Theoretical instruction. 1. Children with special needs. Conceptual approach, the basic concepts. Classification and frequency of occurrence. Psychological characteristics of certain categories of children. Team assessment. 2. The development of children with special needs. The early development. The biological and social factors of development. The needs and rights of a child with special needs. Play and development of children with special needs. The intellectual, emotional and social development of children with special needs. The life cycle and personality integration processes. 3. A child with special needs and other people (family, peers, tutor/teacher). 4. Preparing the schools for children with special needs, preparing the child and parents. Monitoring and encouraging the adaptation of the child. What is an inclusive program and how it is implemented. How to motivate a child with special needs to learn. Adaptations, modifications, IEP.

Learning Outcomes: Understanding inclusive education, comparative understanding (assessment) of the profile of pupils with special needs in relation to typical pupils, basic methodics for working with pupils with special needs (Applied Behavioural Analysis, Portage Program, IPP ...) as well as family support.

Psychology of Children with Special Needs

Pre-requisites: Passed exams: Developmental psychology, Educational psychology. Knowledge of certain topics in personality psychology.

Course objectives: Sensitising to and understanding the meaning of special needs within the framework of Social inclusion model; Familiarizing with experience in inclusive education, the initial skills of creating individual plans of support for the child with special needs attending regular school; family partnerships skills.

Course description: Theoretical instruction. 1. Children with special needs. Conceptual approach, the basic concepts. Classification and frequency of occurrence. Psychological characteristics of certain categories of children. Team assessment. 2. The development of children with special needs. The early development. The biological and social factors of development. The needs and rights of a child with special needs. Play and development of children with special needs. The intellectual, emotional and social development of children with special needs. The life cycle and personality integration processes. 3. A child with special needs and other people (family, peers, tutor/teacher). 4. Preparing the schools for children with special needs, preparing the child and parents. Monitoring and encouraging the adaptation of the child. What is an inclusive program and how it is implemented. How to motivate a child with special needs to learn. Adaptations, modifications, IEP.

Learning Outcomes: Understanding inclusive education, comparative understanding (assessment) of the profile of pupils with special needs in relation to typical pupils, basic methodics for working with pupils with special needs (Applied Behavioural Analysis, Portage Program, IPP ...) as well as family support.

Literature/Reading:

• Šekspir R. (1979). Psihologija ometenih u razvoju, Nolit, Beograd,
• Hrnjica S. (1997): Dete sa razvojnim smetnjama u redovnoj školi, Učiteljski fakultet, Beograd
• S. Hrnjica i autori (2008): Škola po meri deteta – Priručnik za rad sa učenicima redovne škole koji imaju teškoće u razvoju
• Rajović V.(2004): Psihosocijalne determinante učenja i razvoja mentalno retardirane dece, Institut za psihologiju, Beograd
• Hrnjica i sar. (1990) : Ometeno dete, Zavod za udžbenike i nastavna sredstva, Beograd, (odabrana poglavlja)
• Vigotski L.(1987): Osnovi defektologije, Zavod za udžbenike i nastavna sredstva, Beograd
• Hilton, D. (1996): Savetovanje roditelja hronično obolele ili dece ometene u razvoju, Institut za mentalno zdravlje, Beograd
• Rajović, V., Stanimirović, D. (2006): Primena psiholoških znanja u radu sa osobama sa posebnim potrebama, u: Primenjena psihologija, Univerzitet u Nišu-Filozofski fakultet, Niš
• Hrnjica, S. i autori (u štampi): Škola po meri deteta 2 – Priručnik za primenu inkluzivnog modela prelaska sa razredne na predmetnu nastavu za učenike sa teškoćama u razvoju