Special Educational Needs: A New Way of Educating

A modern university answering the challenges of the society does not remain aloof to introduce certain inclusive practices. Currently, the legislation of the Russian Federation clearly distinguishes between the concepts of “Disability”, “Special health opportunities “and” Special educational needs”. However, there is a demand to combine all three terms into one, that is “Special educational needs”. The author considers this substitution to be unlawful. The article attempts to analyze each term from the point of view of prospects for each group of students to get higher education, taking into account the peculiarities of their psychophysical development. In addition, the author reviews some difficulties (insufficient technical equipment of the classrooms, learned helplessness of students, lack of knowledge about various nosological groups of disabled people, etc.) and ways to overcome these and other problems such as development of an adapted educational program, compliance with the principles of health conservation, psychological readiness of the teaching staff to work with such students. The author draws the conclusion that only training of teachers and the creation of a special educational space, the inadmissibility of a formal approach to the integration of students with special educational needs can contribute to the successful provision of their right to education.

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SPECIFIC FEATURES OF ALTERNATIVE COMMUNICATION WITH CHILDREN WITH SENSORY DISORDERS AND MULTIPLE DISABILITIES

Knowledge International Journal ◽

10.35120/kij28031027g ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 28 (3) ◽

pp. 1027-1030

Author(s):

Gergana Todorova - Markova

Keyword(s):

Sign Language ◽

Mutual Influence ◽

Multiple Disabilities ◽

Educational Needs ◽

Special Focus ◽

Special Educational Needs ◽

Alternative Communication ◽

Sensory Disorders ◽

Communication Situations

The article is focused on the communication with children with special educational needs. The main topic is alternative communication with children with sensory disorders and multiple disabilities. It explores the phenomenon of communication, citing current definitions developed by a number of authors, which place the emphasis on different aspects of this complex and multilayered process, with a special focus on alternative communication with the groups of special needs children mentioned in the title.The issue is investigated from a special pedagogical and from a social perspective.The author is especially interested in the exploration of the multiple strata of communication (the universal, functional and specific levels). Apart from the different forms, contents, methods and means of communication (the last of which is most commonly discussed in Bulgaria), the article is focused primarily on the important methodological issues related to this topic.One of these basic questions of methodology is the attempt not to place at the center of this process its bi-directional nature, its algorithm or code (sign language, Braille writing system, etc.), but instead to focus on the personalities of those involved in the interaction, their initiative, relationship and goals manifested in different communication situations (mutual influence, emancipation and therapy). Particular emphasis is given to therapy, i.e. the way of influencing the communication behavior of children with sensory disorders and multiple disabilities. It is not viewed as a unilateral process (stimulus-response), but as an interactive one, based on mutual influence. The relationship between the communicators is of utmost significance.Communication is characterized by a number of specific features. Those can mostly be found in the specificity of the communication situations (for example the interactive situations in the following pairs of communicators: deaf – hard of hearing; deaf – deaf; deaf-blind – deaf, etc.), in the presence of an intermediary (for example a sign language interpreter) and above all in the personalities of the communicators. They change the quality of communication. It is for this reason, and not just because of the different means of communication, that this interaction is defined as “alternative”, or more precisely, it is an alternative to the communication of children without disabilities.Based on the analyzed information, the author formulates a number of inferences and recommendations. The main conclusion is the following:When discussing alternative communication with children with special educational needs, the focus should shift from the specific means of communication towards the equally socially important quality of the complex process of communication, which is centered on the personality of the handicapped child.

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