School climate and adaptive characteristics of younger primary school students

Introduction. It has long been established that school climate can influence the course and outcomes of education, but the findings of previous research are inconsistent as to which elements of school climate are crucial for positive outcomes. This paper provides a more detailed insight into the individual contribution of the dimensions and determinants of school climate for adaptive functioning of students. Objective. The objective of the research was to consider the patterns of the relationship between the quality of school climate and its determinants (program, process and material) and adaptive characteristics of students. Methods. The research was conducted in five primary schools in Belgrade. The Charles F. Kettering, Ltd. - CFK School Climate Profile was used to assess school climate, and the TRF Adaptive Functioning Profile was used to assess adaptive characteristics of students. Both questionnaires were completed by primary school teachers. Results. Positive correlations were found between the quality of school climate, program, process and material determinants, on the one hand and, on the other hand, adaptive characteristics of students. Based on the results of regression analysis, the program determinants of school climate were singled out as the only significant predictor. Conclusion. The results of this research confirm that a good school climate, and especially school programs and practices in the domain of learning and teaching, can contribute to adaptive characteristics of students. Based on the obtained results, the paper describes the implications for future research and practice in this field.

The phenomenon of signed music in Deaf culture

Introduction. Music in the Deaf community is a socio-cultural phenomenon that depicts a specific identity and way of experiencing the world, which is just as diverse, rich and meaningful as that of members of any other culture. Objective. The aim of this paper was to point out the historical and socio-cultural frameworks, complexity, richness, specific elements, types and forms of musical expression of members of the Deaf community. Methods. The applied methods included comparative analysis, evaluation, and deduction and induction system. Results. Due to limitations or a lack of auditive component, the members of Deaf culture use different communication tools, such as speech, pantomime, facial expressions and sign language. Signed music, as a phenomenon, is the artistic form which does not have long history. However, since the nineties of the past century and with technological development, it has been gaining greater interest and acknowledgement within the Deaf community and among the hearing audience. Signed music uses specific visuo-spatial-kinaesthetic and auditive elements in expression, such as rhythm, dynamism, rhyme, expressiveness, iconicity, intensity of the musical perception and the combination of the role of the performer. Conclusion. Signed music as a phenomenon is an art form that incorporates sign poetic characteristics (lyrical contents), visual musical elements and dance.

Sensory processing of children and students with autism spectrum disorder and typical development in relation to gender and age

Introduction. Sensory processing is a neurobiological process in which a person uses their senses, sends information to an appropriate reception and processing center, and responds to environmental stimulations. Previous research has shown that sensory processing difficulties are more common among people with autism spectrum disorder than among people of the typical population. Objectives. The aim of this paper was to determine the patterns of sensory processing in subjects of the typical population and subjects with autism spectrum disorder, as well as gender and age differences in sensory profiles in these groups of subjects. Methods. Using The Child Sensory Profile 2 as the measuring instrument, the characteristics of sensory processing were examined in 120 subjects of both genders, 60 subjects with autism spectrum disorder and 60 subjects of typical development, ages three to 13 years and 11 months. Results. The obtained results show that there are differences between the two groups of respondents and that these differences occur in all nine subscales of the instrument. It was found that subjects with autismspectrumdisorder hadmore difficulty in processing sensory information compared to subjects of the typical population, especially in the domain of tactile perception. The results also show that the quality of sensory information processing in both groups of respondents improved with age. In relation to the respondents' gender, the obtained differences were significant in the domain of the total score of the instrument, in favor of the boys, but this was not observed in the measurements on all subscales. Conclusion. In accordance with the above findings, when creating an individual educational plan, it is necessary to take into account all the specifics of sensory processing of children with autism spectrum disorder.

Prospective memory in students with learning disabilities

Introduction. The importance of memory is not restricted to remembering the knowledge and experiences of the past retrospective memory (RM), but also to remember what an individual must accomplish in the future prospective memory (PM). Objectives. The aim of this study was to identify RM and PM levels in students with learning disabilities (LD) according to some variables (gender, grade) and to identify the differences between the two types of memories. Methods. The study followed the comparative descriptive statistics. The study sample consisted of 37 male and female students with LD in middle school. The Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire (PRMQ) was used in this study. Results. The results include the following: a statistically significant decrease from the average in PM and RM levels in students with LD, the existence of statistically significant differences between PM and RM in students with LD for the RM, the presence of statistically significant differences in the PM and RM according to the gender variable for females, and the presence of statistically significant differences in PM and RM according to the grade variable for the third grade of middle school. Conclusion. Students with LD may suffer from a decrease in their capacity to remember in the future, which causes many difficulties in daily life. We guide teachers to use external AIDS for students with LD (such as writing notes) to help students remember performing their tasks.

Phonological awareness, verbal working memory and rapid automatic naming as indicators of vocabulary development in preschool children

Introduction. According to the lexical restructuring model, the development of vocabulary initiates the development of phonological representations. Therefore, it can be predicted that children with developed vocabulary will possess very specific phonological representations of words. Aim. The aim of this research was to determine the significance of phonological awareness, verbal working memory, and rapid automatic naming as indicators of the development of expressive and receptive vocabulary in preschool children. Method. The research included 86 children of typical development. For the assessment of phonological awareness, verbal working memory, rapid automatic naming, expressive and receptive vocabulary, the subtests of Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals -Fourth Edition battery were used. Results. The results showed that the model containing age, phonological awareness, verbal working memory, and rapid automatic naming predicted 51% of the achievement variance on expressive vocabulary tasks (F = 7.73, df1 = 2, df2 = 75, p < .001) and 38% of the achievement variance on receptive vocabulary tasks (F = 4.65, df1 = 2, df2 = 75, p < .001). In the final model, only the tasks of phoneme identification, phoneme substitution, and rapid automatic naming (p < .05) stood out as statistically significant indicators of expressive vocabulary. On the other hand, statistically significant indicators of receptive vocabulary included analysis and synthesis of phonemes, verbal working memory, and rapid automatic naming (p < .05). Conclusion. The results showed that age, phonological awareness, verbal working memory, and rapid automatic naming significantly contributed to vocabulary development in children before reading acquisition.

Ophthalmologists' awareness of cerebral visual impairment: Preliminary study

Introduction. Cerebral visual impairment is the leading cause of severe visual impairment and blindness in infants and children in high-income countries. The main cause of this condition is damage of higher visual pathways and brain centers which leads to problems in processing visual information. In the last 20 years, an increase in the prevalence of cerebral visual impairment has been observed, but this diagnosis as a cause of vision problems in Serbia is not common. Objectives. The aim of this study was to assess the awareness of ophthalmologists of cerebral visual impairment. Methods. The Questionnaire for the assessment of cerebral visual impairment (Maitreya et al., 2018) was translated into Serbian, and used for data collection. The sample consisted of 45 ophthalmologists employed on the territory of the Republic of Serbia. Results. Two thirds of ophthalmologists from the sample self-assessed their knowledge a slow (or nonexistent). However, the results showed that they had a satisfying level of awareness about cerebral visual impairment, and the majority of the participants correctly stated the most common risk factor for cerebral visual impairment. The highest awareness was observed in ophthalmologists who worked in health centers, those with more work experience, and especially those who primarily worked with children. Conclusion. Further informing the ophthalmologists about the diagnostic method of choice, symptomatology and differential diagnosis of cerebral visual impairment is desirable. Raising the awareness of doctors about this condition would lead to more frequent diagnoses, especially in babies with neurological impairments that are currently most likely misdiagnosed or unrecognized when it comes to their vision problems.

Implementation of virtual reality based treatment of motor disorders in children with cerebral palsy

Introduction. Virtual reality is a computer-generated interactive simulation of reality that provides a wide range of possibilities for creating a beneficial therapeutic program. The use of virtual reality systems in the rehabilitation of motor disorders in children with cerebral palsy is relatively recent. Objective. Accordingly, the aim of this review is to establish the level of effectiveness of rehabilitation interventions based on virtual reality systems in the treatment of children with cerebral palsy, based on the available literature. Methods. The initial search identified 63 scientific papers (research reports). By applying the selection criteria, nine papers were selected that met the given criteria and thus entered the further process of analysis. During the analysis, special attention was paid to: the outcomes of therapeutic procedures (the achieved results); and the analysis of the selection criteria of virtual reality systems to be used in the rehabilitation and accessibility of these systems for commercial and clinical applications. Results. Contradictory results have been found based on the analysis of the levels of effectiveness of rehabilitation interventions. In addition to studies that testify to the unequivocally positive effects of the application of virtual reality in the rehabilitation of children with cerebral palsy, there are also those in which it is evident that this effect is absent. Conclusion. The general conclusion of this paper is that virtual reality systems have great potential for application in the field of rehabilitation of motor disorders, but also that this area is still not sufficiently researched and requires further engagement to go one step further to justify or challenge their application.

Clinical and cognitive characteristics of Angelman syndrome

Introduction. Angelman syndrome, as a rare genetic and neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by severe intellectual deficit and falling behind in psychomotor development, represents a challenge for adequate and correct creation of individual (rehabilitation procedure. More precise determination of cognitive and speech profile is difficult due to integrative hypermotor behavior and attention and speech deficits. Objective. The aim of this paper was to analyze and summarize empirical data on clinical, cognitive and speech characteristics of Angelman syndrome. Methods. A systematic review of the literature published in peer-reviewed publications, from 2001 to June 5, 2021, was performed by searching electronic databases available through the service of the Serbian Library Consortium for Coordinated Acquisition - KOBSON. A "hand search" (Research Gate and Google Scholar) was also used. Results. The analyzed results of the research indicate that the presence of sensorimotor schemes that represent cognitive structures of the earliest childhood is characteristic for Angelman syndrome. Receptive speech skills are more developed than expressive ones, which usually do not exist. Supportive therapy, which includes interventions in early childhood, speech therapy and occupational programs, is very important for treatment within this clinical picture. Conclusion. It is necessary to improve the process of assessing cognitive and speech skills due to the targeted creation of an individual cognitive-speech developmental profile. It is also crucial to identify urgent areas that require treatment and in which individual and family support should be provided.

Intellectual disability in higher education: Self-perceived training needs of university teachers

Introduction. The inclusion of students with disabilities in higher education is a fundamental right recognised by the legal system since its recognition in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. However, the measures adopted by European countries to promote their incorporation are not always accompanied by parallel training actions that provide university professors with the necessary knowledge to incorporate people with intellectual disabilities into the classroom with the same guarantees and opportunities as people without intellectual disabilities. Objective. This paper aims to provide specific data on the self-perceived training needs of university teaching staff and thus lay the foundations for a specific training programme. Methods. A cross-sectional study was carried out by means of a survey designed to collect the teachers' perceptions of their own competences and the effectiveness of their knowledge, as well as the importance they attached to some aspects of intellectual disability. The survey was administered to teachers in Serbia, the Netherlands, Portugal, Italy and Spain, with a total sample of 1009 teachers. Results. The results obtained showed that the perception of self-perceived competence in educational skills is dependent on three main factors: previous specific training, teaching experience with people with intellectual disabilities and own personal experiences. Conclusion. The present study demonstrated the concern and need of the teaching staff to obtain specific training on people with intellectual disabilities in higher education.

Use of social networks in emerging adults: The role of irrational beliefs

Introduction. The use of online social networks has become widespread among the young. Although it may have beneficial effects, it has been established that some people develop problematic or excessive use of social networks which may negatively impact their psychosocial functioning. Objective. The aim of the present study was to investigate social networks use among emerging adults and to explore whether irrational and rational beliefs as conceptualized within the Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy (RE&CBT) framework predict problematic social networks use. Following RE&CBT framework, we hypothesized that irrational beliefs are positively, and rational beliefs negatively related to problematic social networks use. Methods. The sample included 210 emerging adults (age range 18-26, M = 21.08, SD = 2.02), 59.0% females. Serbian version of the General Attitude and Belief Scale (SGABS) was used for the assessment of irrational and rational beliefs. Serbian version of Internet Addiction Test was adapted for the assessment of problematic social networks use. Results. The results supported the hypothesis that irrational beliefs are positively related to problematic social networks use. When controlling for intercorrelations between beliefs, demands for love and approval from others stood out as a single significant predictor of problematic social networks use. Rational beliefs were unrelated to problematic social networks use, thus not supporting the hypothesis. Conclusion. The results suggest that RE&CBT approach, which has been proven to be efficacious in prevention of various problems of psychosocial functioning may also provide framework for supporting young people to use social networks in a constructive way.