Timely Integrated Assistance to Children with Special Needs – Crucial Factor for Their Successful Education/ Learning and Positive Socialization

Abstract

R. Giedrienė’s article “Timely Integrated Assistance to Childrenwith Special Needs – Crucial Factor for Their Successful Education/Learning and Positive Socialization” is based on the analysis of literary data and empirical researches analysing opportunities of successful learning and positive socialization of preschool children with special needs. To this end, the following is described: – Positive socialization mechanisms of children with special needs. – Concept of timely integrated assistance to children with special needs. – Focus on sensitive period limits of cognitive and social functions during maturation. – Correlation between the quality of developing cognitive functions and prospective academic achievements at school. – Empirical research results showed that some cognitive skills of children with or without developmental disorders in preschool groups influence their success of learning and social skills. It was determined that 27–35 % of children have undeveloped skills to distinguish native language sounds aurally, poor general linguistic capacity (poor vocabulary, inability to learn grammar patterns, poor skills of coherent language), 10–12 % had the lack of visual and spatial perception. The lack of these cognitive processes anticipates prospective learning disorders: dysgraphia, dyslexia, dyscalculia, which also affects child’s socialization processes. Also, it introduces changes of the Lithuanian education system over the last years, which lead to a drastic shrinkage of special integrated assistance for pre-schoolers. The analysis of literary sources and research data persuasively shows that in order to improve positive socialization of these children, it is important to restore disordered and damaged socialization tools – cognitive and psychosocial functions, and ensure their optimal development. Currently, there is a lack of specialists, who can provide special integrated assistance in Lithuanian preschool education groups, as approved by the regulations of the Ministry of Education and Science; therefore, children with special needs are unable to get timely integrated assistance, and as a result, normal successful education/learning and positive socialization processes are disrupted. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15823/su.2017.7