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592177-EPP-1-2017-1-BG-EPPKA3-IPI-SOC-IN

Adaptive Personalized System for Creating Expression Tools in Social Inclusion of Learners with Verbal Communication Disabilities - TESI

WP2 NEED ANALYSIS REPORT

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ContentsFOREWORD...............................................................................................................................3

APPROACH................................................................................................................................3

TASKS........................................................................................................................................4

RESULTS....................................................................................................................................7

TARGET GROUP - STUDENTS.................................................................................................7

TARGET GROUP - TEACHERS.................................................................................................7

TAREGET GROUP - PARENTS.................................................................................................7

DESCRIPTION OF STUDENT STATUS AND NEEDS:.....................................................................8

Special gymnasia school ,,Sf. Mina , Craiova (Mina), Romaniaʺ ............................................8

Josip Matos Primary school (Osnovna škola Josipa Matoša) (OS-Matosa), CROATIA.........18

Secondary School for Children with Hearing Impairment "Prof. Dr. Stoyan Belinov", Plovdiv, BULGARIA..............................................................................................................22

CONCLUSIONS........................................................................................................................29

STUDENT STATUS ASSESSMENT (MIN AND MAX)...............................................................29

COMMUNICATION BETWEEN PARENTS AND CHILDREN....................................................29

AREAS WHERE COMMUNICATION NEEDS TO BE IMPROVED.............................................30

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FOREWORD

In regard to the nonverbal child, it has been demonstrated that early intervention speeds up the general development of the child, and the long run outcomes are among the best.

Because of the diversity of the children with speaking impairments (different severity levels of autism, different levels of intellectual abilities, different personalities, the presence or the absence of further impairments – such as sensorial problems, epilepsy etc.) it is less likely that they would respond in the same way and make similar progresses undergoing a single type of intervention. Thus, several types of intervention will probably be needed to answer all the needs a child could have. A thorough understanding of the child is needed, of working techniques, a good and efficient case management.

The report will present the case studies of the ten selected children of the target group, data on their parents, families and life their background for the following partner institutions:

P5: Special gymnasia school ,,Sf. Minaʺ, Craiova (Mina), RomaniaP6: Josip Matos Primary school (Osnovna škola Josipa Matoša) (OS-

Matosa), CroatiaP7: Association for Education and Development of Disabled People

(ASEDDEDIPE), GreeceP8: Special School for Students with Hearing Impairments “Stoyan

Belinov” – Plovdiv [CHD], BulgariaThe lot of the subjects is diverse, of different ages, different cognitive

and psychosocial development stages, and total lack of verbal language, sound speech or a few basic words speech.

APPROACH

1) Definition of the profiles of the target groups. The basic characteristics of the target groups was studied and a pedagogical-psychological profile prepared. It will help to build a conceptual model, corresponding to the age, abilities and specific needs of the group, for which the digital resources for social inclusion by means of mobile devices will be developed.2) Definition of the mechanisms by which the proposed model could improve the way in which the students acquire knowledge and gain skills. 3) For successful application of these mechanisms we further have to:a. Build a didactic model;b. Define the technical means to be used (smartphones, tablets, laptops); c. Create a description for the selection of appropriate for the target groups multimedia resources;d. Construct an educational technology to combine the appropriate methods and techniques of training.

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The study of the target group needs in the process of implementing the newest mobile technologies was carried out by means experts (teachers, educators, ) opinion. Information was gathered by means of them about the preconceptions and attitudes of both educators and learners to the used technologies and their application in the processes of social integration. Based on information collected, the consequent analysis defines the summarized profiles of the target groups.

The study of the experience of other researchers of topics, close to ours, is an important basis for ensuring continuity and relevance of the study. A leading method, used in this activity, is the comparative analysis of scientific literature, which not only finds application for defining the state of the studied problem, but also gives information about the needs of updating the educational process in the direction, chosen by us. This is the method we also apply in the process of selection and preparation of the set of multimedia products for mobile devices and their methodological provision

The core method of the study consisted of observation, pursuing fine and gross motor development, space orientation, answer to commands and use of all analyzers.

Behavioral record was done as much as possible on time for each subject, and the teachers who worked with them for a long period of times were assessed.

Each student has the parent’s or the legal guardian’s agreement that they will participate with the child in the TESI project.

TASKS

A students’ profile: is a summary of what the students’ support team knows about the specific group of students; is a summary of what the parents experience in helping the social integration of their children; identifies priority needs; guides the team in determining appropriate educational and extracurricular programming and developing the students’-specific plan.

Four steps:1. Identify members of the collaborative team2. Gather information/ Share information3. Define the profiles – number, definition, title4. Create (and/or revise) students’ profiles – description

Step 1. Support teamsA students’ support team consists of people who have the knowledge and skills to identify the student’s group needs and to develop and implement a plan to meet those needs. The composition of the team will vary according to the unique needs of each group and the resources available in the school and/or school division.

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Core Team – Students, teachers and parentsIn-School Team – Principal (institution’s authority), Resources teacher (educational technologist, educational assistant), Special education teachersSchool Support Team – Special education consultant, Professionals (Consultant for the visual impaired, for hard of hearing, physiotherapist etc.), Social workers, Social services organizations, others.

Step 2. Information about the studentThey may be gathered from a variety of sources and in a variety of ways, including: discussions with the students about his or her preferences and personal perceptions of own strengths and needs; discussions with teachers about strategies that have been effective or ineffective with this group of students; students’ portfolios and work samples; current classroom assessments and performance records; focused observations that provide objective information on how the students responding to specific learning activities and instructional strategies;

Step 3. Short description of the target groupsTarget group - students1. Number of students: 44 (33 boys, 11 girls)2. Age: from 7 to 453. Developmental difficulties:4. ICT usage (smart phones, tablet computers, computers): satisfying to good

Target group - teachers1. Number of teachers2. Teacher profiles: 3. Qualifications4. Working experience5. ICT usage

Target group - parentsa) Number of parentsb) Parent profiles c) Qualificationsd) Abilitiese) ICT usage

Step 4. Student status assessment (min and max) Communication between parents and children Areas where communication needs to be improved

Basic characteristics of the target groups Communication disorders are part of Speech and Speaking Problems, a term umbrella that includes both language disorders and language dysfunctions. The term "speech" is meant the coded system that characterizes each natural language, while "speaking"

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is the application of this system in everyday life, the messages that each of us transmits.

Classification of speech and speaking problemsFrom the mentioned dysfunctions, communication disorders in combined with the factual level of language analysis considered to be the most basic, for the reasons set out below. The communication disorders, according to the table, are divided into: a) language disorder or special language disorder; and b) mixed disorder of linguistic intake and expression.

Disturbance of linguistic expression or Special Language DisorderSpecific Language Impairment (SLI) is the delayed and incomplete development of language skills in a sufficiently normal linguistic and social environment without the presence of obvious organic lesions in the central nervous system, without the existence of sensory impairments (vision, hearing) and a normal index of intelligence. It is a disorder that occurs only to children, but it is not just a childhood problem, as its impact on the individual - in all areas of his life – follows him through its life and influences him. In some countries (Greece), the term developmental language disorder or developmental dysphasia is often used. Especially the second term (developmental dysphasia), one can say that indicates the difficulties of the disorder: dys- (ancient Greek meaning difficulty) + phasia (an ancient Greek term meaning I say, I support). The term in "free translation" means the difficulty you can say, express, support what you think.The characteristics of this disorder are varied, but the most basic ones are: very poor vocabulary and very simple grammatical structure and thus creation of unconnected sentences, frequent use of phrases without conceptual content, inability to find appropriate words in order to correctly formulate what they want say, many repetitions, cannot create complex words, does not understand idioms, transfers, similarities and abstract concepts, fails to distinguish the energetic from the passive voice, and perhaps this, like most of the above, is due to its inability to memorize. Thus, there is still a difficulty in executing complex instructions that may be given to him when communicating with others.

Mixed Disturbance in Language ExpressionAs the term itself states, this is a dual disorder. Individuals not only do not understand the words of their interlocutors, but they cannot even express themselves. Thus, the difficulty in communicating with others seems to be even greater. Communication means exchange of knowledge and information, and when that does not happen, then it stops working with the people around.So in the above examples one could neither understand nor say: I feel sick too, what do you want me to do? or do you want to go shopping? Factual difficulties do not appear to everyone in the same degree. There are graduations: a) mild (physiologically developed individuals) b) moderate (IHD, developmental speech disorders) c) severe (autism spectrum and serious psychoses).

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RESULTS

TARGET GROUP - STUDENTS1. Number of students: 44 (33 boys, 11 girls)2. Age: from 7 to 453. Developmental difficulties:a) Autism and autism spectrum disorder : 21 students b) Cerebral paralysis : 2 studentc) Down syndrome : 4 studentsd) Cri du chat syndrome : 1 studente) AD/HD syndrome : 1 studentf) Dandy-Walker syndrome: 1 studentg) Microcephaly: 1 studenth) Muscular dystrophy: 2 studentsi) Bilateral sensorineural hearing loss: 1 studentj) Bilateral conductive hearing loss: 1 studentk) Bilateral hearing loss: 4 studentsl) Mild mental retardation: 11 studentm) Generalized developmental disorder: 1 studentn) Severe cognitive impairment: 3 studentso) Speech and language difficulties : all students4. ICT usage (smart phones, tablet computers, computers): satisfying to good

TARGET GROUP - TEACHERS a) Number of teachers: 61 (51 women, 10 men) b) Teacher profiles: 7 education rehabilitators, 7 speech therapists, 7 psychologist, 3 physical education teachers, 1 catechist, 3 social educators, 2 hearing and speech rehabilitators, 2 primary school teachers, 4 teachers in various school disciplines, 16 special education teacher, 2 logotherapist, 2 occupational therapist, 2 social workers, 1 medical doctor and 3 nurses. c) Qualifications: graduate qualification, high school education, Bachelor degree, M.sc, M.ed d) Working experience: from 2 to 35 years e) ICT usage: good (daily usage of Internet, smart phones, tablet phones and computers)

TAREGET GROUP - PARENTS a) Number of parents: 70 (39 women, 31 men), among them 2 with hearing loss b) Parent profiles: traders, artisans, office bearer, police officers, construction workers, agriculturists, housewives, pensioners, teachers, chefs, housekeepers, a social assistant, light industry workers, painters, free lancers, office employees, construction workers, health professionals, sellers, construction workers, personal assistants, military personnel, mechanical technicians.

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c) Qualifications: finished elementary school, high school education, undergraduate and graduate qualification, university degree d) Abilities: average or above average intellectual abilities e) ICT usage: good (daily usage of Internet, smart phones, tablets and computers)

DESCRIPTION OF STUDENT STATUS AND NEEDS:

Special gymnasia school ,,Sf. Minaʺ, Craiova (Mina), Romania

1. Girl S.D.S, born in Târgu. Jiu, on December 22, 2008, first grader, in class I A, at Saint Mina Special Secondary School.Diagnosis: spastic tetraplegia, mental and speech retardation.Medical historyNine-month pregnancy, natural birth, three kilograms. The child was administered oxygen after birth and the family suspects this influenced child’s later development of the psyche.Cooling: two years oldWalking: The child is confined to wheelchairFirst words: later than six yearsSomatic, stature and thoracic growth is within minimum limits: pleasant appearance, proportional body, but weak muscle.Family historyFirst of the two children in the legally established family; second child is normal, also a little girl, Elena, presenting no developmental problems.Mother is her personal assistant, father works for the Internal Affairs Ministry.The girls have been raised by the two parents who have made big financial efforts for D’s recovery. Doctor’s recommendations:• Vitamin treatment, Encephabol.• Home schooling and undergoing an educational recovery program. Along the years she has undergone a recovery program: speech and kinetic therapy, and an educational recovery with the help of a special education expert, later development assessments revealing minimal, but favorable improvement. Short characterizationShe is an ambitious child, even stubborn sometimes, connected to both parents and the sister. She demonstrates poor attention and concentration. She lacks dexterity because of tetraplegia, very little use of the left hand. She likes animals, horses in particular and she also likes painting. She recognizes body schemes and primary colors: red, blue, yellow. She tries to articulate words but her muscle impairments won’t let her. She uses tablets and laptops, solves puzzles, and associates animal images with their sounds.Speech and articulation possibilities • Tries to utter a few one-syllable and two-syllable words;• No mouth-tongue-facial impairments;

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• Voice is normal, sometimes utters powerful sounds;• Phonemic images are weak and widespread;Assessment included family interviews and observation. Family interview was the first assessment method. For communication and language we went through a series of different programs starting with oral imitation, facial and breathing exercises, followed by several language enhancement exercises and verbal imitation.During activities, the student displays interest and active participation, but for a short period of time.

2. Girl D. D.C.L, born in Craiova, February 20, 2007, first grader, class I A at Saint Mina Special Secondary SchoolDiagnosis: severe deficiency – mental and physical retardation, microcephalyMedical historyNine-month pregnancy, natural birth, three kilograms. Cooling: two years oldWalking: The child started to walk very late, when he was fourFirst words: later than seven years oldSomatic, stature and thoracic growth is within normal limits: pleasant appearance, proportional body.Family historyShe is the third of the three children in the legally established family. First child is a healthy girl, second a boy, also a student in our school, but with a medium mental disability. Mother left the family, taking the older sister with her, from city to village life. Parents are not divorced, the boy and C. stay with the father who gets help from the paternal grandmother in raising the two children.Doctor’s recommendations:• Vitamin treatment, Cerebrolysin;• Special schools for severe deficiencies and taking up a recovery educational program.C. has been a student in our school for two years now. She has benefited from speech therapy, kinetic therapy, special education classes, and development reassessment revealing minimal improvement.Short characterizationThe first few days she was quiet, could not stand noise and did not respond. Gradually, she started to communicate through sign language, to indicate when she needed to use the toilet, to point to her tummy when she was hungry. She understands, follows commands, but she does not talk. The only words she says are „mom”, „dad”, „yes”.She has mild autism, connects to objects that she does not let go of too easily and she likes blue color. With the help of images, she identifies children, parents and some farm animals (the cat and the dog). She can stay focused for a limited amount of time, can solve simple tasks, can draw and recognize body parts. Language and articulation possibilities • She makes sounds, utters a few syllables and imitates simple words;• She recognizes and utters “A” and “O” sounds.Assessment included family interviews and observation. Family interview was the first assessment method.

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Anyway, the core method was observation, pursuing fine and gross motor skills, space orientation, response to commands, development and use of all analyzers. Behavioral record was done, as much as possible, immediately. For communication and language we went through a series of different programs starting with oral imitation, facial and breathing exercises, followed by several language enhancement exercises and verbal imitation.Our school’s educational program has developed goals for cognitive-verbal development.

3. Boy C.R.S, born in September 28, 2007, in CraiovaDiagnosis: Down syndrome, mental and language retardation.Medical historyNine-month pregnancy, natural birth, 2.750 kilograms, with umbilical cord wrapped twice around baby’s neck, cyanotic, cerebral anoxia Cooling: seven month oldWalking: two years and six month oldFirst words: later than three years oldSomatic, stature and thoracic growth is within normal limits, appearance specific for Down syndrome, shortness of the extremities.

Family history He is the second child in a family about to separate. First child is normal, also a boy, and has no developmental issues.When R was born, mother was 30 and father was also 30. Mother is his personal assistant and lives separated from the father, together with the two children, in a one-room apartment.The two boys were raised until a few months ago by both of the parents, mother making huge efforts to recover the child, but the father not supporting education and children provision, which led to family separation.Doctor’s recommendations:• Medical treatment: Encephabol.• Special schools and taking up a recovery educational program Over the years, he has undergone several recovery programs, speech therapy, kinetic therapy, and then educational therapy with the help of a special education expert, developmental reassessment revealing minimal, but favorable improvement.In the present, he attends Saint Mina Special Secondary School in Craiova, as a second grade student. Short characterizationHe is a calm child, with frequent mood swings. He demonstrates poor attention and concentration. He has no dexterity, weak fine psychomotricity. Activities and skills are under the level of chronological age. His improvement is slow, still there is progress. Sometimes he shows affection towards classmates. He looks clean and has minimal hygiene skills and autonomy.Speech is hard, he utters only a few short words, the rest of his poor vocabulary is not intelligible.Language and articulation possibilities: • Tries to utter a few one-syllable and two-syllable words;• Has thick tongue, deformity specific to those with Down syndrome• Phonemic images are weak and widespread;Assessment included family interviews and observation.

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Family interview was the first assessment method. For communication and language we went through a series of different programs starting with oral imitation, facial and breathing exercises, followed by several language enhancement exercises and verbal imitation.He communicates with people around him using a few short word and incomprehensible words or body movements and gestures. We noticed that the child’s memory is automatic and that he has poor concentration, attention and memory. He likes playing with colorful toys, cars especially. He recognizes fruit, vegetables, animals, colors but he defines them incomprehensibly. He responds to tasks, but does not understand the message all the time, and does not focus and does not keep up with the task. He mostly connects with objects, recognizes frequently used familiar objects.He can walk easily, without help, accompanied by an adult.

4. Boy P.P.A.G., born on April 5, 2007, in CraiovaDiagnosis: mental and speech retardation, orofacial cleft (cleft lip)Medical historyNine-month pregnancy, caesarian section; Weight: 3.200 kg, no birth complicationsCooling: seven months oldWalking: 14 months oldFirst words: later than two years old, only syllablesWhen he was only a few months old, the baby had to undergo medical surgery for upper lip reconstruction, partially successful. Somatic, stature and thoracic growth is within normal limits; proportional body, weak muscles. Family history He is the first of the two children in the legally established family. Second child is normal, also a boy, without developmental problems. When A was born, mother was 27 and father 28. Father is his personal assistant, mother is working.The two boys are raised by both parents in a healthy and warm relation-based family.Doctor’s recommendation:• Special school education and taking up a recovery educational program. Along the years he has undergone several recovery programs, speech and kinetic therapy, and then within the school premises with the help of a special education expert developmental reassessments revealing minimal, but favorable improvement. Presently he attends Saint Mina Special Secondary School in Craiova, as a second grade student.Short characterization He is a calm child, connected to both of his parents and his brother. Cannot read and write, does not recognize letters and numbers. He does not have developed speech and communicates in signs and sounds. The student does not recognize shapes and primary colors. Cannot participate in long activities and loses his patience.

He cannot connect. He can undergo an activity only if he is permanently guided and controlled by the teacher. His activity and skills are under his chronological age.

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He is slow in improving. The child does not connect with his classmates and is disturbed by strong noises. He looks neat, but does not have any hygiene skills or autonomy.Speech and articulation • Can utter a few sounds, rarely saying one-syllable words;• Has a congenital deformity on his upper lip called orofacial cleft (cleft lip)• Phonemic images are weak and widespread.Assessment included family interviews and observation. Family interview was the first assessment method. For communication and language we went through a series of different programs starting with oral imitation, facial and breathing exercises, followed by several language enhancement exercises and verbal imitation.He communicates with people around him using sounds or body movements and gestures. We noticed that the child’s memory is automatic and that he has poor concentration, attention and memory. He likes playing with colorful toys, listening to music and can make simple shape puzzles. He responds to tasks, but only with the help of the teacher, does not focus and does not keep up with the task. He is very attracted to smartphones/tablets and can give them his full attention for a long time. He mostly connects with objects, recognizes two to three familiar objects, but cannot name any of them.He can walk easily, without help, accompanied by an adult.

5. Boy B.M.A, born in Dăbuleni on December 1, 2002.Diagnosis: infantile autism, mental retardation Medical history Declared disabled when he was threeCooling: five months oldWalking: 14 month oldFirst words: later than five years oldSomatic, stature and thoracic growth is within normal limits, proportional body with obesity risks, weak muscles. Family history He is first of the two children in the legally established family. Second child is normal, also a boy, but he has no developmental problems. When he was born, mother was 23 and father 27. Mama is a housekeeper and father is a worker. The two boys have been raised by the two parents who have made huge efforts to recover M.Doctor’s recommendations:• Medical treatment;• Special school education and taking up a recovery educational program.Along the years he has undergone several recovery programs, speech and kinetic therapy, and then within the school premises with the help of a special education expert, developmental reassessments revealing minimal, but favorable improvement. Presently he attends Saint Mina Special Secondary School in Craiova, as an eighth grade student, A class.Short characterizationHe is an introvert, does not connect with people around.

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He has poor attention and concentration and can master minimal school skills. He can focus on a short term and can undergo easy tasks. He can focus longer when he likes a task, when he is interested in one or if he feels somehow appreciated. He completes pattern and stereotype activities, cannot focus on longer activities, loses his patience and becomes agitated. Nevertheless, he understands, can connect, only that he is very slow in taking action.Sensorial development He responds normally to tastes, sight and touch stimuli. He likes touching objects more for the feeling they offer than for the sake of exploration or use of objects. Perception: narrowed perception field Fine motor skills – motor imitation He can imitate actions with frequently observed objects, does not imitate actions for their functions, can throw, pick up and release objects.Lateral dominance: right-handedGross motor skills He does not present static and walking deficiencies. He can walk easily, without help, accompanied by an adult. Logic ReasoningHe presents deficiencies in basic reasoning; he mostly uses objects and recognizes frequently used, familiar objects. Attention and memory: attention deficit and visual memory Imagination: major difficultiesExtrinsic motivation – instant rewardingSpeech and communication – does not master speechSpeech and articulation:• Repeats after model a few one-syllable and two-syllable words;• No mouth-tongue-facial deformities identified;• Phonemic images are weak and widespread;• Communicates only with loved ones through sounds or body movements, responds to simple verbal commands and understands simple messages.Temperament traitsHe displays obsessive interest in keeping his daily routine, cannot handle frustration.Skills/abilities, interests and aspirations He does not have interests or real aspirations.Attitudes and behavior He displays abnormal manifestations and motor skills, motor mannerisms, bizarre repetitive movements. AffectivityHe rarely cries, only when he does not get what he wants. He does not emotionally connect with other classmates or with parents.His educational program includes a series of goals for his cognitive-verbal development. It is recommended that he groups objects according to given criteria, recognition of face/body schemes, point/identify/differentiate colors, symbol identification, personal organizing in his daily/known schedule, space and time orientation. All activities will be implemented as games, as the following: Educational games: letters, numbers, animals, forms, fruit, vegetable recognition etc.;

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Test your knowledge games: letters, numbers, animals, forms, fruit, vegetable, flowers, colors, musical instruments, means of transportation, objects, jobs, tools, stationery, sport etc.; Association games; Identification and express feelings.Assessment included family interviews and observation.

6. Boy P.A.T, born in Târgu Jiu, on September 11, 2001.Diagnosis: infantile autism, mental retardationMedical history The child was declared disable when he was three years old.Presently he is 16. Psychopathology includes: inconsistent visual contact, psychomotor agitation, with aggressive behavior when personal desires are not satisfied, severe deficit in interpersonal relations and in communication development, in understanding verbal message, stereotype and repetitive motor mannerisms as looking into a mirror and insistent interest in parts of the objects (toy cars).Family history He is an only child in a legally established family, separated a few years after his birth. When he was born, mother was 22 and father 27.Mother is a teacher, which has been an advantage for the child, who has benefited from certain therapies along the years.The boy has been raised by the mother who has made huge financial efforts to recover A.The doctor recommended that the student attend special school and take up a recovery educational program. The child is not on medical treatment.Along the years he has undergone several recovery programs, speech and kinetic therapy, then in school with the help of the special education expert, development reassessments revealing minimal, but favorable improvement. Presently he attends Saint Mina Special Secondary School in Craiova, as an eighth grader.Short characterizationHe is an introvert, connects with few people. He has poor attention and concentration and can master minimal school skills. He can focus on a short term and can undergo easy tasks. He can focus longer when he likes a task, when he is interested in one or if he feels somehow appreciated. He completes pattern and stereotype activities, cannot focus on longer activities, loses his patience and becomes agitated. Nevertheless, he understands, can connect, only that he is very slow in taking action.Sensorial development He responds normally to tastes, sight and touch stimuli. He likes touching objects more for the feeling they offer than for the sake of exploration or use of objects. He displays insensitivity to pain (completely ignores pain). Perception: narrowed perception field Fine motor skills – motor imitation He can imitate actions with frequently observed objects, does not imitate actions for their functions, can throw, pick up and release objects. Bilateral manipulation is present.Lateral dominance: right-handedGross motor skills He presents static and walking deficiencies.

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He can walk easily, without help, accompanied by an adult. Logic ReasoningHe presents deficiencies in basic reasoning, basic executive functions; he uses objects with no need of representation in advance. Attention and memory: attention and visual memory deficitImagination: major difficultiesExtrinsic motivation – instant rewardingSpeech and communication – does not master speechSpeech and articulation:• Repeats after model a few one-syllable and two-syllable words;• No mouth-tongue-facial deformities identified;• Phonemic images are weak and widespread;• Communicates only with loved ones through sounds or body movements, responds to simple verbal commands and understands simple messages.Attention and memory: hypoprosexia and hypomnezia, fixing and evocation, attention and visual memory deficit.Imagination: major difficulties Extrinsic motivation – instant rewarding Speech and communication – no speech improvement• Screams, makes bizarre sounds, communicates with loved ones using sounds or body movements (for examples he makes a sign when he feels hungry/thirsty);• Responds to simple verbal commands;• Understands a simple message;• Communicates with loved ones using sounds or body movements.Temperament traits He displays obsessive interest in keeping his daily routine, cannot handle frustration.Skills/abilities, interests and aspirations He does not have interests or real aspirations.Attitudes and behavior • He presents an uncommon interest in abnormal manifestations and motor skills, motor mannerisms, bizarre repetitive movements, long examination of objects he interacts with by placing them within his visual fields. • Behavioral problems, oppositional reactions;• Behavior, gestures and/or verbal stereotypes are present/absent;• Oppositional defiant behavior, low capacity of handing frustration and aggressive behavior.AffectivityIf the child presents an emotional swing, it is hard to change it. When he does not get what he wants, he refuses the task and sometimes reacts aggressively. He does not connect with other classmates, but only with parents and family.His educational program includes a series of goals for his cognitive-verbal development. It is recommended that he groups objects according to given criteria, recognition of face/body schemes, point/identify/differentiate colors, symbol identification, personal organizing in his daily/known schedule, space and time orientation. All activities will be implemented as games, as the following: Educational games: letters, numbers, animals, forms, fruit, vegetable recognition etc.;

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Test your knowledge games: letters, numbers, animals, forms, fruit, vegetable, flowers, colors, musical instruments, means of transportation, objects, jobs, tools, stationery, sport etc.; Association games; Identification and express feelings.Assessment included family interviews and observation.

7. Boy B.E.M., born in Craiova on January 31, 2008, type I handicap Diagnosis: Dandy-Walker syndrome, ataxic form, congenital hypothyroidism, psychomotor and intellectual retardation.Medical historySomatic and stature growth is abnormal, under his chronological age. Child has a pleasant appearance, head easily over-sized, in comparison with the body. Family historyHe is an only child in a legally established family. Both parents provide for the child. Mother is working and the father is the child’s personal assistant.Parents are making huge financial efforts to recover him. They see the doctor often for check-ups and tests, frequent monitoring of every change in his behavior. They are interested in their child’s school progress and issues.Short characterizationAt the beginning of therapy interventionHe is a mostly calm child, joyful, connected to both parents. The results are minimal considering the severity of his handicap. He cannot read or write and does not recognize any letter or number. In regard to speech, this is not developed and the child uses signs to communicate or automatic repeated syllables, which usually show his frustration. The student does not recognize shapes and basic colors. He cannot handle long activities, loses his patience very quickly and becomes angry. He focuses more when he has to complete a task that he enjoys and that interests him, on a musical background or cartoons.He does not have the capacity to make certain connections. He completes a task only if it is permanently led and controlled by the teacher. He cannot color within the lines. Does not respect, nor accepts cohabitation norms while in collectivity. His activities and skills are under his chronological age.His improvement is slow. The child focuses more on himself. Sometimes he shows affection towards classmates. He looks neat, but does not master hygiene or autonomy skills. Speech and articulation• Tries to utter a few one-syllable and two-syllable words;• No mouth-tongue-facial deformities present;• When he does not make himself clear, he gets angry and shouts, showing aggressive behavior tendencies. Assessment included family interview and observation. Family interview was the first assessment method. The influence of the parents in the development of the child is positive. They are the ones who encourage him permanently.As for fine motor skills, E. can do tridactyl prehension. We noted that the child’s memory is automatic and his mnestic capacity, attention and concentration are very low. He is interested in stereotype, repetitive, circular activities. Emotional response is intense, partially objective. He is very attracted to smartphones/laptops/TV, and

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they can have his attention for hours. He likes to shuffle books /magazines that have colorful images.For communication and speech, his educational program includes oral imitation, breathing and facial gymnastic exercises and many speech enhancement exercises and verbal imitation. He recognizes two to three familiar objects, but cannot name any of them.

8. Boy V.Y.G., born in Ișalnița, on July 9, 2011, kindergarten first year. Diagnosis: infantile autism, mental and speech retardation, severe neurosensorial bilateral hypoacusis.Medical history Somatic and stature growth is normal, according to age. Pleasant appearance, proportional body and developed muscles.Family history Monoparental family (mother), an only child, father not involved in his upbringing. The child has been raised by his mother, who is his personal assistant, with help from maternal grandparents, who have made huge financial efforts for his recovery. Family shows interests in their child’s school and education. Along the years, he has undergone many recovery programs, speech and kinetic therapy, both in kindergarten and in therapy centers. Short characterization He is an ambitious child, sometimes even stubborn, very much connected to his mother and cousin. His attention and focus are weak. He understands and handles simple notions. His memory is short. His orthostatic balance is mildly affected. He cannot manage by himself or socially. He needs constant supervision. School activities and skills are under his chronological age.With severe and profound hypoacusis and an inefficient auditory prosthesis, the child had to undergo unilateral cochlear implant surgery when he was two years old. The implant converts the sound into information the brain of the child understands. Speech is slow, he tries to verbalize but so far can only say “mom”. Improvement is slow. He is emotionally stable, hyperkinetic, and generally calm.Speech and articulation: when he is does not make himself clear, he gets angry, sometimes he shouts and shows aggressive behavior. Assessment included family interview and observation, as well as behavioral observation of the child in kindergarten. The family interview was the first assessment method. The child loves playing with cubes, but does not recognize geometric shapes and does not build consciously. Books attract him and he enjoys skim them though. He possesses bilateral manipulation, but his lateral dominance is his right. He also shows interest in navigating the phone/television.For communication and speech, his educational program includes oral imitation, breathing and facial gymnastic exercises and many speech enhancement exercises. He recognizes and points to some symbols, but cannot name any of them. When he wants something, he points or leads the person to that object.

9. Girl V.M.A, born in Craiova on August 4, 2004Diagnosis: spastic tetraplegia, epilepsyHandicap category: severePsychodiagnosis: psychomotor retardation

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Health profile: frequent sickening of airways, epilepsy crisesSocial relations:• Well-functioning family • Family is permanently interested in the student’s progress and takes active part in the student’s educationShort characterizationThe student can identity a few things around her, but cannot observe and manage by herself; poor reasoning and attention. Physical development is under age. She knows body schemes and has hygiene skills. She cannot use verbal language.

10 Girl P.L.M., born in Craiova on July 19, 2001Handicap category: pronounced Medical historySomatic and stature growth is normal. Family historyFather is unknown and mother, Dora, has abandoned her at birth, but she still has parental rights. While attending our school, the little girl was visited by the mother only a few times, which has not benefited the child. Mother and daughter did not communicate during visits. Presently, the girl’s mother is imprisoned in Craiova Penitentiary, but it is not her first imprisonment for various crimes.Short characterizationChild is mostly focused on herself. Sometimes he shows affection towards classmates. She looks neat, she stays clean and has minimal hygiene skills.Generally, she is respectful towards adults, makes friends with them easily, having respect-based relations with them and suffering when she does not make herself clear. She is friendly with her classmates, feels good in collectivity, where she has many friends but with whom she feels like. Though she has many friends among children, many of them are superficial and short-term. She has spontaneous relations, some of them becoming stable. Sometimes, when she feels she is not understood, she reacts aggressively. She communicates only with people she knows very well. She mispronounces a few syllables and simple words. The student cannot read or write, she recognizes only block letters which she associates with different objects or animals depending on the first letter.The student recognizes geometric shapes and basic colors. She does not draw within limits, except when she is supervised. She completes stereotype, repetitive activities, does not resist in long activities, she loses her patience, sometimes becoming wild. Still, she can understand, establish connections, but she finds it really hard to take action. Her memory is automatic, short-term memory prevailing. Memorization is approximately, it is not clear, precise and depends on the material and her mood.The student is developing well, considering the handicap category she belongs to. She has made significant progress.

Josip Matos Primary school (Osnovna škola Josipa Matoša) (OS-Matosa), CROATIA

1. Boy I.DJ:

- Age: 7 years 6 months

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- Developmental difficulties: autism spectrum disorder, communication disorder, speech and language disorder, psychomotor development delayed - Current assessment: mild intellectual disability (mental age 4,6); vocabulary consist of 2 words; expressive speech poorly developed, receptive speech poorly developed; visual attention mediocrely developed; fine motor skills good. - Parents, closer and extended family partly comprehend his requests, and vice versa. - ICT usage tablet computers, smart phones and computers): partly - Areas where communication needs to be improved: hygiene, nourishment, dressing, playing with other children, health, shopping, public transport, communication with other people

2. Boy N.R: - Age: 7 years 9 months - Developmental difficulties: „CRI DU CHAT„ syndrome (chromosome 5p deletion syndrome, 5p – syndrome), psychomotor development delayed, speech and language disorder - Current assessment: mild intellectual disability (mental age of 4,9); vocabulary-around 500 words, the sentence consists of 7 words; expressive speech mediocrely developed, receptive speech mediocrely developed; visual attention mediocrely developed; fine motor skills poorly developed - Parents and closer family comprehend very well his request and his speech, and he also partly comprehends their requests and speech; extended family partly comprehends his requests and speech, and vice versa - ICT usage (tablet computers, smart phones and computers): good - Areas where communication needs to be improved: hygiene, nourishment, dressing, playing with other children, health, shopping, public transport, communication with other people

3. Boy L.J: - Age: 9 years - Developmental difficulties: autism spectrum disorder, communication disorder, speech and language disorder, psychomotor development delayed - Current assessment: mild intellectual disability (mental age 4 years and 11 month), vocabulary 70 words, no sentence developed; expressive speech poorly developed, receptive speech mediocrely developed; visual attention mediocrely developed; fine motor skills: very good - Parents and closer family comprehend him very well: his request and speech; and vice versa. His expanded family poorly comprehends him, and vice versa. - ICT usage (tablet computers, smart phones and computers): very well - Areas where communication needs to be improved: playing with other children, health, shopping, communication with other people, public transport, moving around familiar environment.

4. Boy N.L - Age: 11 years and 4 months - Developmental difficulties: down syndrome, speech - language development delayed, psychomotor development delayed - Current assessment: moderate intellectual disability (mental age 4 years and 4 month); vocabulary 6 words, the average sentence length 2 words; expressive speech

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poorly developed, receptive speech mediocrely developed; visual attention mediocrely developed; fine motor skills mediocrely developed - Parents and his closer family comprehend him well: his request and speech; and vice versa. But his expanded family partly comprehends his request and speech, and vice versa. - ICT usage (tablet computers, smart phones and computers): very well - Areas where communication needs to be improved: playing with other children, nourishment, shopping, communication with other people, public transport, moving around familiar environment.

5. Boy N.B: - Age: 11 years 6 months - Developmental difficulties: autism spectrum disorder, uneven psychomotor disability, speech and language disorder - Current assessment: uneven intellectual disability (the average nonverbal intellectual abilities, verbal intellectual abilities are on the level as mild intellectual disability); expressive speech poorly developed, receptive speech mediocrely developed; visual attention mediocrely developed; fine motor skills are good - Parents and his closer family comprehend his request and speech well and vice versa. He partly understands his expanded family and vice versa. - ICT usage (tablet computers, smart phones and computers): very well - areas where communication needs to be improved: hygiene, nourishment, dressing, playing with other children, moving around familiar environment, health, public transport, communication with other people

6. Boy S.M: - Age: 13 years 7 month - Developmental difficulties: autism spectrum disorder, ADHD syndrome, psychomotor development delay, speech and language development delay - Current assessment: moderate intellectual difficulties (mental age 5 years 5 months), vocabulary 11 words, the average sentence length: 5 words; expressive speech mediocrely developed, receptive speech mediocrely developed; visual attention: mediocrely developed; fine motor skills mediocrely developed - Parents, closer and expanded family comprehend his speech and requests very well and vice versa. - ICT usage (tablet computers, smart phones and computers): good - Areas where communication needs to be improved: hygiene, dressing, playing with others, health, public transportation, communication with unfamiliar people

7. Girl A.K: - Age: 13 years 9 months - Developmental difficulties: cerebral paralysis, psychomotor development delay, insufficiently developed speech - Current assessment: moderate intellectual difficulties (mental age 4 years 11 months), vocabulary: 680 words, the average sentence length: 6 words; expressive speech mediocrely developed, receptive speech good; visual attention good; fine motor skills poorly developed - Parents and closer family comprehend her speech and requests very well and vice versa. Her expanded family partly comprehends her, and vice versa. - ICT usage (tablet computers, smart phones and computers): good

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- Areas where communication needs to be improved: hygiene, dressing, playing with others, shopping, public transportation, communication with unfamiliar people

8. Girl N.B: - Age: 15 years and 9 months - Developmental difficulties: autism spectrum disorder, psychomotor development delay, speech and language disorder - Current assessment: moderate intellectual difficulties (mental age 7 years 1 months), words usage: 630 words, the average sentence length: 6 words; expressive speech mediocrely developed, receptive speech mediocrely developed; visual attention good; fine motor skills good - Parents and closer and expanded family comprehend her requests and speech very well, and vice versa. - ICT usage (tablet computers, smart phones and computers): very well - Areas where communication needs to be improved:: hygiene, nourishment, dressing, playing with others, health, shopping, moving around familiar environment, public transport, communication with neighbors and acquaintances, communication with unfamiliar people

9. Boy K.M: - Age: 17 years and 2 months - Developmental difficulties: autism spectrum disorder, psychomotor development delay, speech disorder - Current assessment: moderate intellectual difficulties; vocabulary: 270 words, the average sentence length: 5 words; expressive speech poorly developed, receptive speech mediocrely developed; visual attention mediocrely developed; fine motor skills mediocrely developed - Parents and closer family comprehend him very well and vice versa. But expended family poorly comprehends him, and vice versa - ICT usage (tablet computers, smart phones and computers): very good - areas where communication needs to be improved: hygiene, nourishment, playing with others, health, shopping, moving around familiar areas, public transport, communication with neighbors and acquaintances, communication with unfamiliar people

10. Boy A.B: - Age: 17 years and 4 months - Developmental difficulties: down syndrome, psychomotor development delay, speech disorder - Current usage: moderate intellectual difficulties; vocabulary: 240 words, the average sentence length: 3 words; expressive speech poorly developed, receptive speech mediocrely developed; visual attention good; fine motor skills good - Parents comprehend his request and speech very well and vice versa. Closer and expanded family partly comprehends his request and speech and vice versa. - ICT usage (tablet computers, smart phones and computers): good - Areas where communication needs to be improved: playing with others, shopping, moving around familiar environment, public transportation, communication with neighbors and acquaintances, communication with unfamiliar people

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Secondary School for Children with Hearing Impairment "Prof. Dr. Stoyan Belinov", Plovdiv, BULGARIA

1. Boy H. H. S.

He was enrolled into the Secondary School for children with Hearing Impairment Plovdiv in the 2017/2018 school year, as he had previously attended the kindergarten to the school. He is being raised by the mother.• Cognitive development:Attention - the concentration of attention has a reduced function; attention is reduced; reduced function of distribution and switchingMemory - Reduced function of fixation, retention, and reproductionThinking - visual - figurative thinking. Mental Operations: Comparison – in norm; analysis - reduced function; synthesis - slightly reduced function. Intellect - within the lower limits of the norm 83 /Raven /• Emotional state :Emotionally adequate, he is not impulsive or short-tempered. There are no aggressive actions and intentions. Calm, quiet, adequate. Not prone to sudden outburst and mood swings.• Behaviuor during educational activities, playing and other activities: He has a strong interest in computer games. There are established learning habits, makes efforts to overcome difficulties and has a positive attitude towards the learning process in general. In a game he introduces fantasy, stereotypical movements are observed. Thorough in fulfilling his assigned tasks.• Language development and communicative skillsNormal occlusion. His articulation organs have no deviations. In initial communication, he leaves the impression that he suffers from communication phonasthenia.The lack of a permanent phonation makes the connection with the child difficult. At certain times he whispers, other times voices different words.The lack of constant speech makes communication between the two sides difficult.The expressive state of the child's speech can be related to the lack or sporadicity of verbal expression.Hristo's impressive speech is a projection of the expressive state of his speech.He performs simple instructions.Written speech - the stage of agraphia up to the writing of individual letters and numbers.The reading skills are related to the other deficits and specific learning difficulties. 2. Boy V. M. P.

He was enrolled into the Secondary School for children with Hearing Impairment Plovdiv during the 2015/2016 school year, as he had previously attended “1st June” Kindergarten in the village of Brestovitsa. He is being raised by the mother and the grandmother in the mother's line.• Cognitive development:Perceptions - disturbed hearing perceptionsThinking - visual thinking; difficult process in summary, analysis, and synthesis. Decreased thought potential.

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Attention - Sustained attention only with an interesting incentive, reduced attention and reduced concentration.Intellect - within the limits of mild mental retardation.Memory - Difficult process of fixation, reproduction and retention.• Emotional state :Quiet, lack of aggressive and oppositional behavior; emotionally adequate; well-intentioned, friendly, contact, quiet and modest. • Behaviuor during educational activities, playing and other activities: Interest is shown towards animals, especially everything related to the animals on the farm. Studious, he works slowly but performs the task to the end without giving up. He has a positive attitude towards the learning process, prefers individual work in which he shows better results. He avoids playing with other students.• Linguistic and speech development and communicative skills Poor vocabulary, polymorphic dyslalia, uses simple sentences of two words – an impairment in the development of expressive speech. He understands and performs simple instructions given in a loud voice, points to objects and pictures, the questions are answered with one word. He has difficulty in starting a communication.He has a good vocabulary fund, but he cannot make up sentences on a picture or other stimulus, and he cannot retell a text or situation.There are sounds and the corresponding letters that he fails to start and recognize, he has difficulty wrting them.If he wishes he can read syllables and familiar sounds, he can hardly read words.• Potential needs - work on sustainability of attention, enrichment of the vocabulary fund; work on the correct pronunciation of difficult sounds for thim, their inclusion in words, sentences and text.

3. Boy D. K. B.

He was enrolled into the Secondary School for Children with Hearing Impairment Plovdiv in the 2015/2016 school year, while he had previously attended the kindergarten to the school. He is being raised by the mother who has hearing impairment.• Cognitive development:Perceptions and concepts - disturbed hearing perceptions; there is no evidence of pathologyThinking – visual and figurative thinking; mental operations - analysis, summary, synthesis – in norm.Attention - unstable attention, impulsively directed, reduced function at concentrationMemory - fixation - slightly reduced function; retention - reduced function; reproduction - reduced function; visual - in norm.Intellect - in norm• Emotional state:Impatient, sometimes he shows unwarranted stubbornness, vigorous. Emotionally adequate, lack of anxiety, adaptable to new conditions, adaptive.• Behaviuor during educational activities, playing and other activities: He is diligent and ambitious, working with desire, and always completing his teaching assignments. He is interested in new knowledge, inquisitive. He defends his own opinions and interests, even if this leads to a conflict with a classmate. He doesn’t allow to be corrected when he has made an error. He is interested in art therapy - he creates different figures out of paper, with constructor, draws, etc., activities related to

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art, electronic games. Work is being done on self-discipline, impulsiveness and wilfulness. He gets involved in games with other students, shows leadership.• Linguistic and speech development and communicative skillsHe masters Dactyl and sign language, but his gestures are quite fragmented and difficult to understand. His communication is non-verbal.Expressive speech is almost lacking - uses a few elementary words that he doesn’t include in sentences such as "please," "grandmother," "mother," names of class children.Understanding of impressive speech is difficult. It is through the use of sign language.In reading, irregular articulation, impaired rhythm, uncontrolled voice force and incorrect intonation are observed. All this leads to difficult understanding.He transcribes extremely precisely words, sentences or text, but the self-written speech is reduced to a few words. He is able to write English expressions from the games he likes.In regards of articulation – he correctly pronounces sounds when they are isolated but included in syllables and words he distorts them; there are no partitioning and passage sounds TS and CH, and partitioning sounds K and G, makes the the sounds Z and J soundless.

4. Boy F. M. M.

He was enrolled in the Secondary School for Children with Hearing Impairment Plovdiv in the academic year 2015/2016. Previously, he attended the kindergarten to the school. He is being raised in a full-member family of parents with hearing impairment.• Cognitive development:Attention - instability of the components of attention; reduced function of concentration.Perceptions and pictures - disturbed auditory perceptions; slightly reduced function in spatial relations; no sense illusions (illusions, hallucinations)Memory - Fixation - reduced function; Retention - reduced function; reproduction - reduced function; figurative and emotional - in norm; reduced function of verbal logical memory; good visual memory.Thinking - Reduced function in thinking operations: classification, summary and comparison. Visual and figurative thinking.Intelligence - in norm• Emotional state :Relevant intensity of reactions. Calm, adequate, adaptive. There are no aggressive acts and unconscious actions. Sometimes he lacks confidence and seeks the approval and interference of an older person. Works is being done on enhancing self-esteem.• Behaviour in educational activities, plays, and other activities: The student achieves satisfactory results. He quickly and easily distracts himself from the task and the work he has began. He has an interest in learning. He seeks attention and approval. It is difficult to him to make sense of a new material, transcribing words, sentences, text. It is difficult to him to make sentences on a given model and it’s hard to answer questions. He prefers individual work with him. He’s friendly, well-intentioned, takes part in the games with other classmates. He is interested in animals particularly cats and games outside. • Linguistic and speech development and communication skills

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He knows dactyl and sign language very well. Reporting is not yet at the necessary level. With excellent communication skills.Limited vocabulary. It’s hard to begin with new words and to include them in a sentence.He has good reading technique, but does not understand the read text. Uncontrollable voice power.He copies carefully given words, sentences, text. In dictation with dactile speech he does very well.His articulation development is good - only the partition sounds K and G are missing. He pronounces the separate sounds very well, but when reading words, sentences or text, his pronunciation changes as he adds unnecessary sounds. 5. Boy D. K. K.

He was enrolled in the Secondary School for Children with Hearing Impairment Plovdiv in the academic year 2014/2015. He is being raised in a full-member family.• Cognitive development:Perceptions and concepts - disturbed auditory perceptions. There are no sense illusions (illusions, hallucinations).Attention - distribution – in norm; volume – in norm; sometimes he shows selective stability of attention and concentration.Memory- good fixation and reproduction, slightly reduced retention function. Good verbal and logical memory, and visual memory.Thinking – visual and figurative; thinking operations - classification, summary, comparison – in norm;Intelligence – in norm.• Emotional state :Relevant intensity of reactions, adaptive. Sometimes he is prone to sudden outbursts and unreasonable stubbornness. Good self-esteem, he assesses his actions and is ready to apologize when he is guilty. He distinguishes the antonymous meaning of the words "good" - "bad". He is apt to leadership.• Behavior in educational activities, plays and other activities: He is diligent and well-prepared with excellent learning and working habits. He learns very well all subjects. He has a marked interest in fine art - drawing, with a wonderful sense of colors and shapes. He needs a positive support, freedom of personal choice, understanding and attention. He takes part in games and other activities together with other classmates.• Linguistic and speech development and communication skillsGood linguistic and speech development and communication skills. He knows sign language and a dactyl. He has very good practical skills for correct pronunciation of words and phrases. His articulation organs do not deviate. He continuously enriches the passive and active vocabulary. He uses well meaningfully and logically the words in sentences and text. He has good communication skills.

6. Boy A. G. G.

He was enrolled in the Secondary School for Children with Hearing Impairment Plovdiv in the academic year 2013/2014. He is being raised in a full-member family.• Cognitive development:

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Perceptions and concepts – disturbed auditory perceptions, there is no evidence of sensory illusions.Attention - Selective stability and concentration; reduced function in attention distribution, reduced volume.Memory - Difficult process of fixation, reproduction and retention; good visual memory. Difficult verbal memory and difficult verbal logical memory process.Thinking - visual and figurative; Difficult process in analysis and summary, decreased synthesis function. Poor notion and logical connections.Intelligence - in norm• Emotional state :It’s difficult for him to adapt to new conditions, he is timid, uncertain, with pronounced anxiety. He is often tense, passive and it’s difficult for him to overcome difficulties.• Behavior in educational activities, plays and other activities: The knowledge in certain subjects partially meets the requirements of the grade (at the lowest levels of learning). He has significant interest in art therapy - applied arts; he is creatively focused. He is uncommunicative and does not create new friendships.• Linguistic and speech development and communication skillsHe has practical skills for correct pronunciation of words and phrases. He accumulates vocabulary and elementary grammar rules. He recognizes the movement of the speech organs, but the correction is quickly forgotten and again makes the same mistake. Reading skills have been developed. The sign language is not used as an auxiliary communication mean. He does not seek motivatedly verbal expression. He has favorite topics of conversation (limited number), beyond which contacts are reluctant.

7. Girl M. K. M.

She was enrolled in the Secondary School for Children with Hearing Impairment Plovdiv during the academic year 2013/2014 as she had previously visited the Elitsa Kindergarten. She is being raised by the mother.• Cognitive development:Attention – quick tiredness of active attention, reduced volume. Decreased overall function of attention components; reduced concentration function.Memory - Difficult process of retention and reproduction, reduced function of fixation. Difficulty in logical processing, logical connectivity and associative links.Thinking - visual; difficult process in analysis and summary; reduced function to compare.Intelligence - data for mild mental retardation.• Emotional stateShe has often rapid and impulsive reactions, expressed anxiety. Irritable and extremely sensitive to offence - she responds violently to jokes directed at her (lack of sense of humor or inability to distinguish insult from joke). She has low self-esteem and low self-confidence. She often does not have own opinion and does not stand up for her position. She understands and accepts the differences in others but selectively; she is ready to help - selectively.• Behavior in educational activities, plays and other activities Knowledge in the subjects studied in the relevant class meets the requirements for the glade at a low level. It is difficult for her to build relations between the object. Knowledge is not lasting. Most of the time, she is relaxed and diligent. Due to the

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lability of attention she loses interest and is easily distracted. She contacts with certain people and it is hard to create new friendships. She has a desire and is looking for speech expression. She is interested in art therapy (creative activities).• Linguistic and speech development and communication skillsShe has practical skills for correct pronunciation of words and phrases. She has underdeveloped active and passive vocabulary, does not understand the meaning of the speech. The right speech movements are automated. She has lack of skills for dialogue. The speech has normal strength, height and timbre. She needs speech communication and enrichment of the vocabulary.It is normal and easy оди her to adapt without seeking leadership. She has good communication skills and abilities.

8. Boy I. M. G.

He was enrolled into the Secondary School for children with Hearing Impairment Plovdiv in the 2011/2012 school year. It is being raised by the mother.• Cognitive development:Attention - the components of attention are in the norm.Memory - fixation and reproduction – in the norm; retention - slightly reduced function. Good image and verbal memory. Slightly reduced function of verbal-logical memory.Thinking - in a visual way; basic thinking operations as analysis, summary, synthesis are in the norm. Difficulties are demonstrated in the logical and associative relations. Intellect – in norm• Emotional state :Impulsive, easily irritable and ready for a violent emotional response, it often leads to physical aggression. Characterized with marked excitement and weak self-control. Rebellious and often unreasonably stubborn. Adaptive, adaptable to new conditions, self-sufficient. Increased self-esteem.• Behaviour in educational activities, play, and other activities: Selective focus on certain subjects. Marked interest in mobile technologies. He performs his assigned tasks and brings the work to an end when it is within his capacity. Interest in science and mathematics.• Linguistic and speech development and communicative skillsHe masters dactyl. He does not use sign language. He is behind in linguistic and speech development because of his deafness and social negligence in his family. He has a poor vocabulary fund and therefore the impressive and expressive speech are at a poor level. He has a good reading technique, but he does not realize the meaning of what he reads.The written speech is mechanical.

9. Girl A. L. B.

She was enrolled into the Secondary School for children with Hearing Impairment Plovdiv in the 2010/2011 school year. She is being raised in a full-member family.• Cognitive development:Disturbed hearing perceptions.Attention - selective stability of attention and concentration.

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Memory - slightly reduced function in fixation and retention, difficulties in reproduction. Good visual memory.Thinking – visual and figurative thinking; reduced function in classification and synthesis; difficult process in summary.Intellect - in norm• Emotional state :Impulsive, easily irritable, ready to burst, leading to aggressive action. Charcterized with frequent mood swings.• Behavior in educational activities, play, and other activities: She prefers individual work, she lacks groupwork skills. Marked interest in the subject Man and Nature and English. In the individual work she is diligent, ambitious and thorough. She does not understand the group, including: games, teasers, jokes, etc. • Linguistic and speech development and communicative skillsShe selectively comes into contact with classmates and teachers, according to the state of her mood. She uses dactyl and sign language in her communication. She possesses a stock of words and concepts, and she can make simple sentences. She reads correctly, but does not always make sense of what she is reading. She rarely makes spelling mistakes when copying and in dictations.

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CONCLUSIONS

STUDENT STATUS ASSESSMENT (MIN AND MAX)

Expressive speech : poorly developed (from very bad to good) Receptive speech : good (from mediocre to good) Vocabulary, sentence, retelling : poorly developed (from very bad to mediocre) Reading skills: poorly developed (from very bad to good) Mathematical skills : poorly developed Coloring : mediocrely developed (from bad to good) Fine motor skills : mediocrely developed (from bad to good) Gross motor skills : mediocrely developed (from bad to good) Attention and concentration : mediocrely developed (from bad to good) Dressing skills : mediocrely developed (from bad to good) Personal hygiene skills : mediocrely developed (from mediocre to good) Eating skills : mediocrely developed (from mediocre to good) Socializing and peer relation : mediocrely developed (from bad to good) Relation with teacher: mediocrely developed (from bad to good) Obeying school rules : mediocrely developed (from bad to good) Expressing emotions : mediocrely developed (from bad to good) Making eye contact : mediocrely developed (from bad to good) Name call reaction : mediocrely developed (from mediocre to good) Facial expression according the situation : mediocrely developed (from bad to mediocre) Appropriate reaction to the physical contact: good (from mediocre to good) Stay with large group of people : mediocrely developed (from very bad to good) Interest in playing with other children: poorly developed (from bad to mediocre) Stereotyped repetition of words and phrases : sometimes (from often to never) Non appropriate behavior (self-injury, throwing objects): almost never (from often to never) Living in an imaginary world : sometimes (from often to sometimes) Fascination by unusual objects or movements : sometimes (from often to almost never)

COMMUNICATION BETWEEN PARENTS AND CHILDREN

a parent understands child`s speech: partlya parent understands child`s requests: partlya child understands parent `s speech: partlya child understands parent `s requests: partlycloser family (brothers and sisters, grandparents) understands child`s requests

and speech: partly

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extended family (uncles, aunts, acquaintances and friends) understands child`s request and speech: poorly

AREAS WHERE COMMUNICATION NEEDS TO BE IMPROVED

1. hygiene2. nourishment3. dressing4. playing with other children5. health6. shopping7. moving around familiar environment8. public transportation9. communication with neighbors10. communication with unfamiliar people11. expressing personal needs and wants12. social interactions

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