Journal of Special Education and Rehabilitation

22-42

Authors: Ljiljana PINTARIC MLINAR,Daniela BRATKOVIC, Dragana MAMIC

Probably from the very beginning of the human curiosity in disability features for family’s values, structures, parenting styles, circles of support, strengths and others, have been just as appealing as the child or adult with disabilities themselves. As many studies confirmed, professionals' approach to parents, getting adequate information and type of treatment present a challenge to families of children with established developmental disabilities and those at risk for disability. The main purpose of this study was to analyze parents' satisfaction with these three main features of support in early treatment of their child with intellectual disability. The sample consisted of 81 families with intellectually disabled child, recruited from seven types of care provided in three towns in Croatia. Data were analyzed with one-way ANOVA comparing variety of parents satisfaction in four groups formed according to the level of intellectual disability. The method revealed a significant difference among groups in the variable referring to the parents satisfaction with treatment accessibility and its frequency provided.

61-77

Authors: Patrizia VELOTTI, Simona DI FOLCO, Giulio Cesare ZAVATTINI

Current nosology describes reactive attachm­ent disorder as represented by two distinct disorders: reactive attachment disorder, characterized by markedly inhibited and emotionally withdrawn behavior toward adult caregivers, minimally seeking comfort or minimally responding to comfort in time of distress, and disinhibited social engagement disorder, which is represented by an indiscriminate social behavior, sanctioned from culture and which crosses social boundaries, in the presence of unfamiliar adults. Both disorders, despite their different phenotypes, are caused by a pathogenic caregiving environment, repeated changes of attachment figures, social neglect and deprivation in the first years of life. The article examines recent diagnostic criteria reported in the literature comparing diag­nostic classifications and attempting to understand the etiology of the disorder. Unresolved questions exist in current nosology, which means that the quality of the evidence supporting the diagnostic criteria needs to be improved. This review concludes that, despite the currently available diagnostic classifications, future longitudinal studies should be conducted to assess the evolution of reactive attachment disorder over the time and to discriminate its features from other psychopathologies.

99-114

Authors: Tsafi TIMOR

The article examines the concept of "The Other" bearing the meaning of "different", rather than the meaning of "whoever is not myself", in the light of Integration and Inclusion in the Israeli Educational System and Society. For this sake two new concepts have been coined: "different-other" and "significant different-other". The literature analysis indicates that according to the Integration Model and the idea of Normalization, the reference to "The Other" as a human being rather than "a special needs person" is minimized, while the ideological basis of Inclusion matches a holistic and pluralistic view which encourages the uniqueness of the "Different-Other" and leads him towards a meaningful life. The analysis of examples in the Israeli society yields that despite advanced legislation and awareness towards individuals with special needs, the current situation does not meet the criteria of Inclusion. The educational reality indicates that no restructuring of the system, as a major criterion of Inclusion, has taken place, although the principles of early identification, intervention and monitoring are already implemented. The overall insight from the article is that despite the strive towards equity and equality in legislation, efforts should be channeled to persuade the public that the "Different-Other" is first and foremost a human being, and it is the duty of the society to view him as a "Significant Different-Other" rather than a "Different-Other".

133-134

Authors: Ana PETKOVSKA

The Macedonian Scientific Society for Autism (MSSA), Trisomy 21 from Skopje and Trisomy 21 from Zagreb, organized a Tribune on the occasion of the World Day of People with Down syndrome in the great amphitheater of the Faculty of Philosophy on 03/21/2013, starting at 10 am. The topic of the debate was Do people with Down syndrome are marginalized or included in the Macedonian society? The tribune was organized in order to educate and bring up open positions in order to sensibilize the public and the relevant Ministries. Besides the specialized scientific nature, the tribune had entertaining and cultural character too, wherepeople with Down syndrome performed their works. The debate was broadcasted live on the Internet by T-Home Macedonia. The host of the event was Rosica Koleva, who initially welcomed the present and than­ked to theorganizers, the present and to all the participants in the debate for their gene­rous support they give to people with Down syndrome. The presence of the Mayor of muni­cipality Center Mr. Vladimir To­do­ro­vikj demonstrated that local government ta­kes care for people with Down syndrome.

137-138

Authors: Maja FILIPOVSKA

This year, the Institute of Special Education and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Philosophy in Skopje, celebrates the anniversary “20 years from the beginning of special education and rehabilitation studies”. On that occasion, the Institute is organizing a conference with the main topic “Modern aspects of special education and rehabilitation of persons with disabilities”. The Conference has an international character and it is fourth of this kind. The International conference will take place in the hotel “Metropol” in Ohrid, during the period from 17th -19th October. A book of abstracts and a book of papers, and the book of the presented papers will be published after the Conference.

142-145

Authors: Milena ILIKJ PESHIKJ

The Master’s thesis is presented on 129 pages. The paper contains the following sections: introduction, theoretical approach to the problem of the research, research methodology, analysis of the results, discussion, conclusions, proposed measures, literature and articles. The introduction emphasizes the relationship between siblings as one of the basic interpersonal relationships among humans. If a family has an autistic member, some implications on the family and its functioning might arise, as well as on the relationship between the siblings.The presence of a child with autism alters the traditional role of a brother / sister in the family. Negative effects that may occur in the quality of the relationship between siblings,caused by having a child with autism in the family are: increased level of conflict, bitterness, resentment, loneliness, guilt, fear and reduced potential for conflict with peers outside the home. Of course, positive effects may also arise in the relationship between siblings in the family, such as: increased tolerance for diversity of others, kindness to others, increased levels of empathy, heightened sense of responsibility and maturity, a sense of happiness and well oriented view of life.