Interviews with parents of children with brittle bones and questionnaires answered by 30 families about everyday life.
This survey describes the types of toy libraries found throughout the world. The descriptive study is based on a questionnaire and information material from 37 countries and on personal visits to some countries. The survey shows that there are more than 4,500 toy libraries in the world in 31 countries on all continents. Four major types of toy libraries emerge: (a) community-oriented toy libraries; (b) lekotek for children with special needs and their families; (c) toy libraries as a cultural, social, and recreational center; and (d) toy lending libraries. Twenty-one countries have adopted the ``lekotek'' concept. The lekotek provides services for young children with special needs and their families. The original lekotek concept assumes a model of early intervention where the needs of the child and the family are central. Assessment and intervention are carried out in collaboration with the parents. Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs) fit well into the frame of the lekotek concept. Examples of how programs at lekoteks service families of young children with disabilities are given.
Paper presented at South West University "Neofit Rilsky", Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, 17-23rd of September 2007.
Target groups: teacher trainers, students, professionals working in schools
Barn med funktionsnedsättningar har ofta lyfts fram som vinnare när man talat om användning av IKT i skolan. Förväntningarna på vad IKT skulle medföra för elever i behov av särskilt stöd har varti stora både bland föräldrar och lärare. När den nya tekniken inroducerades antogs den kunna lösa många problem för barn med svårigheter av olika slag och därigenom bidra till att de bättre skulle kunna tillgodogöra sig undervisningen i skolan. Idag vet vi att det krävs mer än bara teknik.
The aim of this study is to describe interaction between mothers/ caregivers and their profoundly mentally retarded and multiply handicapped children, and to describe the function of play in communicative interaction.
In the study I describe the communicative interaction of six children aged 1:3 to 10 years. The children have been studied in their homes and preschools or schools. Each child had five or six handicaps in addition to their profound retardation. The study is based on interviews with parents, information from naturally-occurring conversations and videoobservations. Meals and play were selected for video-recording.
The results indicate that the most important function of play is as a means of communication and learning. Play most often involves sensory stimulation and body play. Communicative interaction is non-verbal and described in terms of gaze/eye contact, facial expressions, gestures and body movements. A pattern of interaction has been found. This consists of four phases: an impression-receiving phase with orientation, an expressive phase with motor activity, a pause with processing and preparation of an answer and finally a break or a limited reaction. These children have, however, a communicative competence. The ability of the mothers to interpret the children’s signals is extremely context-dependent. These mothers adjust their communicative behaviour to the child and facilitate the child’s communicative interaction. The ability of the mothers/ caregivers to interpret the signals of these children is often underestimated by professionals. The living conditions of the parents have emerged as an important factor for play, communication and the development of the child.
The book is an updated and revised version of the dissertation "To interpret children's signals. Play and communication in children with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities" which was originally published at the Department of Education, Stockholm University.
Kapitlet handlar om barn och barndom i vår samtid. Synen på barns utveckling och barndom har förändrats över tid och i detta kapitel lyfts barn fram som kompetenta och sociala aktörer. Ett flertal av barnkonventionens artiklar handlar om att skydda barn, att ge barn trygghet under uppväxten och om att lyssna på barnens röster. Barn har rätt till föräldrar som kan ge dem skydd, trygghet och kärlek.
Många barn som idag lever i utsatta livsmijöer gör det därför att deras föräldrar har svårt att klara sitt föräldraskap. Det kan handla om att barn är utsatta för fysiska, psykiska eller sexuella övergrepp som de inte kan värja sig emot. Samhällets struktur kan sägas bidra till att dagens barn och unga är mer utsatta, samtidigt som föräldrarnas inflytande på sina barns liv har minskat.
Boken fokuserar på barn som befinner sig i utsatta livssituationer och utsatta livsmiljöer. Författarna har samtliga mångårig erfarenhet av både forskning och praktiskt arbete med barn, ungdomar och familjer med olika svårigheter. Utgångspunkten är barns och ungas perspektiv, det vill säga att barnets röst så långt som möjligt ska höras i enlighet med Konventionen om barnets rättigheter (FN, 1989) och The Convention on the Rights of children and young persons with disabilities (UNICEF, 2008).
Artikeln är baserad på ett projekt om barn i utsatta miljöer och livssituationer. Resultaten har publiverats i en bok, en antologi, med fem författare. Utgångspunkten är barnkonventionen.
I detta tredje kapitel ses barns olikheter som en utmaning i en förskola och skola för alla. Alla barn är unika och om olikheter betraktas som resurs eller problem beror på situationen eller miljön runt barnet. Forskning har visat att när ett barn har svårigheter i skolan handlar detta oftast om strukturella och organisatoriska frågor och inte om det enskilda barnet. Utgångspunkten är alla barns lika värde och lika rätt till deltagande och möjligheter till utveckling.
Opoportunities for children wih disabilites to participate in school on equal conditions as others are often stressed while reality schows that many childrne with disabilities are stills egregated. ICT has been highlighted as a tool for communication and inclusion for children with disabilities but from research it appears that implementation of technology in children's everyday lift is difficult.One conclusion of the project is that there is a need both for technical and social support in school if ICT schould function as a bridge for inclusion of all pupils.
Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) or brittle bones is a most unusual disease and there is a limited number of people in the whole world suffering from it. Most studies reported from this area are in the medical field and few illuminate the psycho-social effects of the disease. Three studies of children and young people with brittle bones have been carried out within the psycho-social field in Sweden. They are all based on inquiries and interviews with children and parents engaged in the Swedish National Organization for Physically Disabled Children and Adolescents.
Focus on this powerpoint presentation is children in difficult living situations. They are badly treated and often victims of physical or sexual outrage and neglected and badly looked after. They are children who expereince violation and exploitation by adults and peers. The problem is not the child per se but the environment.
This article is based on a project studying children growing up in precarious environments and life situations in Sweden. Data have emerged from the explorative study "Children in precarious life situations". Regardless of Sweden's long tradition in the social welfare field many children have difficulties and do not feel mentally well. The aim of this article is to increase the knowledge of children in precarious environments and life sitations and to explore the existence of exposed arenas where many children spend their everyday lives.
Boken fokuserar på barn i utsatta livssituationer och miljöer.
Many parents of children with severe disabilities complain that they experience difficulties in activating their child. They state that their child does not play or does not play independently and that the child is not interested in common toys. Computers offer new opportunities for many of these children.
The article discuss different aspects on play in children with severe and multiple disabilities. What opportunities are available for children in need of special support? How much is regarded as training and how much is regarded as learning?
Globalization has emerged as a trend concept during the past decades. As a result of the globalization, the need for educating all citizens and providing them with information about other cultures and countries has increased. In this article, international student exchange in higher education will be discussed. Global competencies in early childhood education was a student mobility project aimed at preparing undergraduate multicultural context all over the world. The project was part of a transnational EX/Canada cooperation programme in higher education and training. By participating in academic studies and fieldwork in early childhood settings, the students were expected to gain experrience that would enable them to work with young children in multicultural settings as well as in different countries, to have a significant impact on the children they work with and their families.
IRIS is a European project with six countries (seven partners) involved. The partners represent both research and pratical work and one aim is to develop an Aide Memoir (bookmark and a developed checklist for teachers) in the inclusive school.
ICT as a link for promoting inclusion of children with disabilities
Focus is on ICT in education and in-service training of teachers working in special education
Few studies have been conducted with focus on implementation of assistive technology for persons with mental retardation at day centres. This study elucidates some of the factors affecting the implementation and also reveals the results from an empirical survey on education and attitudes towards usage of new technology by day centre staff. The importance of staff education on mental retardation, assistive technology, adaptation of devices and methods for training is stressed.
A presentaiotn of the Learning in Motion (LIM) project which is a cooperation with five countries involved. The overall aim is to enchance a society for all citizens on equal conditions. Data from two different studies were reported.
Learning in Motion was a European project involving seven partners in five countries: Sweden, Finland, Latvia, Germany and Greece. The project focused on inclusion and access to outdoor education and was financed by the European Commission within the framework of the Socrates-Grundtvig Programme. The aim of the project was to explore if and how outdoor education can be used for physical and sensitivity training of children, adolescents and adults with intellectual disabilites and to develop, examine and disseminate ideas on this topic. The resutl showed that inclusion is still a faraway concept, especially for many adults with intellectual disabilities. The results also showed that the municipalities were interested in increasing out door education for the target group but the main obstacles were a lack of educated staff and the present financial climate.
Kapitlet är en inledning till boken "Barn i utsatta livssituationer" och presenterar bokens innehåll och disposition. I kapitlet presenteras även Barnkonventionen.
Research on play accelerated and had a breakthrough in the 1980s but during the last decades it has been a backlash in the interest for play research. If we take play in children with multiple disabilities into consideration it is even more obvious that the topic has, to a great extent, been neglected and not been highlighted equally often in research. This article focuses on play in children with multiple disabilities and takes an interdisciplinary perspective. The main question is ‘What does play mean for children with the most multiple disabilities?’. The article is based on previous studies on play with a qualitative approach, where play observations and interviews with persons in the child’s immediate environment, i.e. parents and early childhood staff, have dominated. The theoretical approach is interactionistic and partly based on Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory of human development. In this article play and toys for enhancement of child development is discussed. The result shows that play can constitute a tool for development of a diversity of skills in these children, provided that the child has a good support from persons around. However joyful play also has a value per se for children with disabilities. The conclusion is that the role of adults as supporters and interaction partners in children’s play is extremely important, and it takes two to play for children with multiple disabilities.
Idag betonas vikten av utomhusaktiviteter för människors hälsa och välbefinnande. Att utforska och lära ute i naturen handlar om att lära med alla sinnen, d.v.s. smak, lukt, känsel, syn och hörsel. Artikeln baseras på EU-projektet Learning in Motion med fokus på barn och vuxna med intellektuella funktionsnedsättningar. Syftet var att utröna om och i så fall hur utomhusaktiviteter kan ge fysisk och sensorisk stimulering för personer med intellektuella funktionshinder. Studien baseras på intervjuer, enkäter och litteraturstudier. Resultatet visade att deltagarnas välbefinnande och livskvalitet ökar förutsatt att miljön är tillgänglig och anpassad. Vistelse ute i naturen stimulerade och motiverade deltagarnas lärande och sociala inkludering. Bristen på ett systematiskt lärande i utomhusmiljö saknas dock ofta och är nödvändigt för denna målgrupp.
Idag betonas vikten av utomhusaktiviteter för människors hälsa och välbefinnande. Att utforska naturen handlar om att lära med alla sinnen, dvs smak, lukt, känsel, syn och hörsel. Artikeln baseras på EU-projektet Learning in Motion med fokus på barn och vuxna med intellektuella funktionsnedsättningar. Syftet var att utröna om och i så fall hur utomhusaktiviteter ger fysisk och sensorisk stimulering för personer med intellektuella funktionshinder. Studien baseras på intervjuer, enkäter och litteraturstudier.
In 1994 a new law, the Act concerning Support and Service for Persons with Certain Functional Impairments (LSS), was passed in Sweden. Accessibility to respite care service is a legal right for families with children with disabilities primarily aimed at giving parents and caregivers relief from care in daily life. The aim of this short report is to illustrate how the municipalities meet the families’ need of support, to study the differences between the results from two data collections (1988 and 1994) and to reveal if and how the priorities have changed over time. The results show that there is a great need of respite care in families of children with disabilities and that there is a lack of case managing from the local authorities. Many municipalities had made an inventory of the need for support. A critical question is: to what extent can parents influence decisions concerning respite staff? To conclude, a need for developing well‐functioning models for respite care service is stressed.
The paper was presented at South West University "Neofit Rilsky", Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, September 17-23, 2007.
Target groups: Speech therapists, teachers, students
What opportunites and obstacles exist when children with profound intellecual disabilities play computer games and how can the obstacles be abolished and the opportunities be promoted
The paper is based on a presentation on the 5th Eastern and Central European regional Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) conference held in Budapest in December 2005.
The purpose of the chapter is to increase the understanding and knowledge of children with ADHD and their everyday lives in educational settings. As these children constitute an ever increasing group all over the world and the disorder really creates huge problems for them in school, this chapter will focus on remedial education in Sweden.
I artikeln redovisas resultaten från ett projekt om videotelefoni där personer med utvecklingsstörning kommunicerade. Fokus var på deras självbild