Education of disabled children

Disabled in the pedagogical sense are all children, young people and adults who are limited in learning, social behaviour, communication, speech or psychomotor abilities. Nowadays, however, the term disabled person is increasingly replaced by other terms such as disadvantaged person, individual with special needs, or pupils with special educational needs (derived from the English term special educational needs).

Types of disabilities

 * physical disability,
 * sensory impairment,
 * mentally disabled,
 * socially disabled.

Special pedagogical diagnostics
Special pedagogy is a pedagogical discipline that is oriented towards the upbringing and education of medically and socially disadvantaged persons.

Part of special pedagogy is special pedagogic diagnostics. Its goal is to get to know a person with a disability, defect or some kind of handicap as perfectly as possible. It focuses on obtaining information about the personality of the individual in question and his possibilities in the field of educability and educability.

Not only social pedagogues, but also doctors, psychologists, social workers and other experts participate in it. This is the only way to get an objective view of the disabled person in all his complexity. The goal of diagnostics in medicine is to determine the type of disease and subsequent therapy. In special pedagogy, diagnosis is the starting point for pedagogical guidance. Furthermore, diagnostics in psychology focuses on psychological characteristics, conditions, including the attitude towards one's own disability.

Early and preschool
Here, the most important task is the early detection of the disorder and the initiation of special educational care, which minimizes the negative consequences, which tend to be the retardation of neuropsychic development. As part of the diagnosis, in this period the focus is mainly on gross and fine motor skills, self-service activities, mental abilities, verbal abilities, emotional area and sociability.

Diagnostics in the period of school age
During school attendance, a child with a disability has the option of integration into regular schools. A child educated within the framework of integration has the opportunity to work according to an individual educational plan that respects his disadvantage in certain areas given by the type of his disability.

In addition to attendance at regular schools, there is an offer of special education, i.e. education in special schools according to the type of disability. Here, it mainly depends on the child's parents which method they choose. 

In the case of a more severe disability, when the child needs comprehensive care even at a younger school age, the most suitable option is attendance at a hospital. This option has the advantage for the child that he will receive really comprehensive care in the field of health and education.

Already during schooling, the child needs to be purposefully prepared for the future choice of profession and professional orientation. Long-term knowledge of the child refines the diagnosis with knowledge from the area of ​​his interests in individual subjects and success in them. He pays attention to his manual skills, independence, level of motor skills, concentration, and attention, so that the teacher is finally able to give good advice to the child and his parents in choosing a field of study or learning.