PROJECT: “EARLY DETECTION OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS AND THEIR DEVELOPMENTAL PROBLEMS” author: LJUBO LEPIR, sociol

1. PEPUBLIKA SRPSKA PUBLIC CHILD PROTECTION FUND PROJECT:“EARLY DETECTION OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS AND THEIR DEVELOPMENTAL PROBLEMS”author: LJUBO LEPIR, sociologist

2. “EARLY DETECTION OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS AND THEIR DEVELOPMENTAL PROBLEMS” Project goals: • to develop relevant indicators of incidence, causes and specific nature of disabilities and chronic illnesses in children below 19 years of age (the so-called “known” and “unknown” cases), • to sensitise and mobilise local community (Centres for social work, paediatric services, centres for mental health, school and pre-school institutions, NGO sector and local authorities) with the aim of developing the most adequate modality of direct provision of expert and medical services to children with special needs,

3. “EARLY DETECTION OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS AND THEIR DEVELOPMENTAL PROBLEMS” Project goals: to activate the beneficiary population (parents of children with special needs) to engage in self-support and organise their own actions in local communities, to establish cooperation between relevant actors in the system of social care for children with special needs at the local and regional levels, to set up a network of associates, composed of members of governmental and nongovernmental sectors, which will have the knowledge and capacity to continuously monitor the progress and specific nature of developmental problems of children in their local communities,

4. EARLY DETECTION OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS AND THEIR DEVELOPMENTAL PROBLEMS • Methods and manner of work: • PREPARATORY PHASE: analysis of the existing documentation in CSWs, paediatric services, pre-school institutions, and primary schools, • ANALYTICAL RESEARCH: field visits to families, filling in analytical forms, dissemination of information to parents, statistical processing, sociological analysis,

5. EARLY DETECTION OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS AND THEIR DEVELOPMENTAL PROBLEMS Methods and manner of work: SENSITISATION ACTIVITIES: (carrying out activities aimed at sensitising and mobilising parents of children with special needs, relevant institutions in local communities, local authorities, and general public) initiation of the classification procedure in CSWs, counselling work, psycho-social support to parents, organisation of daily activities for children, organisation of leisure activities for children, encouraging self-organisation of parents, media presentations, networking of local institutions, etc.

6. “EARLY DETECTION OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS AND THEIR DEVELOPMENTAL PROBLEMS” 1. Our findings • absence of systematically structured databases about children with special needs at the community level, • lack of networking between institutions and organisations dealing with problems of children with special needs (or having contact with this population as part of their work), • poor level of education and awareness among parents about the treatment, rights and needs of their children,

7. 1. Our findings inadequate utilisation of the existing capacities (premises, services, institutions, experts) at the community level, inadequate sensibility among local actors who are supposed to deal with this beneficiary population, lack of professional staff (special education teachers, speech therapists, physiatrists, etc.), great need for systemic networking (and exchange of experiences) at the regional and national levels, “EARLY DETECTION OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS AND THEIR DEVELOPMENTAL PROBLEMS”

8. “EARLY DETECTION OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS AND THEIR DEVELOPMENTAL PROBLEMS” 2. Our findings • a significant number of children having difficulties in psycho-social development are still out of reach of the full health, social and child care system, • when developmental problems are detected, it takes long to initiate the classification process • most impairments in children occur in combination (multiple impairments), of which the most common are psychological development impairments,

9. 2. Our findings equal ratio of congenital and acquired developmental problems in children, a significant number of children suffer from chronic illnesses seriously affecting the quality of their lives, equal likelihood of young mothers and older mothers giving birth to a child with developmental problems, low percentage of prenatal detection of developmental problems in children, “EARLY DETECTION OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS AND THEIR DEVELOPMENTAL PROBLEMS”

10. 2. Our findings increased need for treatments by special therapists and specialist medical examination, necessity of providing psycho-social support to the families having children with developmental problems, majority of children live in their own families where they are almost exclusively cared for by mothers, in most cases parents are burdened with financial costs of medical and other treatments and are faced with lack of institutions and specialised places for daily care and work with children, “EARLY DETECTION OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS AND THEIR DEVELOPMENTAL PROBLEMS”

11. “EARLY DETECTION OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS AND THEIR DEVELOPMENTAL PROBLEMS” number of children covered in this study by year of birth

12. 100 80 60 N – number of cases 40 20 0 Since 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 17 birth child’s age when development problems were detected “EARLY DETECTION OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS AND THEIR DEVELOPMENTAL PROBLEMS”

13. 40 30 N – number of cases 20 10 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 child’s age “EARLY DETECTION OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS AND THEIR DEVELOPMENTAL PROBLEMS” time when classification of children with developmental problems is conducted, as revealed by the study