Teachers' and parents' attitude to children with special needs, integratedly educated in primary schools of Klaipeda region

Abstract

In our days, reorganizing the Lithuanian Education System and introducing one of the main principles, humanism, emphasis is laid on the reCognition of the worth of each person and respect to him, person's free choice and responsibility, humane relations. A big part of children with significant development impairments are involved into the educative process, the category of "uneducable" children is eliminated from our conscience, without doubt that to form a harmonious personality offrili value combined education with integration of cognitive, personal and social elements is necessary. However, problems relating to education of children with special needs are not decreasing. One of them is acceptance of handicapped children to a general type class without creating appropriate conditions for teaching him. Teachers do not know/hold technologies of work with integrated class, parents are not involved as competent partners, it is not taken into consideration what psychological climate will dominate in the class where children with special needs will study and how they will react to it themselves. To ensure an adult or child to feel well in the society, his needs must be satisfied. Satisfying of needs, also the special ones, is one of the main principles stipulating the development of personality. According to A.RMaslow, higher degree needs appear when lower ones are satisfied, so the pupil will want to learn and understand when he feels comfortable, physically and psychologically safe, when he feels needed and recognized. The learning activity of children with special needs is a complex and difficult process. Therefore class mates and teachers often ignore these children. They feel isolated, pushed away and rejected, and cannot reveal their creative powers. Not all educators recognize children with special needs, not ali of them are able to choose the optimal education methods and ways for such children, to create individuai educative programs, and not all teachers have sufficient special educative knowledge and competence. The success of education is hampered by school masters', teachers' and society's attitude to children with special needs, insufficient participation of parents in determining and discussing the child's difficulties, planning the formš and ways of helping him.