Modeli pružanja podrške deci sasmetnjama u razvoju

Promene u obrazovanju učenika sa smetnjama u razvoju i zaokret u pravcu inklu- zivnog obrazovanja nametnule su i promene koje se tiču modela pružanja podrš- ke ovim učenicima. Ove promene se odražavaju i kroz pomeranje dominantne paradigme od medicinskog, ka socijalnom modelu ometenosti. Najšire, može se govoriti o direktnom i indirektnom pružanju podrške. Specijalna edukacija više nije sinonim za izdvajnje deteta iz redovnog razreda, već se posmatra kao program koji se može sprovoditi u različitim obrazovnim okruženjima. Iz vi- zure kontinuuma obazovnih smeštaja, najčešće se govori o podršci koja se pru- ža unutar redovnog odeljenja (konsultativni i kolaborativni modeli), potom o modelima pružanja podrške u resursnim sobama, specijalnim odeljenjima, specijalnim školama, kućama, bolnicama, institucijama i drugim okruženjima. Promene modela pružanja podrške učenicima sa smetnjama u razvoju dovele su i do promena u poziciji specijalnih edukatora, pored tradicionalnih uloga u specijalnim školama i specijalnim odeljenjima, oni se angažuju i u redov- nim školama, bilo kao deo stalno zaposlenog osoblja, bilo kao patronažni specijalni edukatori koji pružaju podršku učenicima sa smetnjama u razvoju u nekoliko škola na određenoj teritoriji. U ovom kontekstu treba posmatrati i tendenciju transformacije specijalnih škola u resursne centre koji preu- zimaju nove uloge i aktivnosti. Pored pomenutih, javljaju se i težnje ka razvoju inovativnh modela podrške poput transenviromentalnog programiranja koje ima za cilj da kroz koordinirane napore redovnog nastavnika i specijalnog edukatora obezbedi reintegraciju učenika i postepeni prelazak iz ekskluzi- vnog u inkluzivno obrazovanje

The attitudes of typically developing children toward peers with intellectual disabilities

S inkluzivnim pokretom poraslo je i interesovanje za promenu stavova društva prema osobama s ometenošću, posebno stavova dece tipičnog razvoja s kojima deca s ometenošću treba da dele škole i učionice. Istraživanja ukazuju da su stavovi dece tipičnog razvoja prema vršnjacima s intelektualnom ometenošću, ne samo negativniji od stavova prema drugoj deci tipičnog razvoja, već i u odnosu na decu s drugim vrstama ometenosti. Uprkos naporima, ovakvi stavovi se menjaju teško i sporo. U radu je razmotren uticaj hronološkog uzrasta i pola dece tipičnog razvoja na stavove koje imaju prema deci s intelektualnom ometenošću. Pored toga, obraćena je pažnja i na vezu ovih stavova sa nekim kontekstualnim faktorima (mogućnost kontakta i uticaj označavanja dece s intelektualnom ometenošću kliničkim terminima) i bihejvioralnim karakteristikama dece s intelektualnom ometenošću.Due to inclusion movement there is an increasing interest in altering attitudes of the society toward persons with disabilities. This is especially important when typically developing children are expected to share schools and classrooms with the children with disabilities. The studies show that the attitude of typically developing children toward the peers with intellectual disabilities are more negative in comparison not only to typically developing children but also to children with other types of disabilities. In spite of all efforts, these attitudes are changing difficultly and slowly. In this article the influence of age and gender of typically developing children on the attitude they have towards the children with intellectual disabilities is studied. The attention is also given to the relationship between these attitudes and some contextual factors (the possibility of contact, the influence of labelling children with intellectual disabilities by using clinical terms), behavioral characteristics of children with intellectual disabilities as well

The attitudes of typically developing children toward peers with intellectual disabilities

S inkluzivnim pokretom poraslo je i interesovanje za promenu stavova društva prema osobama s ometenošću, posebno stavova dece tipičnog razvoja s kojima deca s ometenošću treba da dele škole i učionice. Istraživanja ukazuju da su stavovi dece tipičnog razvoja prema vršnjacima s intelektualnom ometenošću, ne samo negativniji od stavova prema drugoj deci tipičnog razvoja, već i u odnosu na decu s drugim vrstama ometenosti. Uprkos naporima, ovakvi stavovi se menjaju teško i sporo. U radu je razmotren uticaj hronološkog uzrasta i pola dece tipičnog razvoja na stavove koje imaju prema deci s intelektualnom ometenošću. Pored toga, obraćena je pažnja i na vezu ovih stavova sa nekim kontekstualnim faktorima (mogućnost kontakta i uticaj označavanja dece s intelektualnom ometenošću kliničkim terminima) i bihejvioralnim karakteristikama dece s intelektualnom ometenošću.Due to inclusion movement there is an increasing interest in altering attitudes of the society toward persons with disabilities. This is especially important when typically developing children are expected to share schools and classrooms with the children with disabilities. The studies show that the attitude of typically developing children toward the peers with intellectual disabilities are more negative in comparison not only to typically developing children but also to children with other types of disabilities. In spite of all efforts, these attitudes are changing difficultly and slowly. In this article the influence of age and gender of typically developing children on the attitude they have towards the children with intellectual disabilities is studied. The attention is also given to the relationship between these attitudes and some contextual factors (the possibility of contact, the influence of labelling children with intellectual disabilities by using clinical terms), behavioral characteristics of children with intellectual disabilities as well

Ironija, prevara i teorija uma kod osoba sa intelektualnom ometenošću i dualnim dijagnozama

Background/Aim. The ability to comprehend and produce irony and deception is rarely explored in people with intellectual disability (ID) or dual diagnoses (DD). The ability to understand irony and deception appears to be related to many cognitive skills, but some authors point out that the theory of mind is one of the most important factors for this ability. This research was conducted to determine the linguistic aspects of production and comprehension of irony and deception in adults with ID and DD, as well as the relationship of these abilities with theory of mind. Methods. The sample consisted of 120 people with ID aged between 20 and 56. Half of the sample comprised people with DD. Four subscales from the Assessment Battery for Communication were used to assess the participants' abilities to produce and comprehend irony and deception. False-belief tasks from "appearance-reality" category were used in theory of mind assessment. The level of intellectual functioning was measured by the Raven's progressive matrices, while the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test was used to assess speech comprehension ability. Results. The results show that participants with DD and ID comprehend and produce false statements better than ironic ones. Participants with ID were more successful in production than in comprehension tasks of both false and ironic statements, while the same was true for participants with DD only for ironic statements. Participants with ID were significantly more successful than participants with DD in irony comprehension tasks. In participants with ID, first-order theory of mind significantly correlated only with the ability to produce irony, and second-order theory of mind significantly correlated with producing irony and deception. There were no significant correlations between theory of mind and producing and comprehending irony and deception in participants with DD. Conclusion. Although differences in some aspects of assessed abilities were found between the two groups of participants, the similarities in the profile of these abilities were dominant. Results of variability can be explained by differences in speech comprehension ability more than by differences in nonverbal intellectual functioning or theory of mind acquisition. Future studies should assess the influence of other cognitive factors.Uvod/Cilj. Sposobnost razumevanja i produkcije ironije i prevare je retko izučavana u populaciji osoba sa intelektualnom ometenošću (IO) ili dualnim dijagnozama (DD). Sposobnost razumevanja ironije i prevare se dovodi u vezu sa mnogim kognitivnim veštinama, ali neki autori ističu da je upravo teorija uma jedan od najznačajnijih faktora za ovu sposobnost. Ovo istraživanje je sprovedeno radi utvrđivanja lingvističke sposobnosti razumevanja i produkcije ironije i prevare odraslih osoba sa IO i DD, kao i utvrđivanja odnosa između ovih sposobnosti i teorije uma. Metode. Uzorak je činilo 120 osoba sa IO starosne dobi između 20 i 56 godina. Polovinu uzorka činile su osobe sa DD. Za procenu ispitanikovih sposobnosti produkcije i razumevanja ironije i prevare korišćene su četiri supskale iz Baterije za procenu komunikacije. Za procenu teorije uma korišćeni su zadaci lažnog verovanja iz kategorije "izgled-realnost". Nivo intelektualnog funkcionisanja proveravan je Ravenovim progresivnim matricama, dok je sposobnost razumevanja govora procenjivana Peabody Picture Vocabulary testom. Rezultati. Rezultati pokazuju da ispitanici sa IO i DD bolje razumeju i produkuju lažne nego ironične iskaze. Ispitanici sa IO su uspešniji u zadacima produkovanja, nego u zadacima razumevanja, kako lažnih, tako i ironičnih iskaza, dok za ispitanike sa DD ovo važi samo za ironične tvrdnje. U zadacima razumevanja ironije, ispitanici sa IO su bili značajno uspešniji od ispitanika sa DD. Kod ispitanika sa IO teorija uma prvog reda ostvarila je značajne korelacije samo sa sposobnošću produkcije ironije, a teorija uma drugog reda sa produkcijom ironije i produkcijom prevare. U grupi ispitanika sa DD nisu ustanovljene značajne korelacije između teorije uma i produkcije i razumevanja ironije i prevare. Zaključak. Između dve grupe ispitanika pronađene su razlike u nekim aspektima ispitivanih sposobnosti, ali ipak dominiraju sličnosti u profilu ovih sposobosti. Varijabilnost rezultata više objašnjava razlike u sposobnosti razumevanja govora, nego razlike u neverbalnom intelektualnom funkcionisanju ili usvojenosti teorije uma. Narednim istraživanjima trebalo bi proveriti uticaj drugih kognitivnih faktora

Paralinguistic abilities of adults with intellectual disability

The aim of this research was to determine the ability level of paralinguistic production and comprehension in adults with intellectual disability (ID) with regard to the level of their intellectual functioning and presence of co-morbid psychiatric conditions or dual diagnosis (DD). The sample consisted of 120 participants of both genders, ranging in age between 20 and 56 years (M=31.82, SD =8.702). Approximately 50% of the sample comprised participants with a co-existing psychiatric condition. Each of these two sub-samples (those with ID only and those with DD) consisted of 25 participants with mild ID and 35 participants with moderate ID. The paralinguistic scale from The Assessment Battery for Communication (ABaCo; Sacco et al., 2008) was used to assess the abilities of comprehension and production of paralinguistic elements. The results showed that the participants with mild ID are more successful than the participants with moderate ID both in paralinguistic comprehension tasks (p =.000) and in paralinguistic production tasks (p =.001). Additionally, the results indicated the presence of separate influences of both ID levels on all of the paralinguistic abilities (F [116]= 42.549, p =.000) and the existence of DD (F[116] = 18.215, p =.000).This is the peer-reviewed version of the article: Dordević, M.; Glumbićs, N.; Brojčin, B. Paralinguistic Abilities of Adults with Intellectual Disability. Res. Dev. Disabil. 2016, 48, 211–219. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2015.11.001

Drawing as a means of diagnosis and treatment of individuals with developmental disorders

Neuspeh u ostvarivanju adekvatnih vršnjačkih odnosa i prijateljstava, kao i odbačenost od strane vršnjaka, mogu imati dugoročne negativne posledice. Deca sa ometenošću, posebno ona koja ispoljavaju neodgovarajuće socijalno ponašanje, jesu pod rizikom od zauzimanja nižeg sociometrijskog statusa među vršnjacima. Stoga se posebna pažnja pridaje strategijama koje mogu podstaći vršnjačko prihvatanje. Cilj ovog rada jeste prikaz strategije pozitivnog vršnjačkog izveštavanja, kao i efekata njene primene kroz pregled relevantnih istraživanja. Pozitivno vršnjačko izveštavanje je intervencija kojom se menja negativna vršnjačka percepcija socijalno odbačenog ili zanemarenog deteta. Ono unapređuje vršnjačke odnose, a realizuju ga sami vršnjaci. Oni se podučavaju kako da pohvaljuju odabrano dete za odgovarajuće ponašanje, koristeći deskriptivne pohvale. Osim modelovanja adekvatnih i neadekvatnih primera pohvala, koraci obično podrazumevaju gledanje u vršnjaka kojeg hvale, osmehivanje, opisivanje onoga što je dobro uradio ili rekao i pohvaljivanje. Intervencija se realizuje tokom odabranog kratkog perioda u toku dana kada vršnjaci na opisani način pružaju pozitivnu pažnju ciljnom detetu. Nastavnik daje vršnjacima povratnu informaciju, pohvalu i nagradu za pozitivno izveštavanje. U dosadašnjim istraživanjima zabeležen je pozitivan efekat različitih varijanti ove strategije na vršnjačko prihvatanje, porast pozitivnih vršnjačkih interakcija i opadanje problematičnog ponašanja, kao i generalizacija efekata na okruženja u kojima intervencija nije sprovođena. Međutim, ove studije ne daju konačan odgovor kada je u pitanju održavanje uočenih efekata tokom vremena. Relativno jednostavna primena u različitim okruženjima, ekonomičnost, kao i, u okviru pojedinih istraživanja, potvrđena socijalna validnost, čine pozitivno vršnjačko izveštavanje pristupom koji obećava kada je u pitanju pružanje podrške socijalno odbačenoj deci.Children’s artwork can be studied from a variety of points of view. It reflects the attained level of intellectual abilities of a child, as well as his/her ability to observe the data that he/she can reproduce by his/her own hand. This points to the fact that children’s artistic development is conditioned by the child’s reached level of motor development, consciousness and emotion, and that artistic expression cannot occur before the necessary conditions for its occurrence are met. Certainly, in addition to these internal factors, the very appearance and further development of artistic expression of children is significantly influenced by the so-called external factors that are reflected in the conditions of children’s lives and certain incentives coming from the social environment. Through drawings, one can observe how children build a concept about themselves and the world around them, and they can also be a document about the maturity of a child. Characteristics of drawings, drawing, and the development of artistic expression are usually studied in children of typical development and children with learning disabilities, while relatively few research studies have dealt with this issue in the population of individuals with disabilities. Application of drawings is indicated in students with learning disabilities, behavioral disorders and/or emotional disorders, visual impairment, hearing impairment, intellectual disability and motor disorders. In this paper we discussed the possibilities and the need for the application of art therapy in working with individuals with disabilities, with special reference to the use of drawings as a means of diagnosis and treatment. Based on the review of papers available to us, it can be concluded that there is a relatively small number of studies that have dealt with this problem in the population of individuals with disabilities, and almost no research papers related to the application of drawings in psychotherapy with this population. A possible explanation for this is a relatively short period of time from the establishment of art therapy as a special type of psychotherapy, as well as its greater use in practice and less engaging in empirical research

Aggressive behaviour in children with moderate intellectual disability

Agresija u detinjstvu i adolescenciji je vezana za brojne negativne ishode. Navodi se da je učestalost agresivnih ponašanja veća kod osoba sa intelektualnom ometenošću nego u populaciji tipičnog razvoja, kao i da su ona primarni razlog smeštanja ovih osoba u institucije i glavni razlog zbog koga im se prepisuju antipsihotici. Cilj ovog istraživanja je da utvrdi stepen agresivnog ponašanja kod dece sa umerenom intelektualnom ometenošću, kao i moguću povezanost agresivnog ponašanja sa polom i hronološkim uzrastom ispitanika. Uzorak čini 151 ispitanik oba pola. Celokupan uzorak podeljen je na dva poduzorka. Prvi čini 48 ispitanika sa umerenom intelektualnom ometenošću – 30 (62,50%) dečaka i 18 (37,50%) devojčica, uzrasta od 10 do 14 godina (AS=12,77; SD=1,66). Kontrolnu grupu čine 103 ispitanika tipičnog razvoja – 47 (45,63%) muškog i 56 (54,37%) ženskog pola, uzrasta od 10 do 14 godina (AS=12,14; SD=1,44). U istraživanju je korišćena nastavnička forma Ahenbahovog sistema empirijski bazirane procene (podskala Agresivno ponašanje). Sirovi skorovi su transformisani u T skorove. Granične vrednosti na podskali Agresivno ponašanje bazirane su na distribuciji T skorova u kontrolnoj grupi. Ispitinaci sa vrednostima T skorova koji se kreću u rasponu od 93. do 97. percentila (tj. između 55 i 75) imaju graničan nalaz, dok su vrednosti T skorova više od 97. percentila (>75) klinički značajne. U ovom istraživanju 13 (27,08%) dece sa umerenom intelektualnom ometenošću i (7,77%) tipično razvijene dece ima granične nalaze na podskali za procenu agresivnog ponašanja. Osim toga, kod dvoje (4,17%) dece sa umerenom intelektualnom ometenošću i četvoro (3,88%) dece iz kontrolne grupe ostvareni skorovi klinički su značajni. Ispitanici sa umerenom intelektualnom ometenošću imaju statistički značajno veće skorove na podskali Agresivno ponašanje u odnosu na ispitanike iz kontrolne grupe (t=-4,538; df=149; p<0,001). Rezultati Man-Vitnijevog U testa pokazuju da su dečaci agresivniji od devojčica, kako u poduzorku dece sa umerenom intelektualnom ometenošću (U=148; z=-1,227; p=0,009), tako i u poduzorku ispitanika očuvanih intelektualnih sposobnosti (U=898; z=-2,818; p=0,005). Nasuprot tome, nisu pronađene razlike u agresivnom ponašanju ispitanika različitog uzrasta, ni u poduzorku ispitanika sa umerenom intelektualnom ometenošću ((F(3,44)=0,319; p=0,812)), niti u kontrolnoj grupi ((F(3,99)=1,826; p=0,417)). Dobijeni rezultati upućuju na primenu komunikacijske i kognitivnobihejvioralne intervencije u preventivne i terapijske svrhe kod ove populacije.Aggression in childhood and adolescence is related to a number of negative outcomes. It is noted that the frequency of aggressive behaviours in persons with intellectual disability is higher than in typically developing persons and that these behaviours are the primary reason for their placement in residential institutions and the main reason for prescribing antipsychotics. The objective of this research was to determine the level of aggressive behaviour in children with moderate intellectual disability, and its possible relationship with participants’ sex and chronological age. The sample consisted of 151 participants of both sexes. The whole sample was divided into two subsets. The first subset consisted of 48 participants with moderate intellectual disability – 30 (62.50%) boys and 18 (37.50%) girls, aged from 10 to 14 (M=12,77; SD=1,66). The control group consisted of 103 participants – 47 (45.63%) boys and 56 (54.37%) girls, aged from 10 to 14 (M=12,77; SD=1,44). The teacher form of the Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (syndrome subscale Aggressive Behaviour) was used in this research. The raw scores were transformed into T scores. The cutpoints for the Aggressive Behaviour subscale were based on T scores distribution in the control group. Borderline range span from the 93rd to 97th percentile (55 through 75), while the T scores above the 97th percentile (>75) are considered to be clinically significant. It was revealed that 13 (27.08%) children with moderate intellectual disability and 8 (7.77%) typically developing children are in the borderline range. In addition, 2 (4.17%) participants with moderate intellectual disability and 4 (3.88%) participants from the control group are in the clinical range. Participants with moderate intellectual disability obtained significantly higher scores on Aggressive Behaviour subscale compared to the control group (t= - 4.538; df=149; p<0.001). The results of the Mann-Whitney U test indicate that males in both subsets are more aggressive than females (U=148; z=-1.227; p=0.009 and U=898; z=- 2.818; p=0.005, for the children with moderate intellectual disability and the control group, respectively). On the contrary, differences in aggressive behaviour according to the participants’ chronological age were observed neither in children with moderate intellectual disability ((F(3,44)=0.319; p=0.812)), nor in the control group ((F(3,99)=1.826; p=0.417)). The results point out the importance of communication and cognitivebehavioral interventions in preventive and therapeutic purposes

Faux pas understanding in children and adolescents with mild intellectual disability

Faux pas (socijalni gaf) se javlja kada neko kaže drugoj osobi nešto što je nezgrapno, povređujuće ili uvredljivo, ne znajući, ili ne shvatajući, da to nije trebalo da bude rečeno. Razumevanje ovih situacija se koristi kao način za proveru naprednijeg korišćenja teorije uma, a koliko je autorima ovog rada poznato, nije do sada ispitivano kod populacije osoba sa intelektualnom ometenošću. Cilj istraživanja je da ispita da li i na kom uzrastu deca i adolescenti sa lakom intelektualnom ometenošću počinju da prepoznaju i razumeju faux pas i kakav je odnos ove sposobnosti sa polom i jezičkim veštinama ispitanika. Inicijalni uzorak je činilo 120 ispitanika sa lakom intelektualnom ometenošću, uzrasta od 8 do 16 godina. U istraživanju su primenjeni: strip-priča „Sanja i Ana“, adaptirane test priče za ispitivanje faux pas, Kliničke skale receptivnog i ekspresivnog govora Lurija- Nebraska neuropsihološke baterije za decu i Test pragmatskog jezika. Rezultati pokazuju da je oko 15% ispitanika uspešno u razumevanju faux pas situacija i da se ovaj nivo uspeha ne javlja pre 12. godine. Između ispitanih jezičkih veština i faux pas pronađene su značajne korelacije srednjih vrednosti, dok pol ispitanika nije bio značajan za razumevanje ovih situacija. Dobijeni rezultati pokazuju da bar deo ispitane populacije, iako sa zakašnjenjem, može ovladati naprednim aspektima teorije uma.Faux pas occurs when someone says something that the interlocutor perceives as awkward, hurtful or offensive, unaware that it was not to be told. Understanding of these situations is used as a tool for the assessment of advanced theory of mind that (as far as we know) has not been studied yet in the population of individuals with intellectual disability. The objective of this research is to determine whether and when children and adolescents with mild intellectual disability start to recognize and understand faux pas, and to explore the relationship between this ability and participants’ sex and linguistic competence. The initial sample consisted of 120 participants with mild intellectual disability, ranging between 8 and 16 years of age. The following assessment tools have been used: The Sally-Anne test, the adapted test stories for an assessment of the faux pas, the Clinical scales of the receptive and expressive speech of the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery for Children and the Test of Pragmatic Language. The results show that about 15% of the participants were able to understand faux pas situations and that this level of success would not occur before the age of 12. The obtained results indicate that significant correlations of moderate value exist between language abilities and the faux pas, while the participants’ sex was not related to understanding of the faux pas situations. The obtained results show that at least a part of the examined population, although with delay, may master the advanced aspects of Theory of Mind

'Krug prijatelja' kao strategija za unapređivanje vršnjačkog prihvatanja dece sa ometenošću

Placing the stress on the development of interventions whose aim is to achieve academic success, teachers in regular classes can neglect the important aspects of school experience - social and emotional life of a child. If the inclusion of children with disabilities into regular class activities is not actively dealt with, they can be only physically included in regular classes, but stay socially and psychologically secluded. The aim of this paper is to introduce 'circle of friends' as one of the strategies for the improvement of peer acceptance of children with disabilities. An additional goal pertains to this strategy's efficiency evaluation, based on the results of research hitherto performed. The pieces of information related to the portrayal and the effects of 'circle of friends' have been gathered based on a research of electronic database. Those papers where the objectives and the manner of realization of 'circle of friends' are described, as well as the papers which display qualitative and/or quantitative evaluation of this strategy's application have been taken into consideration. 'Circle of friends' represents an intervention whose intent is to increase the inclusion of a child into the regular educational surroundings, relying on the engagement of peers in providing support and solving problems for a child who finds it difficult to get involved in peer collective for some reason. In the hitherto performed research, several crucial steps in the realization of the 'circle' have been described. Even though their results point to the generally positive effects of this strategy on social acceptance and the behavior of children who have been in the focus of the intervention, a certain degree of intra group variability has been noted too, as well as a variability pertaining to the generalization and upkeep of positive effects. With the aim of gaining answers to the questions regarding the kind of children and conditions where 'circle of friends' gives positive effects, it is vital to continue working on the evaluation of the 'circle', paying attention not only to outcomes, but also to the processes lying in the base of the approach itself. For now, 'circle of friends' presents a promising approach with a view to increasing the peer acceptance of children with disabilities as well as to the prevention of deepening the existing and the emergence of new problems in peer behavior and relations.Stavljanjem naglaska na razvoj intervencija čiji je cilj postizanje akademskog uspeha, nastavnici u redovnim odeljenjima mogu zapostaviti važne aspekte školskog iskustva - socijalni i emocionalni život deteta. Ukoliko se aktivno ne radi na uključivanju dece sa ometenošću u uobičajene odeljenske aktivnosti, ona mogu biti samo fizički uključena u redovna odeljenja, ali ostati socijalno i psihološki izolovana. Cilj ovog rada je da se predstavi 'krug prijatelja' kao jedna od strategija za unapređivanje vršnjačkog prihvatanja dece sa ometenošću. Dodatni cilj se odnosi na evaluaciju efikasnosti ove strategije na osnovu rezultata dosadašnjih istraživanja. Informacije u vezi sa opisom i efektima 'kruga prijatelja' prikupljene su pretraživanjem elektronskih izvora podataka. Razmatrani su oni radovi u kojima su opisani ciljevi i način realizacije 'kruga prijatelja', kao i radovi u kojima je prikazana kvalitativna i/ili kvantitativna evaluacija primene ove strategije. 'Krug prijatelja' predstavlja intervenciju čija je namena da se poveća uključenost deteta u redovno obrazovno okruženje oslanjajući se na angažovanje vršnjaka u obezbeđivanju podrške i rešavanju problema za detete koje, iz nekog razloga, ima teškoće da se uključi u vršnjački kolektiv. U literaturi je opisano nekoliko ključnih koraka za realizaciju 'kruga'. Iako rezultati dosadašnjih istraživanja ukazuju na generalno pozitivne efekte ove strategije na socijalnu prihvaćenost i ponašanje dece koja su bila u fokusu intervencije, uočena je i unutargrupna varijabilnost, ali i varijabilnost u pogledu generalizacije i održavanja pozitivnih efekata. U cilju dobijanja odgovora na pitanja za koju decu i pod kojim uslovima 'krug prijatelja' daje pozitivne efekte, neophodno je dalje raditi na evaluaciji 'kruga' uz usmeravanje pažnje ne samo na ishode, već i na procese koji stoje u osnovi samog pristupa. Zasad 'krug prijatelja' predstavlja obećavajući pristup u cilju povećanja vršnjačkog prihvatanja dece sa ometenošću, ali i prevencije produbljivanja i nastajanja novih problema u ponašanju i odnosima sa vršnjacima

Predictors of aggressive behavior in children with autism spectrum disorder

Introduction: Aggressive behaviour is not the main symptom of autism spectrum disorders, and if it occurs in this population, it is a consequence of some other factors. Objectives: With regard to that, the aim of this paper isto determine to what extent certain aspects of executive functions, severity of autism, sleep habits, and parenting actions contribute to the manifestation of different forms of aggressive behaviourin children with an autism spectrum disorder. Methods: The sample included 40 children with autism spectrum disorders, 5-7 years of age (M=6.18, SD= .55). The following instruments were used in the assessment: The Children's Scale of Hostility andAggression –Reactive/Proactive, Gilliam Autism Rating Scale –Third Edition, The Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire andBehaviorRating Inventory of Executive Function. Results: The obtained results showed that sleep problems were the most significant predictor of verbal, physical and covert aggression. From the domain of behavioural aspects of executive functions, only task monitor was a significant predictor of bullying, and inhibit and shift were significant predictors of hostility. From the field of autistic disorders, significant predictors of aggressive behaviour were emotional responses (as predictors of bullying, covert aggression and hostility), and maladaptive speech (as a predictor of verbal aggression, covert aggression and hostility). Punitive discipline was a significant factor only in explaining verbal aggression. Conclusion: Practical implications of this research indicate that, in treating aggressive behaviour in children with ASD, more attention should be paid to sleep habits, practising task monitor, inhibit and shift skills, and avoiding rigorous punitive measures