Riječ urednice
In 2015 a number of distingished experts from foreign universities joined our Editorial Board as new members.
More...We kindly inform you that, as long as the subject affiliation of our 300.000+ articles is in progress, you might get unsufficient or no results on your third level or second level search. In this case, please broaden your search criteria.
In 2015 a number of distingished experts from foreign universities joined our Editorial Board as new members.
More...
The purpose of this study was to examine the development of motor skills in hearing-impaired pupils with cochlear implants (CI). Sixteen pupils with CIs, aged 12.37 years (SD 4.42), who attended regular educational programs, and seventeen hearing pupils, aged 12.64 years (SD 3.69), participated in the study using the Bruininks - Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency. The results demonstrated that a very high percentage of pupils with CIs scored below the average range in all subtests. Even poorer results were between the observed groups found in the subtests assessing gross motor skills. The most significant differences were found in the subsets of upper limb coordination, bilateral coordination, and balance. It was noticed that hearing children performed significantly better than those with CIs.
More...
Previous research has indicated that there is a significant correlation between social skills and problem behaviors. Children with poor social skills usually show some kind of problem behavior. Both poor social skills and problem behaviors negatively influence psychosocial functioning as well as academic achievement. Children with visual impairment often have problems in social functioning throughout their whole life as a consequence of impaired vision, but also as a consequence of insufficient and adverse social experiences. The most common problem behaviors these children experience are social withdrawal and aggression. The goal of this study was to define the relationship between social skills performance and behavioral problems in students with visual impairment. The study was comprised of 39 parents of teenage children with visual impairment (13–17 years old). The children attended regular state schools and a school for the blind in the Republic of Croatia. The data were collected using the Social Skills Rating System (SSRS) developed by Gresham and Elliott (1990) and were analyzed by quasi-canonical correlation analysis using ROBKAN software. The obtained results confirmed the correlation between social skills and problem behaviors in children with visual impairment. Children with poorer social skills had more problems with behavior. The correlation was particularly evident in the domain of cooperation, as more responsible and more cooperative children had significantly less problems with behavior.
More...
The period of adjustment of children in preschool institutions, especially nursery schools, is a difficult and stressful time for most children. How long it will take and what kind of adjustment reactions the child will show depends on the emotional bonds that the child has previously developed. Considering the great lack of adequate measurement in this research field, the main aim of this study was to adapt and validate the Attachment Assessment Scale for toddlers, and to examine the quality of their attachment in the early phase of adaptation to the nursery.The study was conducted on a sample of 271 child in preschool institutions in Rijeka, Opatija, Lovran, Krk, and Baška. Educators observed the behaviour of children in the first fourteen days of their attendance in the nursery school. A questionnaire was given that was adapted and validated, on the basis of previous research, toddlers’ patterns of attachment (Mihic, 2010). Five of seven previously determined factors from the original questionnaire (Mihic, 2010) were found in this study. This finding confirmed the possibility of upgrading the questionnaire, in order to expand the possibility of better assessing and diagnosing the possible positive and negative aspects of developing the quality of toddlers’ attachment and the determination to develop safe, ambivalent, uncertain, or disorganizing forms of attachment. The behavioural patterns called: Avoidance, Support, Mother-child closeness, Rejection and Cold distance, have explained 57.945% of the total variance and showed satisfactory reliability levels in the range from 0.740 to 0.892. The results for attachment quality showed that the majority of children in this study were certainly attached to their primary parental figure and went through a normal course of adjustment to nursery school. In addition to the analysis of relations with different personal and situational variables, the findings are discussed in terms of the importance of attachment theory for quality work in the nursery school.
More...
Many researchers emphasize teachers’ attitudes as a decisive component in ensuring successful inclusion of students with special needs (SN students). The empirical research that is presented in the main part of this article analyzes the attitudes of primary and secondary teachers towards the inclusion of SN students with respect to the type of school, the teachers’ age, the number of SN students in the class, and the teachers’) acquired skills. A questionnaire was devised for the study, based on two previous questionnaires: the Questionnaire on Attitudes towards Integration and the Teacher Stress and Coping Questionnaire.The secondary teachers showed more positive attitudes towards SN students than did their primary colleagues, as well as towards teaching and adaptation with respect to the students’ SN and towards the psychophysical strain related to such work. The youngest group of teachers, those aged from 20 to 30, shows a higher level of agreement related to the provision of adequate support. Teachers with fewer SN students in class (up to two students) show a higher degree of support for inclusion of SN students than do other groups of teachers. Teachers without training for work with SN students in comparison with their colleagues who had it show a lower level of agreement with respect to support and assistance at educational work with SN students.
More...
In this research study on a representative sample of Slovenian elementary school students (n = 1527), teachers (n = 163), and head teachers (n = 60), we examined how the responding groups assess their knowledge about drugs, prevention, drug use, and abuse. The data we gathered are similar to the data of a 1998 study carried out in Northern Ireland, entitled ‘Drugs: what young people know’. In our study, students, teachers, and head teachers state that students acquire most of their knowledge about drug use and abuse in school, especially from teachers and school counsellors. However, a high share of the respondents thought that the emphasis was not strong enough. Almost half of the elementary school teachers in Slovenia (46.5%) believe that individual subject syllabuses do not contain enough goals and didactic recommendations encouraging the consideration of drug issues. In addition, international study results demonstrate that, during their undergraduate education, teachers do not acquire enough knowledge about drug issues (Allot and Paxton 2000). Therefore, it is not surprising that 61.5% of Slovenian elementary school teachers have expressed a need for additional training in the field.
More...
Sports betting is a very widespread game of chance in Croatia. Contemporary research on youth gambling prevalence, which becomes of more interest in the social sciences, shows significant prevalence of this type of risk behaviour. Theoretical models, as well as empirical research, also indicate a correlation between gambling and other forms of risk/delinquent behavior. The aims of this paper are to determine the prevalence of regular sports betting among male high-school students in Croatia, differences in sports betting with regard to age and type of school, and differences in the manifestation of other risk/delinquent behavior with regard to frequency of sports betting. A study was conducted with 1,330 male high-school students (Mage=16.58; SD=1.19) from all three types of high schools in Croatia (in 7 cities/towns). The following instruments were used: Questionnaire on General Socio-Demographic Data; Gambling Activities Questionnaire (Ricijaš et al. 2011), as well as Risk and Delinquent Behaviour Questionnaire (Atlanta et al., 2005). Results show that 36.6% of male high-school students regularly bet on sports results, and sports betting is the most frequent games of chance played among young people. Students from four-year vocational high schools bet more often than gymnasium (university preparatory) students, while age differences were not found. Results also show a correlation between frequency of sports betting and frequency of playing other games of chance, while those students who bet more often also manifest more risk/ delinquent behaviour. The differences are significant on all subscales, but the effects are the greatest within school-related risk behaviour and consummation of alcohol/drugs. The results are interpreted in the context of other international research, but also with practical implications for creating prompt and well-timed interventions for youth at risk.
More...
Aims and objectives. The goal of this study was to determine the impact of symptoms on the individual dimensions of the quality of life in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).Background. The presence of symptoms or the fear of them in patients with COPD affects their physical and social activities. Actively combatting the disease depletes physical, emotional, and financial resources and affects the ability of the patient to overcome other life situations.Methods. The sample consisted of 80 respondents with COPD, Stage II, as per GOLD classification. The average age of respondents was 62.9 years. The research was conducted using the Short Form Quality of Life Questionnaire (SF-36) and St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ).Results. Results of the SF-36 questionnaire indicated that the health-related quality of life was mostly limited: general health, physical functioning, vitality, and mental health. Next to the worsening of symptoms such as cough and dyspnoea, patients reported a worsening of the following dimensions: general health, physical functioning, bodily pain, vitality, social functioning, and mental health. A strong linear relationship was observed between the symptoms and the dimension limitation of emotional problems.Relevance for clinical practice. The aim of a COPD comprehensive therapy should be to reduce its symptoms, preventing the loss of performance, improving daily activities, and in general improving the patient’s quality of life.
More...
The number of children with visual impairment attending regular, mainstream elementary schools in Croatia is constantly rising. Their inclusion in regular schools has two main goals. The first goal is to ensure better conditions for higher quality education; the second goal, just as important as the first, is to enable these children to have better social connections with their peers.Good social relationships with peers depend mainly on the each student’s social skills developmental level. Learning and acquiring social skills develops through numerous processes, which are mostly supported by observation, imitation, and learning by doing, but the main mediators for social skills learning in childhood are the children’s parents (family) and their peers. Parents are especially important in the process of learning social skills, as they are the first ones who ˝teach˝ their children social skills and continuously and regularly evaluate their children’s socials skills. It is on this foundation that children build as they work on further social influences.The goal of this research was to explore gender differences in the parental assessment of social skills in adolescent students with visual impairment. The participants were 34 parents of adolescents with visual impairment: 18 parents of boys and 16 parents of girls. A subscale of the instrument Social Skills Rating System - Parent form (Gresham & Elliot, 1990) was used for the assessment of social skills.The parents rated the social skills of their children in the domain of cooperativeness, assertiveness, responsibility, and self- control. Differences in the field of social skills between boys and girls with visual impairment were found. According to parental assessment, the boys with visual impairment had better social skills than the girls.
More...
Angelman syndrome (AS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by progressive microcephaly and epilepsy. In terms of development, this syndrome implies developmental discrepancies and difficulties in acquiring speech and language, as well as unusual behaviour (e.g., spontaneous bouts of laughter). AS is a distinct disorder with a characteristic cognitive, behavioural, and neurological phenotype. It is linked with abnormalities in chromosome 15q11-13. The incidence of AS is estimated to be between 1 in 15,000 and 1 in 20,000 children. Developmental delays are first noted around the age of 6 months. However, the unique clinical features of Angelman syndrome do not become manifest until after age of 1 year. The following characteristics are associated with Angelman syndrome: strabismus, protruding tongue, frequent drooling, sucking and swallowing disorders, wide mouth, excessive chewing, hypopigmented skin, scoliosis, and abnormal sleep-wake cycles. Diagnosis is based on genetic testing and on establishing individual clinical features of Angelman syndrome. Education and rehabilitation methods in managing Angelman syndrome are early intervention, basic perceptive stimulation, behavioral modification, physical, speech and language, and occupational therapy. Speech and language therapy should focus on nonverbal methods of communication. Angelman syndrome is not a progressive ailment, and the prognosis for adulthood is good.
More...
According to the United Nations estimate, there are about one billion persons with disabilities in the world, accounting for some 15% of the world’s population. In Croatia, relevant parameters on individuals with disabilities have been collected through the Register of Persons with Disabilities. The aim of this study was to compare the pattern of disability prevalence and causes of disability between the Republic of Croatia and the City of Zagreb during the 2008–2013 period, with the understanding that information on the national and regional level can be used in the process of planning care for people with disabilities, but also as indicators in the evaluation of implemented measures and programs. Data obtained from the Croatian Register of Persons with Disabilities distributed according to age, sex, and type of disability were used in a comparison of the Republic of Croatia and the City of Zagreb. Data from the Register of Persons with Disabilities revealed that the prevalence of disability in the Republic of Croatia rose continuously from 11.0% in 2008 to 12.1% in 2012, and then fell to 11.9% in 2013. In the City of Zagreb, an increase in the prevalence of disability was recorded from 2008 (11.4%) to 2010 (11.9%), followed by a slight fall in 2011 and 2013 (11.5% in both years), with 11.6% recorded in 2012. In 2010, the same prevalence of disability – 11.9% – was recorded in the Republic of Croatia and the City of Zagreb.In conclusion, the prevalence of disability was recorded in the Republic of Croatia and the City of Zagreb, with comparable sex and age distribution according to the causes of disability. Some differences should probably be attributed to the fact that, in the Republic of Croatia, disability validation is performed by six different disability boards and based on different legislation. Establishment of a unique disability board using uniform criteria on disability evaluation will certainly contribute to standardized presentation of the causes of disability and to the development of epidemiology in this particular field of medical science.
More...
Transgender individuals are people who feel an incongruity between their self-identified gender and their birth gender.Transgenderism is a broad term and includes a spectrum of gender-nonconforming identities. The two main patterns of gender transition are Male-to-Female (MtF) and Female-to-Male (FtM).Transgender people often think their voice “betrays” them, i.e. it reveals their biological gender and represents the last obstacle to the individual’s full enjoyment of his/her new gender role. Regardless of this, many transgender individuals are not aware of the fact that they can go to speech and language pathologists (SLP) for therapy. The aim of this review article is to provide insight into the voice disorders of transgender people, i.e. to describe the assessment process and therapy protocols in hope of gaining a better understanding of the needs of this population.
More...