SPECIAL TREATMENT, 2020. Vol. 6. (1.) - full text

Knowledge of the age at which elite athletes achieve peak performance could provide invaluable information for the athletes to plan their career, to carefully select sports events promising successful participation. We aimed to identify the age at which top athletes achieved their Olympic medals, and to observe any changes in the average medal-winning age over the last decades. The age of Olympic medallists between 1960 Rome and 2016 Rio were collected using an online database. Data were gathered from the following individual sports: track and field, swimming, fencing (foil, épée, saber), triple jump, long jump, high jump, and wrestling (57 events all together). The study evaluates and compares the trends in the age of the winners in each discipline. Disciplines of this study show one of the two trends: the trend of increasing age, or trend of decreasing in age. In those disciplines, in which the Olympic medallists were younger than 26 years at the beginning of the examination period, such as swimming, the medallists became older over the decades. In those disciplines, however, in which the top three were older than 26 years at the beginning of the examination period, such as fencers, younger and younger athletes won their Olympic medals as time went by. The age and the trend in the changes of the age of the medallists in the examined disciplines support the theory of an optimal age, being around 26 years.

The equal opportunities approach of the second half of the 20th century emphasizes the social inclusion of disadvantaged groups, including persons with disabilities. Education and employment play a key role in achieving integration. Nevertheless, other fields such as leisure time and sporting activities also contribute positively to the social involvement of persons with disabilities. At present nearly 7,000 persons with disabilities are registered in Hungary who pursue sports competitively, of whom approximately 5,000 persons with intellectual disabilities (Regényi et.al, 2017). The study discloses the partial results of a research aimed at revealing the awareness of the Hungarian population regarding the sport of people with disabilities. As such research has never been carried out in Hungary before, it can fill in a niche. The results of our exploratory research may be the starting point for further investigations. The importance of the topic is given by the fact that thanks to the sport the focus is on the outstanding performance of the social group concerned rather than on their limitations and deficiencies, which therefore reinforces the positive and accepting attitude of citizens. Previous research findings have highlighted that the nature of disability-related knowledge influences the way the members of society think about persons with disabilities, i.e. when it is possible to provide information and gain experience focusing on the existing abilities and strengths of the above -mentioned group, attitudes become more positive as well.  The findings of the research reveal that respondents consider it important to pursue sport within an integrated framework, at the same time they feel it is justified to do segregated sports with a view to persons with disabilities. Based on the results we can state that the media coverage of achievements in sports competitions of persons with disabilities is perceived as low level, but apparently it is not considered to be a key area in the lives of persons with disabilities.

The aim of inclusive education is to adapt educational requirements, educational organization and learning conditions to the needs and capabilities of each pupil in a multifaceted way. Inclusive education is implemented by the educational systems of the European Union Member States. In Poland its history began in the 1990s. Many activities are currently being undertaken to create the best possible conditions for the development of the potential of each pupil. The school environment in cooperation with the family is responsible for taking all possible measures to eliminate barriers which prevent the child from being given proper education. In particular, this task is related to the care for a child with disabilities.  In the Polish educational system, there are many forms of implementing the postulate of inclusive education. It is worth emphasizing the activity of day-care centres which provide extra-curricular education for children. The school day-care centre is a place where inclusive education is a daily practice. The article presents a case study of the activity of a day-care centre in one of the schools with inclusive classes in Krakow. The description of the day-care centre functioning made it possible to present the diversity of activities undertaken in it. The data was extended by referring to the opinions of parents and children.

Most of the Roma settlements in Croatia are spatially segregated from the settlements of the majority population. Specific cultural elements constitute the ethnic border towards the local population, making it difficult and reducing the possibility of their integration into the majority population. One of the results of that segregation is the unfamiliarity of the Roma children with the language of the majority population. This unfamiliarity with the Croatian language is a big obstacle for the integration of the Roma children into Croatian society through school education. Starting from Grade 1 they follow the regular school curriculum. Two of the subjects that are taught from the very beginning of their primary school education are Natural Science and English as a foreign language. In this paper, the authors present the results (statistical analysis and discussion) of their research study. It compares the familiarity of Roma and Non-Roma Grade 4 children (age 10) with some biological terms in English as a foreign language. Based on the results of their research, the authors suggest modifications of the school curriculum for Roma children that would enable their better school achievement and subsequently their easier integration into Croatian society.

This study is a presentation of the first phase of a complex research project which aims to present the theoretical background of a new game collection (based on OxIPO model). We have compiled a game collection to improve cognitive abilities in early childhood. Concerning cognitive abilities, Affolter's (1972), Sindelar's (1994) and others' earlier developmental approaches took into account visual, auditive or motoric (inter) modalities of perception, however, we believe we need a more complex model to cover the full capability. Within the framework of the OxIPO model (Mező, 2002, 2016), learning is interpreted as an information processing process. In the OxIPO model (Field, 2002, 2016), Learning = Organization x (Input + Process + Output) allows us to control and systemize not only the input modalities but also the output modalities and also to interpret some cognitive abilities in the process phase. We have created a game-collection based on six input (visual, auditive, kinesthetic, olfactory, gustatory, and tactile) modalities and five cognitive abilities (perception, attention, memory, conceptual thinking, problem-solving thinking) and three output (visual, auditive, motoric) modalities. The outcome of the six input modalities and the five target abilities and the three output modalities there are 90 different games that can be described by the OxIPO model. In the future, we would like to prove with empirical studies that this game collection can be used for testing and developing 90 independent cognitive abilities. On the other hand, we need to prove that these cognitive abilities indeed influence the daily lives of children and their effectiveness.

Starting from the idea that treating a problem is done more efficiently when we address the causes that generated it than when dealing with symptoms, respectively from theories that claim that most of the mental disorders have their roots in the mother-child relationship developed in the early childhood, through the paper entitled A Theoretical Perspective on the Therapeutic Role of Children's Folk Songs we intend to argue the more use of songs from children's folklore in music therapy. Thus, in the first part of the paper, we bring to the attention of the main theories that demonstrate the importance of the mother-child relationship from the early childhood in order to a healthy evolution of the child from the point of view of its psychic development, with special emphasis on their expression through vocal singing. In the second part of the study, we propose to approach the defense mechanisms from the perspective of the positive functions that it performs in the case of normal persons, as a defense mechanism and defense behavior. In the third part of the paper, we present an analysis of the repertoire of songs from the children's folklore from the perspective of the content of ideas, of the structure of the melodic line, of the specific rhythms, as a mirror of the relationships that children develop with themselves and with others, in particular with my mother. In the fourth part of the paper, we argue the use of songs from children's folklore in music therapy in order to trigger certain memories from the first childhood so that the traumas that have not been overcome are then treated properly. The paper concludes with some final considerations.

Children with developmental disorders do not acquire the same way as do children with an age-appropriate intellectual level, so it needs to be carefully chosen what kind of methods to use and in what way to teach the children. For preschool children, the most efficient and simplest method of teaching mathematics is a playful approach to learning activities. The purpose of this work was to create a set of materials to support the teaching and learning of mathematical concepts for preschool-age children with special needs. There were created learning materials such as Train, Shelves, Long and short, Butterflies and cars, Wide and narrow road, and board game Owls. All the learning materials, including a board game, are laminated and most of them are provided with velcro strips to stick different parts. All the learning materials are tested on preschool-age children and asked specialists and teachers, who work with children with special needs, to give their expert evaluation. Learning materials support teaching mathematical concepts for preschool-age children with special needs.

The phenomenon can be encountered day by day that at primary schools there are just a few Roma children among well-performing students, while among students who fail in fulfilling the requirements there are a great amount of Roma pupils. The question may come to the surface intuitively: What are the reasons behind that?  The paper aims to discover and explain this problem relying on the relevant literature.

The paper aims to propose a process of development of individual educational support based on the analysis of selected items taken from the individual education plans designed for students individually integrated within mainstream primary schools. We analyzed personal files of 18 students diagnosed with developmental learning disorders and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). The results indicate the general formulation of interventions in educational settings.