Working with children with disabilities in kindergarten

In Russia, there has been a law in force for more than 7 years, according to which kindergartens must create a special environment for the development of children with disabilities. We tell you what conditions children with disabilities need and how to organize work with “special” children in preschool.

Disability and Disability: The Difference
Where can children with disabilities study?
What conditions are needed for children with disabilities in kindergartens?
Forms and methods of work of a teacher with children with disabilities
Benefits and additional payments for teachers working with children with disabilities

Disability and Disability: What's the Difference?

Children with disabilities are often confused or compared with children with disabilities. These are different concepts and it is important to understand their differences.

A child with disabilities has a regular or temporary deviation in physical or psychological development. For example, he has poor vision or hearing, stutters or has other speech impairments, is mentally retarded, or suffers from autism. Such disorders may be temporary or permanent, mild or severe. As the child develops, they may completely become a thing of the past. The diagnosis of “disability” is not always made by a doctor; it only means that this baby is special and needs an individual approach.

Disability involves significant impairment of body functions. They could be the result of an injury or birth defect in the child. These deviations are difficult to eliminate or cannot be eliminated, so the diagnosis is not removed from the child for years, and sometimes throughout his life. Disability is established by expert doctors at a medical and social commission, has an official status and presupposes the availability of benefits and payments to the child’s parents.

Children with disabilities and disabled children need special conditions for development and learning, attention and care. They are trained using a similar methodology, the features of which depend on the type and severity of the disease.

Who is included in the HIA group?

By the way, if anyone wants to study the legal framework on this issue on their own, I can recommend the manual “Education of children with disabilities in accordance with the Federal State Educational Standard of the NOO. Local legal acts”, you can buy it on the portal “Labyrinth.ru”.

So, it is worth noting that a referral to a group for children with disabilities can be obtained after passing a special psychological, medical and pedagogical commission and only with the consent of the child’s parents or guardians. Considering the child’s rights to choose the form and method of receiving education, experts can only recommend that the mother transfer the baby to a special group.

The fact is that sometimes parents do not notice deviations in the child’s behavior, which indicate the presence of a certain disease that reduces his ability to receive education in the usual way. There are children who were born with obvious deviations in health and development, and there are cases when only by certain signs noticeable to a specialist can one determine the presence of some kind of defect.

You need to be very attentive to your children and, at the slightest suspicion, contact a specialist. After all, most minor developmental and health defects can be corrected and forgotten about, but only with early diagnosis.

Children can be trained in a correctional group if they have the following defects:

Impaired hearing, vision, speech;
Mild mental retardation;
Negative mental states;
Psychopathic-like forms of behavior;
Pedagogical neglect;
Mild motor pathology;
Complex forms of allergies;
Frequently recurring general diseases.

It is worth noting that the listed pathologies should be in a mild form, but if the pathology is severe, the child simply physically cannot be outside the home and without his parents.

Where can children with disabilities study?

Children with disabilities can attend specialized or regular kindergartens. The choice of group and institution depends on the severity of the child’s disabilities. There are two main training options.

1. Kindergartens or compensatory groups These are special groups that are aimed at correcting pathologies in children. They are usually attended by preschoolers with serious physical and mental disabilities. Children with similar types of disabilities are assigned to each group and are taught within the group according to a single program.

2. Combined groups This group combines normal children and preschoolers with disabilities. The group should have no more than 15-17 people. Moreover, there may be only a third of this number of children with disabilities. Combined groups are suitable for children with minor developmental disabilities. But it is also important to create special conditions for them. The teacher works with “special” children according to an individual adaptive program. If children have different types of disorders, then the development program is drawn up individually for each.

The decision on which form of education is suitable for a particular child is made by a psychological, medical and pedagogical commission. The student undergoes a full examination and receives a conclusion. In addition to the conclusion, recommendations are attached that indicate the conditions for the child’s comfortable learning.

Methodological help for teachers

Today, there are various forms of self-education, including literature, seminars, courses, etc. How to manage everything? You can take training online without leaving your home and receive relevant certificates that will not be superfluous in your portfolio.

I always find particularly advantageous offers for seminars at UchMag:

“Development of fine motor skills in children with disabilities using non-traditional equipment”;
“Federal State Educational Standards of the National Educational Institution: Correctional and Pedagogical Support for Children with Disabilities”;
“Special education of children with special educational needs”;
“Methods, techniques and forms of working with parents on the development and correctional pedagogical assistance to children with disabilities.”

What are the difficulties of working with children who are not entirely healthy?

The fact is that such children are characterized by some motor retardation or hyperactivity, insufficient coordination of movements, poor performance, low socialization, intellectual disability, deviations in cognitive processes, etc.

Usually the adaptation of such a child occurs with great difficulties, since there is low self-esteem and various fears. But at the same time, according to experts, one defect is compensated by an inflated positive quality in such children. For example, children who are hard of hearing have sharp eyesight and a great interest in fine arts. And visually impaired children have a well-developed so-called sixth sense.

To work with this contingent of pupils, it is not enough to just be a teacher with a standard preschool education. You need to take special courses, study a lot of literature on your own, study not only your responsibilities, but also delve into the psychology of these children, understand the peculiarities of their physical condition.

For each child with disabilities, a profile is written by each specialist who works with him. Periodic monitoring of the child’s development dynamics and health monitoring, both physical and psychological, are carried out.

In short, very difficult, but very important work is being done - correction of child health defects.

In simple terms, they simply work with children and teach them not to be shy, but to be successful in other activities among their peers. The teacher must pay attention to the abilities of the child and the students in the group.

What conditions are needed for children with disabilities in kindergartens?

Children with disabilities, due to circumstances, get used to constant parental care, so it is difficult for them to adapt to society. They often have little interaction with other children and virtually no participation in group games. It is important to create an environment that will help children develop basic interaction skills. For example, prepare for life in society, develop speech, social and motor skills, as well as self-care skills.

To do this you need:

Arrange the territory of the kindergarten in such a way that the child can move freely, regardless of possible physical limitations.
Create a favorable atmosphere in the group, preparing healthy children for the arrival of a child with special needs. The teacher’s task is to create an environment in which every child feels comfortable, adhering to the principle of equality and without violating the rights of ordinary children. At the same time, it is important to ensure that a friendly atmosphere is maintained in the group. Encourage mixed games where kids play together, do not emphasize the differences of a child with special needs in front of other children. Be the bridge through which the child finds his first friends. Remember that the child’s psyche is flexible and very quickly takes for granted any characteristics of classmates in the garden if adults treat them calmly and kindly.
Involve not only educators, but also other specialists in working with children. The program should include: a psychologist, speech therapist, speech pathologist, health worker, music director and physical education instructor. They evaluate the child’s behavior, his reactions to various situations, and conduct additional individual or group lessons. Then they observe the results, make the necessary recommendations and report them to parents. In this way, it will be possible to ensure the comprehensive development of the child - physical, artistic, speech and social.
Study the characteristics of each child and the recommendations of the medical board. Based on this, create an individual development plan. Despite the possibility of joint education for ordinary children and children with disabilities, the forms and methods of education for children with a diagnosis differ from the standard ones.

Experience working with children with disabilities in a preschool educational institution

Experience working with children with disabilities in preschool settings

educational institution.

O.G Kolobova

Psychologist-speech therapist

MDOU "CRR-kindergarten No. 7 "Alyonushka"

village Pervomaisky

Abstract: The article presents the experience of working with children with disabilities, the problems of their adaptation and integration into the usual conditions of a kindergarten, which imply the joint education of all children, regardless of their physical, mental or intellectual abilities.

Key words: psychologist, adaptation, children with disabilities, sand therapy

Now we are increasingly seeing children with the following symptoms: impaired coordination of movements, low development of fine motor skills of the hands, underdeveloped sense of rhythm, reduced level of development of verbal memory, attention, perception (various types), later formation of verbal and logical thinking than in children the same age without disorders in speech development, etc. The complexity of various disorders lies in the fact that they lead to other disorders, in particular a violation of the emotional-volitional and communicative spheres. When communicating with peers, such children may be afraid of being unsuccessful, avoid communication, and the child may also be overly aggressive, or, conversely, withdrawn and depressed. All this requires a more careful selection of methods of psychological correction work with children with disabilities. Each preschool educational institution implements in its activities, first of all, the line of differentiation and humanization (in the name of the child, for the child), takes into account the interests and needs of the children themselves, and especially when working with children with disabilities. The importance of preserving the health of preschool children is declared by all federal regulations.

“An educational institution creates conditions that guarantee the protection and promotion of the health of students and pupils.”

(RF Law on Education. Art. 51, clause 1.)

“An important condition for the effectiveness of the educational process is the establishment of trusting business contact between the family and the kindergarten, during which the educational position of parents and teachers is adjusted, which is especially important in organizing work to preserve and strengthen the physical and psychological health of children.”

(Concept of preschool education).

Thus, the main tasks of psychological and pedagogical work are determined:

overcoming stressful conditions in infants and young children during the period of adaptation to kindergarten;
developing children’s interaction skills with each other;
development of attention, perception, speech, imagination;
development of a sense of rhythm, general fine motor skills, coordination of movements;
development of gaming skills, voluntary behavior.
relieving emotional and muscle tension;
formation of an active position of parents in relation to the process of raising children.

The arrival of each child in kindergarten begins with the process of adaptation. This largely depends on how teachers are able to understand the needs, interests, and inclinations of the child, relieve emotional stress in a timely manner, and agree on the methodology for conducting regime processes with the family. However, the greatest attention should be paid to the peculiarities of the adaptation process. For this purpose, an individual adaptation sheet is kept for each child, in which, every day, from the moment the child enters the preschool educational institution, the results of monitoring him according to the selected criteria are recorded. At the end of the adaptation period, the adaptation sheet is handed over to the educational psychologist.

Our kindergarten began working with children with disabilities in 2015, from the day it opened. According to the documents, we had three children aged from 2 to 3.5 years. In the process of early psychological and pedagogical diagnosis of children in kindergarten groups, parents and children were identified and referred to specialists for additional medical examination. Unfortunately, we have twice as many special children. Children with varying degrees of diseases: neurological, autism, intellectual disabilities, speech pathologies. The next stage began painstaking work aimed at the process of adaptation and socialization of children with disabilities in groups.

The goals and objectives of psychological and pedagogical correction in our kindergarten are solved comprehensively and discussed at pedagogical meetings. To carry out the work, a teacher-psychologist, teachers of younger and older age groups, a physical education teacher, a music director, and parents are involved. A psychodiagnostic examination of a child with developmental problems is carried out by a psychologist. A systemic examination includes the study of all aspects of the psyche (cognitive activity, speech, emotional-volitional sphere, personal development). The scientific and practical developments of E. A. Strebeleva and M. M. Semago are used as sources of diagnostic tools.

In a comprehensive assessment of the mental development and potential capabilities of children with disabilities, a pedagogical examination is important. Pedagogical study involves obtaining information about the child, revealing the knowledge, abilities, skills that he should have at a certain age stage. Establishing the main problems in learning, the pace of learning the material, identifying the characteristics of the educational activities of preschoolers with disabilities. Information of interest can be obtained by using methods such as direct conversation with the child and parents, analysis of the preschooler’s work (drawings, crafts, etc.), and pedagogical observation. This allows us to make targeted adjustments in the future in organizing the process of raising and educating children with disabilities. A child with special needs becomes a full participant in all activities of the preschool educational institution. In a group of children, he tries to be equal and do interesting work in cognitive, experimental, musical, and physical education classes, taking into account his capabilities.

Providing socio-psychological support to children with problems of mental and physical development is included in the group plan and a psychologist separately. Individual classes and group work are conducted, aimed at developing cognitive processes: attention, memory, motor functions, thinking. Various types of play therapy are used: finger games, self-massage training (rubbing fingers, hand massage with pine cones, pencils, wooden balls), plasticine applications, seeds, cereals, games with water. This develops thinking abilities, imagination, spatial thinking and fine motor skills, an excellent opportunity to entertain the baby and intensify the process of his individual development.

Let's focus on one of the methods - sand therapy. In our kindergarten this direction has found wide application.

Sand therapy Observations show that playing with sand has a positive effect on the emotional state, which makes it an excellent tool for the development and self-development of a child. Our garden also has a very interesting area of sand therapy - the use and application of kinetic sand. This sand is a set for creativity of a new generation. Recommended for children over 3 years old.

Modeling from kinetic (living) sand is very useful for a child. Who can and should do sand therapy? The answer is simple - EVERYONE: parents and children, grandparents and grandchildren, children with disabilities (cerebral palsy, speech disorders, emotional-volitional disorders, people with Down syndrome, etc.).

To organize games with sand, a large set of miniature objects and toys was collected, collectively symbolizing the world. Terrestrial animals (domestic, wild, prehistoric). Inhabitants of the aquatic world (various fish, mammals, mollusks, crabs). Household utensils (dishes, household items, table decorations). Trees and other plants (flowers, grass, shrubs, greenery, etc.). Transport means (land, water, air transport). Landscape objects (forests, mountains). Accessories (beads, masks, fabrics, buttons, buckles, jewelry, etc.).

Natural objects (stones, shells, pieces of wood, seeds, feathers, etc.). Cartoon characters from Kinder Surprises.

Wooden sticks for drawing, letter stencils.

All items are located in transparent plastic containers and are at the level of children's viewing and access. Playing with sand is a natural and accessible form of activity for every child. A child with disabilities often cannot express his feelings and fears in words, and then playing with sand comes to his aid. By acting out the situations that agitated him with the help of toy figures, creating a picture of his own world from sand, the child is freed from tension. And most importantly, he gains invaluable experience in symbolically resolving many life situations, because in a real fairy tale everything ends well. Partial transfer of the psychologist-educator's classes to the sandbox gives a greater educational and educational effect than standard forms of training. Firstly, the child’s desire to learn something new, experiment and work independently increases. Secondly, tactile sensitivity develops in the sandbox as the basis of “manual intelligence”. Thirdly, in games with sand, all cognitive functions (perception, attention, memory, thinking), and most importantly for us, speech and motor skills, develop more harmoniously and intensively. Fourthly, object-based play activities are improved, which contributes to the development of role-playing games and the child’s communication skills.

The program we have developed is based on the wonderful manual by O.B Sapozhnikova, E.V. Garnova “Sand therapy in the development of preschool children.”

Examples of some exercises: “Sensitive palms”, “We are young archaeologists”, “Whose trace is this?”, for older children “Name the sound”, “Find a friend”. During the lessons, the fairy-tale hero “Sand Turtle” introduces children to the rules of interaction with sand. The exercises that we include in classes are of enormous importance for the development of the child’s psyche and speech functions. Based on the techniques of working in a kinetic sandbox, a psychologist can make the traditional method of working with preschoolers and children with disabilities more interesting, exciting, and more productive.

Analysis of the survey data allows us to draw the following conclusions. All children with disabilities love to go to kindergarten, they study and play with pleasure, children find it interesting in kindergarten. The level of efficiency, perseverance, and ability to work according to a certain rule in a group of children has increased. The emotional state has stabilized. Children learn to articulate their feelings, and this contributes to the development of speech, voluntary attention and memory, gain the first experience of self-analysis, learn to understand themselves and others, which is very important for children with disabilities.

Thus, early assistance to children with disabilities at the preschool level is an important integral link in the system of integration into society, an important factor in their development.

Bibliography

1. Veraksa A.N., Gutorova M.F. Practical psychologist in kindergarten: A manual for psychologists and teachers. - 2nd ed., revised. — M, 2014

2. Sapozhnikova O.B., Garnova E.V. Sand therapy in the development of preschool children. - M.: TC Sfera, 2016.

3. Modern technologies for the education of children with disabilities: trends, problems, prospects: collection. articles based on the materials of the Second All-Russian Symposium with international participation, 2011. — Chita, 2011.

Forms and methods of work of a teacher with children with disabilities

During training, children with disabilities often get tired quickly, respond slowly to requests, and find it difficult to maintain attention on one task. These features should be taken into account when choosing a form of training. For example, you should reduce the duration of classes, change activities more often, and allocate more time to any task. But this does not mean that a child with disabilities needs to be separated from the main group. It is important to find abilities, identify the child’s predispositions and rely on them in learning.

The main task of the teacher in group work is to find those methods that will be accessible and interesting to all group members. Psychologists recommend including three main methods in your plan.

Play therapy

This is a psychological tool that influences children through play. In a relaxed atmosphere, children learn to interact with other people, explore the world and expand their horizons. The game helps to understand exactly what difficulties a particular child is experiencing and correct them.

Children with disabilities will benefit from musical games or exercises in the sensory room. This is a specially equipped room that helps stimulate all forms of perception: olfactory, tactile, auditory, visual, gustatory and vestibular.

Psycho-gymnastics

These are sets of exercises and games that help relax muscles, express feelings and become emotionally liberated. Such exercises develop the cognitive, emotional and personal sphere. The simplest example of psycho-gymnastics is the game “Do as I do.” The teacher shows expressive movements, and the children repeat.

Fairytale therapy and puppet therapy

Fairytale therapy allows you to immerse a child in a certain situation using the example of fairy-tale characters. In this way, he develops his imagination, learns to cope with fears and live through his emotions. Fairytale therapy is effective for children who have difficulties in the physical, emotional and behavioral spheres. Fairy tale therapy is a method of working with children through fairy tales. Puppet therapy works on the principle of fairy tale therapy, only instead of a fairy tale, the teacher performs a puppet theater.

Directions of correctional work with children

Children who attend a correctional group are treated according to the same principle as with ordinary children, but taking into account the characteristics of this contingent.

Thus, much attention is paid to the following areas:

Development of physical health. A physical education or physical therapy instructor develops an individual program for each child, which provides for the correction of certain physical defects.

The teacher, together with the psychologist, uses physical education as a tool to strengthen willpower, an active life position, motivates children to make independent decisions and develops the ability to get out of difficult situations. This strengthens the baby's emotional health and makes him stronger in every way.

Development of cognitive qualities. Using the principle from simple to complex, relying on the principle of clarity, other methods and techniques that are suitable for each specific child teach children the skills of independent exploration of the world. The difficulty is that each child has his own health and psychosomatic characteristics, so a careful selection of methodological tools is required.
Social and communicative development. This is an extremely important direction specifically for children with disabilities. They need to be taught the most basic everyday things that will facilitate their socialization. Healthy children learn self-care and communication skills naturally, gradually.

Children with disabilities experience difficulties with the simplest actions and often have problems with speech. The speech therapist and teacher solve these problems on two fronts, working individually with each child. Both teachers and parents of children with disabilities participate in organizing a communicative and developmental environment. A separate area is educational work with mothers and fathers.

We are working together to teach everyday skills and communication skills.

Artistic and aesthetic development. Through classes in music, drawing, modeling, etc. Children very effectively develop fine motor skills, master the skills of working with different materials, and learn to interact with the teacher and friends. Art is very important for such children; they are often extremely receptive to music and love everything beautiful.

Benefits and additional payments for teachers working with children with disabilities

Working with children with disabilities is additional work and responsibility for the teacher. Not every specialist has the appropriate professional and emotional preparation for such work. To work with children with disabilities, a teacher must undergo a professional development program and learn to use the acquired knowledge in their work. Therefore, the state encourages educators who help children compensate for deviations and become full-fledged individuals. Such specialists receive higher wages and longer vacation - 56 calendar days. On the contrary, the number of working hours decreases - they work no more than 25 hours a week.

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