Assistance programme for fostering independent feeding of a special needs child in the pre-school period

According to the statistical data from previous years, the number of children with special needs included in the programme of early childhood education with tailored implementation and special support is growing. In parallel, the need for adequate early special pedagogical treatment and efficient early childhood education programmes that enable optimal progress for the mentioned population of children has occurred. The children’s difficulties can occur in different areas, also at being independent. This demands appropriately developed motor skills, cognition, sensor system and suitable interaction with the environment. In my thesis I have developed an individualized programme with movement, fine motor and playing activities. I wanted to find out whether it can influence the development of independent eating at a child with special needs in the early childhood period. A three-year-old boy with moderate speech and language disorder was included in the case study. He was integrated in the programme of early childhood education with tailored implementation and special support. The programme was carried out in eight weeks with 18 individualized treatments. The results gained with the rating scales analysis, direct observation of the child and with talking to the parents and the teacher showed that we can stimulate the development of independence at eating with the programme of movement, fine motor and playing activities. The most efficient activity for the child and his progress was the fine motor activity with which we stimulate the visual motor coordination (carrying objects with a spoon). The child used the newly developed fine motor skills (e.g. more suitable use of a spoon) at the active eating activity. It was found out that after four months after completing the programme the child still uses the skills developed in the individualised programme (more suitable use of a spoon, more horizontal holding of a spoon). He is more independent, eats more food and gets less dirty. As a result of the thesis the practical guidelines for working with children with speech and language disorder and motor skills impairment in the early childhood period have been developed. The guidelines are the result of the individual treatments and can help the special workers at teaching the independent eating