Inclusive education of students with Down syndrome

U prosjeku se na 650 novorođene djece rodi jedno dijete s Down sindromom, zbog čega se on smatra jednim od najčešćih genetskih poremećaja. Djeca rođena s Down sindromom imaju pravo, kao i sva ostala djeca, okusiti svijet kojim su okružena, biti društvena bića i razvijati svoje sposobnosti. Osim toga, dijete s Down sindromom ima pravo i na kvalitetno obrazovanje koje će mu, uz podršku roditelja, prijatelja ili pomoćnih službi, pomoći postići što veći stupanj neovisnosti za samostalni život. Svrha ovog diplomskog rada je prikazati učinkovitost inkluzivnog obrazovanja kao i načine i strategije pomoću kojih se učenicima s Down sindromom može pružiti potrebna podrška. Cilj rada je temeljem pregleda istraživanja (svjetskih i domaćih) i zakonodavnih akata u našoj zemlji te temeljem međunarodnih dokumenata, prikazati rezultate koji su pokazali da najviše dobrobiti za postizanje samostalnosti djeteta s Down sindromom ima uključivanje učenika u redovite škole i pružanje individualizirane podrške u okviru individualiziranih kurikuluma. Inkluzivno obrazovanje za njih predstavlja obrazovanje bez diskriminacije i integraciju u zajednicu u kojoj imaju priliku razvijati se i učiti u okruženju koje potiče njihov cjeloviti razvoj. Zbog teškoća u razvoju potrebno im je više vremena za stjecanje određenih vještina zato je važno imati mnogo strpljenja i odrediti njihov kognitivni profil, a sve u svrhu ostvarenja potencijala za učenje. Kako bi njihovo obrazovanje uistinu bilo kvalitetno, važno je razumjeti njihove odgojno-obrazovne potrebe te sukladno njima prilagoditi nastavni plan i program. Kvaliteti njihovog obrazovanja pridonose i pomoćnici u nastavi koji im pružaju dodatnu potporu u stjecanju, kako obrazovnih, tako i socijalnih kompetencija. Teorijska podloga i istraživanja navedena u ovom radu potvrđuju da inkluzivno obrazovanje uvelike pridonosi akademskom napretku učenika s Down sindromom, a njihova integracija u društvo pridonosi smanjenju diskriminacije učenika s posebnim odgojno-obrazovnim potrebama te promiče vrijednosti važne za izgradnju senzibilizirane zajednice.On average, one in 650 newborns is born with Down syndrome, which is why it is considered one of the most common genetic disorders. Children born with Down syndrome have the right, just like other children, to experience the world around them, be social beings and develop their abilities. In addition, a child with Down syndrome has the right to a quality education that will, with the support of parents, friends or support services, help him or her achieve the highest possible degree of independence for self-reliant living. The purpose of this thesis is to show the effectiveness of inclusive education as well as ways and strategies by which students with Down syndrome can be provided with the necessary support. The aim of this thesis is to, based on the review of studies (both global and domestic), legislative acts in our country and international documents, present the results that have shown that the greatest benefit for achieving independence of a child with Down syndrome is being included in regular schools and provided individualized support within individualized curriculum. For them, inclusive education is considered education without discrimination while being implemented into community in which they have the opportunity to develop and learn in an environment that encourages their holistic development. Due to development difficulties, they need more time to acquire certain skills and that is why it is important to have a lot of patience as well as determine their cognitive profile, all in order to realize their learning potential. For them to have an education of truly high quality, the understanding of their educational needs and adjustment of curriculum is of great importance. Teaching assistants also contribute to the quality of their education by providing them with additional support in acquiring both educational and social competencies. The theoretical background and research presented in this thesis confirm that inclusive education greatly contributes to the academic progress of students with Down syndrome and that their integration into society contributes to reducing discrimination against students with special educational needs in general and promotes values important for building a sensible community