Do Difficult Children Become Difficult Adults?

An analysis of the social pedagogical work with difficult children is presented, outlining characteristics, specifics and approaches for prevention and social accompaniment. In order to highlight the specifics of this group of children, a comparison is made with two other groups of children in a situation of life difficulty - "socially disadvantaged children" and "children at risk". The analysis refers to the understanding that difficult children are children with impaired emotional development, difficulty in communicating with others and disrupted behavioral control, all of which can lead to consequences both on a personal and behavioral level. It is emphasized that difficult children turn into such in situations where adults cannot find an adequate approach to them, and most often these adults are members of the family, parents, or teachers. An overview of scientific positions on difficult children by English, American, Russian and Bulgarian researchers is offered. This is the basis for outlining the main spheres which affect children negatively and categorize them as "difficult children" - emotional-personal; learning-cognitive; behavioral; somatic. The reasons for children’s difficult behavior are examined, including: the family and the flaws in it; the lack of spiritual connection between parents and children; the asocial environment; participation in criminal groups; errors in the work of educational institutions; economic difficulties that have influenced all spheres of public life. The characteristics of problem children are presented that account for the formulation of the principles of social pedagogical work with them. It is emphasized that one of the important approaches in the work is the development of skills for social inclusion, social expression and self-assertion. The model for social pedagogical work with difficult children is developed in two aspects: preventive work and social accompaniment. Preventive work consists in constantly informing all stakeholders - teachers, educators, non-pedagogical staff in educational institutions and the family on the opportunities for preventing "difficult children" on the one hand, and ensuring interaction between the participants in the preventive activities as well as striving to attract more organizations and institutions, on the other. The social accompaniment as a social pedagogical work includes: identification of children with difficult behavior at the earliest stage of the disadaptation process, diagnosis of the factors of the difficult behavior and the reasons for the disadvantage, preparation of an individual road map for working with the child, implementation of the individual program for accompanying the child, measuring and analyzing the results of the child's work and his / her close circle.

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