COMPLETE PROFESSIONAL SELF-REALIZATION OF HEALTHCARE SPECIALISTS WORKING WITH CHILDREN AND ADULTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

The professional realization of healthcare professionals in dealing with children and adults with special needs requires them to have the knowledge, skills, and necessary professional competencies to identify, perform, and evaluate the activities related to the care of the disabled person. Their activity is focused on the health problem that leads the person with special needs to hospitalization in the medical establishment, which does not exclude satisfying his vital needs. Applying their knowledge and competencies, they collect the information they need for the disabled patient. The processed and specified information is implemented through appropriate interventions and subsequently the results obtained are evaluated. Health care requires logic, systematic to solve a particular health problem of the sick person, and they are an intellectual process [Zheleva 2004]]. The expected results of the professional realization of health care professionals in working with children and adults with special needs can be presented as the application of: learning scientific information on the problems of theoretical and practical aspects of health care nee-ded for children and adults with disabilities; forming knowledge, skills, and compe-tencies in the field of health care for the needy person.

Online vs. offline: axiological model of educational Rhizoma-like professional spaces

It is curious to reflect that so much significance has been given to Tutoring for teachers within the period of COVID-19 pandemic in the spaces of some destructive changes of the postmodernism educational paradigm. Both the behaviorist/structural model and functional /communicative model have, in their different ways and aspects, consistently played it in terms of the emphasis on correspondence, on-line and off-line courses. This study suggests some ways of opening up daily situations and cases with ICT means for learners in the regional professional spaces of modern language teaching in terms of axiological approach that considers student-centered techniques as a priority a) to establish the psychological balance in the classroom, which is essential for security and stability of the communicative environment and educational process for each participant; b) to fill the gap in different sections of Grammar and Vocabulary for any learner; c) to open up the possibilities for both gifted children and children/adults with special needs.

Inclusive schools: Are teachers adequately prepared for inclusion?

This article will discuss one of the main topics on the educational and social agendas in Israel. Integrating children and adults with special needs into schools and the community is a worldwide issue. Many researchers have tried to find and evaluate the most effective integration methods, to assist people with special needs and enable them high quality of life and equality. In this article, we will look at the process of integrating students with special needs and the transition that took place during the last few decades regarding the idea of “inclusion”, which is now a top priority for the Ministry of Education’s directors. Based on recent studies, we will examine whether school teaching staff and student teachers are ready to implement inclusive programs in schools as required. We will then propose ways to optimize the training of the educational staff, towards the implementation of the inclusive programs.

Increasing Inclusion and Reducing the Stigma of Special Needs in Latvia: What Can We Learn from Other Countries?

Latvia regained its independence in 1991 and has been slowly transforming the education system to meet the standards of the European Union (EU) and the Western world. Since regaining independence Latvia has started to integrate children with special education needs into regular schools and society; yet the process is quite restrained and measured, causing many to suggest that there must be a way and means to accelerate this process. If only Latvians could access and use practices found (Alberta) Canada or another inclusive country (Finland), that has successfully integrated students and adults with disabilities into school and society, to diminish Latvian problems such as life long dependency, poverty and social exclusion that adds to an already existing stigma of intellectual disability according to the European Union Monitoring and Advocacy Program (EUMAP, 2005). Stigma is the one issue that keeps surfacing as the key challenge for people with special needs in Latvia (Fine-Davis & Faas, 2014). Latvian society at present has minimal exposure and experience with children and adults with special needs, resulting in unawareness, avoidance, and a general misunderstanding of this population.

Mobile Technology and Differentiated Learning

As the world falls in love with the iPad and other touch screen tablet technologies, no one is more excited by the possibilities than those of us who teach students with significant disabilities. The mobile tablet's intuitive interface, variety of accessibility options, and almost limitless possibilities for individualized intervention make this technology a true game-changer for children and adults with special needs. This chapter explores the landscape of tablet use to increase the education, communication, and independence of students with moderate to severe disabilities. Current research on effective teaching and learning practice that can best be employed through mobile touch screen technologies is presented.