Il existe actuellement peu de données sur l’apport du numérique dans le développement du langage chez des enfants porteurs de trouble du spectre autistique (TSA). Une recherche-action visant à évaluer l’évolution du langage et des particularités sensorielles et motrices est menée auprès de 20 enfants âgés entre 6 et 16 ans pendant 24 mois. La tablette numérique proposée en accompagnement individuel hebdomadaire a eu un effet positif sur le développement du langage et a participé à améliorer les comportements adaptatifs au quotidien des enfants. La proposition d’ateliers numériques sur la base de 4 curriculum numériques construits sur un modèle de type « bottom up” c'est-à-dire ciblant les apprentissages de la phonologie vers le lexique, la sémantique, la syntaxe et la pragmatique favorise la progression langagière et développementale des enfants. Les résultats vont dans le sens d’une corrélation positive entre une progression du langage et l’évolution des comportements adaptatifs au quotidien, et d’un apport bénéfique et significatif du numérique dans les accompagnements cognitifs des enfants avec TSA. / There is currently little data on the contribution of digital technology to language development in children with ASD. A research study was conducted over the course of 24 months among 20 children aged between 6 and 16 years to evaluate the language evolution and the sensory and motor characteristics. The digital tablet offered as a weekly individual intervention had a positive effect on language development and helped improve adaptive behaviors on a daily basis. The proposal for digital workshops based on 4 digital educational curriculum following on a bottom-up model, i.e. targeting the learning of phonology to vocabulary, semantics, syntax and pragmatics, promotes the linguistic and developmental progression of children. These results support a positive correlation between a progression of language and the evolution of adaptive behaviors in everyday life and in favor of a beneficial and significant contribution of digital in the cognitive interventions for children with ASD.

My diploma thesis is focused on educational and pedagogical process of students with Rett Syndrome. In its theoretic part, I describe Rett Syndrome as a clinical picture and a diagnostics and a therapy. The practical part of the thesis focuses on three main aims: to determine a certain number of students with Rett Syndrome in the Czech Republic, further to discover these students{\crq} educational and pedagogical process, and finally, to demonstrate a concrete form of this process on two casuistries. All of aims were realized. What follows from my survey is that the students are mostly educated according to the educational Rehabilitation program used for remedial schools; this means that no specific educational and pedagogical program for the children with Rett Syndrome has been created so far. According to my observation, the girls are schooled in autistic classes or in classes of children with combined handicaps, also in special elementary schools and preschool institutions.

HOFMANNOVÁ, Romana. Autistic child starts a school attendance at a current elementary school. Čerské Budějovicee: University of South Bohemia, Pedagogical Faculty, Department of Pedagogy and Psychology, 2012, pp., Supervisor of the diploma thesis PhDr. Marta Franclová. My diploma thesis is focused on autism particularly on connection of autism and educational possibilities for persons with ASDs (Autistic Spectrum Disorders). My work consists of two parts. Theoretical part deals with theoretical informations about especially about expressions and qualification. Theoretical part contain autistic persons in CZ an about consultant services. Very important role plays Individual education plan. Second practical part is in a form of personal study.

Submitted by Aelson Maciera (aelsoncm@terra.com.br) on 2017-04-11T17:14:37Z No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseGOB.pdf: 2831285 bytes, checksum: cacb5bec1f7db77498788d440d426c1e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Ronildo Prado (ronisp@ufscar.br) on 2017-04-19T20:09:36Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseGOB.pdf: 2831285 bytes, checksum: cacb5bec1f7db77498788d440d426c1e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Ronildo Prado (ronisp@ufscar.br) on 2017-04-19T20:09:46Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseGOB.pdf: 2831285 bytes, checksum: cacb5bec1f7db77498788d440d426c1e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-04-19T20:14:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseGOB.pdf: 2831285 bytes, checksum: cacb5bec1f7db77498788d440d426c1e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-09-26 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / The autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by inadequacies in social interaction, communication skills, learning and adaptability. The person with ASD should be exposed to conditions that stimulate its maximum development in order to promote the learning process in different contexts. In this sense, the hippotherapy can be an effective strategy in the child development process with ASD, since it favors different sensory systems. However, in order the learning process to become efficient, it is necessary to employ compensatory teaching strategies that provide access to information in order to provide effective opportunity to participate in the activity. The study aimed at analyzing the effectiveness of aid levels in the posture learning process in hippotherapy for children with ASD. As for the method, this study was single-subject design, type AB with replicas of designs with single subject; three children with ASD aged between four and nine years had participated in the study. Participants underwent hippotherapy intervention lasting four months, twice a week, corresponding to 31 individual sessions of hippotherapy. As data collection instrument was made anamnesis with the parents or guardians, the Assessment of Basic Learning Abilities, field diary and checklist. The checklist was based on 10 postures namely, mount, prone, side mount, inverted mount, inverted prone, standing in the stirrups, four supports, inverted four supports, kneeling and reversed kneeling. The data analysis on the progress of each participant was descriptive. Regarding the results, it was observed that all participants were able to perform the postures with verbal assistance at the late intervention, and the learning process mediated by the visualverbal, physical and verbal aids. The latter was predominant. We conclude that the aid was effective overall, once all participants have evolved compared to the baseline, they also respond more effectively to physical and verbal assistance to later the verbal one. Moreover, learning is favored by the association of various aids, as different sensory inputs were benefited; therefore, there is no universally more efficient method; each child has a peculiar way of relating to the world and hence to the learning processes. / O transtorno do espectro autista (TEA) caracteriza-se por inadequações na interação social, habilidade comunicativa, aprendizado e capacidade de adaptação. A pessoa com TEA deve ser exposta a condições que estimulem o seu máximo desenvolvimento, de modo a favorecer o processo de aprendizagem em diferentes contextos. Nessa direção, a equoterapia pode ser uma estratégia efetiva no processo de desenvolvimento da criança com TEA, uma vez que favorece diversos sistemas sensoriais. Contudo, para que o processo de aprendizagem torne-se eficiente, faz-se necessário empregar estratégias de ensino compensatórias que viabilizem o acesso à informação de forma a proporcionar efetiva oportunidade de participação na atividade. O estudo objetivou analisar a efetividade dos níveis de auxílio no processo de aprendizagem de posturas em equoterapia por crianças com TEA. Quanto ao método, o presente estudo foi de delineamento de sujeito único, do tipo AB, com réplicas em delineamentos com sujeito único. Participaram do estudo três crianças com TEA, com idades entre quatro e nove anos. Os participantes foram submetidos a intervenção equoterápica com duração de quatro meses, duas vezes na semana, o que correspondeu a 31 sessões individuais de equoterapia. Como instrumento de coleta de dados, foi realizada uma anamnese com os pais ou responsáveis, um protocolo de Avaliação de Habilidades Básicas de Aprendizagem (sigla em inglês: ABLA – Assessment of Basic Learning Abilities), um diário de campo e uma checklist. A lista de checagem foi baseada em 10 posturas, sendo elas: montaria, decúbito ventral, montaria lateral, montaria invertida, decúbito ventral invertido, em pé sobre os estribos, quatro apoios, quatro apoios invertido, ajoelhado e ajoelhado invertido. A análise dos dados a respeito da evolução de cada participante foi descritiva. Com relação aos resultados, observou-se que todos os participantes foram capazes de realizar as posturas com auxílio verbal ao final da intervenção, sendo o processo de aprendizagem mediado pelos auxílios visual-verbal e físico-verbal, este último foi predominante. Conclui-se que, de maneira geral, os auxílios foram efetivos, pois todos os participantes evoluíram quando comparados à linha de base, como também responderam com maior efetividade ao auxílio físico-verbal para, posteriormente, responderem ao verbal. Além disso, a aprendizagem foi favorecida com a associação dos diferentes auxílios, pois diferentes entradas sensoriais foram beneficiadas; portanto, não há um método universalmente mais eficiente, pois cada criança tem uma maneira peculiar de relacionar-se com o mundo e, consequentemente, com os processos de aprendizagem.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:29:00Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2007-07-31Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:37:43Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 brito_ma_me_bauru.pdf: 782288 bytes, checksum: 498165d9c6f44add92fd0f5d7b317dfb (MD5) / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / A literatura ilustra que alguns aspectos da linguagem são essenciais no desenvolvimento e aprendizagem de indivíduos com Transtornos do Espectro Austístico (TEA). Entre tais aspectos destaca-se o uso funcional da linguagem, como principal dificuldade de comunicação nessa população, sendo fundamental sua consideração em contexto acadêmico. Nessa perspectiva, esta pesquisa investigou o perfil comunicativo, com ênfase nos aspectos funcionais da linguagem, de alunos com TEA durante a interação com suas professoras, em salas comuns de instituições públicas. Participaram 14 alunos com TEA, de ambos os sexos, com idades entre três e oito anos, que frequentavam do maternal à 2ª série e suas respectivas professoras. Como parte do procedimento foram realizadas duas filmagens, cada qual com 30 minutos, em situações de sala de aula, que tinham entre seus objetivos promover o desenvolvimento da linguagem oral dos alunos. Para análise das filmagens, foi utilizado o protocolo de pragmática, que verificou a ocorrência de iniciativas de comunicação e o espaço comunicativo ocupado pelos alunos e professoras, as funções e meios comunicativos utilizados pelos alunos. Os resultados evidenciaram que de modo geral as professoras iniciaram mais a comunicação, ocupando maior espaço comunicativo durante a interação do que os alunos. Quanto aos meios comunicativos, todos os alunos utilizaram preferencialmente gestos e apresentaram individualidades referentes à utilização dos meios vocais e verbais. No que se refere às funções comunicativas houve ocorrência significativamente superior das funções menos interativas em relação às funções mais interativas, ou seja, em sua maioria... / The literature illustrates that some language aspects are essential to the development and learning of individuals with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Among such aspects they point out the functional usage of language as the mainly difficult of communication in this population, being fundamental its consideration in academic context. From this outlook, this research delved into the communicative profile, with emphasis in the functional aspects of language of students with ASD during the interaction with their teachers, in regular classrooms of public institutions. Fourteen students with ASD, male and female, with ages between theree and eight, which attended from kindengarten to second grade, and their teachers took part in the experiment. As part of the procedure, two films were made, each one with 30 minutes, in classroom situations, which had as goal to promote the development of the students'oral language. To analyze the films, it was used the protocol of pragmatic, which verified the occurence of initiatives of communication and the communicative space taken by the students and teachers, the communicative means and functions used by students. The results showed in general terms the teachers often started the communication, taken more communicative space than their students with ASD during the interaction. Concerning to the communicative means, all the students preferable used gestures and presented individualities in using vocal and verbal means. Concerning the communicative space than... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)

Submitted by JÚLIO HEBER SILVA (julioheber@yahoo.com.br) on 2018-05-07T19:35:07Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Paula Fernandes de Assis Crivello Neves - 2018.pdf: 3236244 bytes, checksum: 4d0a0c8abb717af740a28b24cdd8882e (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Rejected by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com), reason: Olhe a citação: NEVES, Paula Fernandes de Assis Crivello. Descortinando os propósitos da educação para as crianças com transtorno do espectro autista: em cena os serviços de apoio. 2018. 135 f. Dissertação (Mestrado em Educação) Universidade Federal de Goiás, Catalão, 2018. (FALTA O TRAÇO ANTES DO NOME DA UNIVERSIDADE on 2018-05-08T11:32:49Z (GMT) / Submitted by JÚLIO HEBER SILVA (julioheber@yahoo.com.br) on 2018-05-08T17:33:09Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Paula Fernandes de Assis Crivello Neves - 2018.pdf: 3236244 bytes, checksum: 4d0a0c8abb717af740a28b24cdd8882e (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2018-05-09T11:27:10Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Paula Fernandes de Assis Crivello Neves - 2018.pdf: 3236244 bytes, checksum: 4d0a0c8abb717af740a28b24cdd8882e (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-05-09T11:27:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Paula Fernandes de Assis Crivello Neves - 2018.pdf: 3236244 bytes, checksum: 4d0a0c8abb717af740a28b24cdd8882e (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-03-27 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / Studying Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is relevant as it (re)builds knowledge about how clinical and educational implications/relations in the Brazilian inclusion system. Inclusive education, special education and especially ASD are topics discussed very recently and still a field of many controversies, requiring further studies. It is considered a smaller amount of research related to ASD and education. Considering the educational service offered to children with ASD, this research questioned: which experiences of schooling and support services favor learning and development of children from 0 to 10 years old with ASD? Therefore, the main objective of this study was to analyze the educational attendance of children aged 0 to 10 years with ASD. Specific objectives were to describe how children with ASD are identified and referred to the educational service, to identify the support services that children with ASD participate in, and to describe the educational practices they experience in educational settings and in those support services that favor their learning and development. The epistemology, as well as the methodological choice of this research of qualitative character, is based on the historical-cultural approach of Vygotsky, which presents the discussions about the development of man from his social relations and interactions with the environment, through culture, constitution of history, mediation and language, highlighting the studies of this author on Defectology and Pedology. It was prioritized as instruments of data appropriation to observe the educational attendance that children from 0 to 10 years old with ASD participated in the common school, in the support services, and semi-structured interviews with parents and professionals involved in the educational attendance of these children. From the appropriation of the data, the analysis was finalized listing categories from discursive analysis. The considerations show that the educational practices experienced by children in these spaces of support service are, in addition to clinical and therapeutic care, spaces of pedagogic learning, which have contributed to the development of these children. In addition, educational activities at school did not appear to favor social interactions, development, and learning of children with ASD. It was noticed that the teachers, in their educational practices, did not worry about activities that met the specific demands of these children and complained about lack of knowledge and training for this. Education must fulfill in its trajectory a social-historical function that understands the total formation of the children from the mediation of the teacher. In conclusion, inclusion is one of the most powerful tools that unveils the real purposes of the school, but there are still many challenges to be faced. / Estudar o Transtorno do Espectro Autista (TEA) é relevante na medida em que (re)constrói conhecimentos sobre as implicações/relações clínicas e educacionais no sistema de inclusão brasileiro. A educação inclusiva, a educação especial e especialmente o TEA são temáticas discutidas muito recentemente e ainda é campo de muitas controvérsias, necessitando de maiores estudos. Considera-se um quantitativo menor de pesquisas relacionadas ao TEA e à educação. Tendo em vista o atendimento educacional oferecido às crianças com TEA, esta pesquisa questionou: quais as vivências de escolarização e serviços de apoio favorecem a aprendizagem e o desenvolvimento das crianças de 0 a 10 anos com TEA? Portanto, o objetivo principal deste estudo foi analisar o atendimento educacional de crianças de 0 a 10 anos com TEA. Os objetivos específicos foram descrever como as crianças com TEA são identificadas e encaminhadas para o atendimento educacional, identificar os serviços de apoio que as crianças com TEA participam e descrever as práticas educativas vivenciadas por elas nos espaços educativos e nesses serviços de apoio que favoreçam a sua aprendizagem e desenvolvimento. A epistemologia, bem como a escolha metodológica desta pesquisa de caráter qualitativo, está pautada na abordagem histórico-cultural de Vigotski, que apresenta as discussões sobre o desenvolvimento do homem a partir das suas relações sociais e interações com o meio, por meio da cultura, constituição da história, mediação e linguagem, ressaltando os estudos desse autor acerca da Defectologia e da Pedologia. Priorizou-se como instrumentos de apropriação dos dados a observação dos atendimentos educacionais que as crianças de 0 a 10 anos com TEA participavam na escola comum, nos serviços de apoio, e entrevistas semiestruturadas com pais e profissionais envolvidos no atendimento educacional dessas crianças. A partir dos dados apropriados, a análise foi balizada elencando categorias a partir da análise discursiva. As considerações apontam que as práticas educativas vivenciadas pelas crianças nesses espaços de serviço de apoio são, para além de atendimentos clínicos e terapêuticos, espaços de aprendizagem pedagógica, que têm contribuído para o desenvolvimento dessas crianças. Além disso, as atividades educativas na escola não pareceram favorecer as interações sociais, o desenvolvimento e a aprendizagem das crianças com TEA. Percebeu-se que as professoras, em suas práticas educativas, não se preocupavam com atividades que atendessem as demandas específicas dessas crianças e se queixam de falta de conhecimento e formação para isso. A educação precisa cumprir em sua trajetória uma função sócio-histórica que compreenda a formação total das crianças a partir da mediação do professor. Para concluir, a inclusão é uma das ferramentas mais poderosas que descortinam os reais propósitos da escola, mas ainda há muitos desafios a serem enfrentados.

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2018-04-10T19:39:12Z No. of bitstreams: 1 alinebisottidornelas.pdf: 28770579 bytes, checksum: a3c470619bd879d5ded475ef852a70b9 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2018-04-11T11:16:11Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 alinebisottidornelas.pdf: 28770579 bytes, checksum: a3c470619bd879d5ded475ef852a70b9 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-04-11T11:16:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 alinebisottidornelas.pdf: 28770579 bytes, checksum: a3c470619bd879d5ded475ef852a70b9 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-03-09 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Indivíduos com Transtorno do Espectro Autista apresentam desempenho deficiente em atividades que demandam atenção conjunta, imitação e leitura de intenções, o que afeta principalmente seu comportamento social e comunicação. A ecolalia, repetição das palavras exatas de um discurso anterior (KANNER, 1943), está relacionada a tal condição cognitiva (CARPENTER; TOMASELLO, 2000). A fala ecolálica de indivíduos com autismo possui, em sua maioria, função comunicativa (SCHULER, 1979; PRIZANT; RYDELL, 1984; PRIZANT; DUCHAN, 1987; RYDELL; MIRENDA, 1991; FERNANDES, 2003; DOBBINSON; PERKINS; BOUCHER, 2003; STERPONI; SHANKEY, 2014). Entendemos as produções ecolálicas funcionais como tipos de interação fictiva, que consiste na utilização de reportações discursivas, ou do padrão de interação, como estratégias comunicativas. A interação fictiva implica o uso de um domínio cognitivo baseado em interações face a face aplicado a outras funções no processo comunicativo, o frame de conversa, diferentes da meramente reportativa. Essas construções têm sido identificadas em vários gêneros discursivos, em diferentes línguas e em casos de afasia de Broca (PASCUAL, 2006; 2014; PASCUAL; SANDLER, 2016). O presente trabalho tem como objetivos: mapear as ocorrências de interação fictiva na fala ecolálica, sua tipologia e desenvolvimento nos casos de crianças com Transtorno do Espectro Autista; comparar os resultados com dois grupos controle, o primeiro correspondendo idade cognitiva com as crianças com TEA e o segundo, idades cronológicas. Para isso, foram realizados dois estudos: um estudo empírico, com a gravação audiovisual interações semiespontâneas entre cinco crianças autistas (quatro meninos com TEA severo e uma menina com TEA moderado) e suas terapeutas em sessões semanais durante um mês, totalizando quatro sessões para cada criança. Com base nos achados do primeiro estudo, foram elaboradas duas tarefas para elicitação de dados, também aplicadas nas mesmas crianças com TEA pelas terapeutas. As crianças dos grupos controle realizaram interações semelhantes no primeiro estudo e as mesmas atividades no segundo estudo, com suas mães. Observou-se que as crianças com autismo utilizaram não só ecolalias com repetição ipsis litteris do discurso anterior, mas também ecolalias mitigadas, em que houve acréscimo de palavras no enunciado ecolálico para que este se adequasse ao contexto; também houve produção de paráfrases e até mesmo algumas ocorrências mais criativas utilizando padrão pergunta-resposta. Essas construções eram utilizadas para acesso ao léxico, sanar dificuldade de estruturação gramatical e referenciar personagens ou pessoas. As crianças do grupo controle 1 (de dois a quatro anos de idade) também utilizaram construções de interação fictiva com repetição de discurso anterior quando se deparavam com dificuldades gramaticais e discursivas. As crianças do grupo controle 2 (de seis a doze anos), utilizaram as construções de interação fictiva de modo mais criativo, com poucas ocorrências de repetição, e como opção discursiva, em vez de estratégia adaptativa. Os resultados sugerem que as construções de interação fictiva foram mais eficazes e mais frequentes que outras estratégias no grupo de crianças com TEA. A utilização do frame de conversa parece ser, então, de grande importância para que esse grupo seja capaz de se engajar no discurso e buscar estratégias comunicativas com seus interlocutores. / Individuals with Autistic Spectrum Disorder have poor performance in activities that demand joint attention, imitation and intention reading, which mainly affects their social behavior and communication. Echolalia, the repetition of the exact words from a prior discourse (KANNER, 1943), is related to such cognitive condition (CARPENTER; TOMASELLO, 2000). The echolalic speech of individuals with autism has, in general, a communicative function (SCHULER, 1979; PRIZANT; RYDELL, 1984; PRIZANT; DUCHAN, 1987; RYDELL; MIRENDA, 1991; FERNANDES, 2003; DOBBINSON; PERKINS; BOUCHER, 2003; STERPONI; SHANKEY, 2014). We understand functional echolalic productions as fictive interaction constructions, which consists in the use of discursive reportations, or the pattern of interaction, as communicative strategies. The fictive interaction implies the use of a cognitive domain based on face-to-face interactions applied to other functions in the communicative process, the conversation frame, differently from the merely reportive one. These constructions have been identified in several discursive genres, in different languages and in cases of Broca's aphasia (PASCUAL, 2006; 2014; PASCUAL; SANDLER, 2016). The present work has as objectives: mapping the occurrences of fictive interaction in the echolalic speech, its typology and development in the cases of children with Autisic Spectrum Disorder; compare the results with two control groups, the first corresponding cognitive ages with children with ASD and the second, chronological ages. Two studies were carried out: an empirical study, with audiovisual recording of semi-spontaneous interactions between five autistic children (four boys with severe ASD and one girl with moderate ASD) and their therapists in weekly sessions during one month, totaling four sessions for each child. Based on the findings of the first study, two data elicitation tasks were also developed, applied in the same children with ASD by the therapists. The children in the control groups performed similar interactions in the first study and the same activities in the second study with their mothers. It was observed that children with autism used not only ipsis literal repetitions of the previous discourse, but also mitigated echolalias, in which there was an addition of words in the echolaliclic statement so that it adapted to the context; there was also production of paraphrases and even some more creative occurrences using question-answer pattern. These constructions were used to access the lexicon, to solve difficult grammatical structuring and to refer to characters or people. Children in the control group 1 (two to four years old) also used fictional interaction constructions with repetition of previous discourse when faced with grammatical and discursive difficulties. Children in the control group 2 (six to twelve years old) used fictive interaction constructions in a more creative way, with few occurrences of repetition, and as a discursive option rather than an adaptive strategy. The results suggest that fictive interaction constructions were more effective and more frequent than other strategies in the group of children with ASD. The use of the conversation frame seems to be of great importance for this group to be able to engage in discourse and come up with communicative strategies with its interlocutors.

The pragmatic language level in junior school pupils is the subject of the Master's thesis. The main object is to analyze the expression of the selected pupils with autism disorder, focusing on the pragmatic language level and then suggest other consecution for the practical use. The ultimate target is to analyze verbal, nonverbal and paralinguistic aspects of their speech. The theoretical part is focused on the process of communication, each language levels, and impaired communication ability. There is also theoretical knowledge about the autistic spectrum disorders, especially the terminology, etiology, symptomatology and the particular types of the disorders. The last part is based on the specification of the speech of pupils with the autistic spectrum disorder and the possibility of other development in this area, for example how to use the alternative and augmentative communication. The empiric part includes the qualitative research that analyses pragmatic language level of the selected pupils within the autistic spectrum. The analysis of the research, the observation of the participant, and the semi-structured dialog with the mother and the child are used to elaborate the research. KEYWORDS disorders of the autistic spectrum, autism, pragmatic language level, communication, impaired...

This diploma thesis deals with respite service and issues with providing respite services to parents of children and adults with autism and mental retardation. The opening chapters focus on autistic spectrum disorder in combination with mental retardation and potential challenging behaviour. This work describes therapeutic process for persons with autism and mental retardation and it also describes the issues with providing social service to these persons. This thesis focuses mainly on respite services. The empirical part describes the availability of respite services for families with autistic person and mental retardation in the Czech Republic.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / This thesis examined the difficulties experienced by Grade 6 isiXhosa-speaking learners in learning Natural Science through English as the medium of instruction at a primary school in the Western Cape. In 1994, South Africa became a democratic country where people were given the right to choose the language of learning and communication (Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996). The assumption made in relation to the right to language was that this would provide equal opportunities and equal access to education for all learners. All learners would then be able to attain academic success. The study was pursued against the backdrop of the serious academic underachievement of African learners at schools around the country (often culminating in high matric failure rates), particularly in mathematics, science and technology (Probyn, 2005; Cleghorn, 2005; Taylor & Vinjevold, 1999). Following a mixed-method approach (involving both qualitative and quantitative research methods), within the constructivist paradigm, the study examined the various factors which act as barriers to learning and contribute to difficulties in learning Natural Science by Grade 6 isiXhosa-speaking learners in one school in the Western Cape. It also examined the coping strategies used in dealing with the barriers by both the learners and educators in order to address the learning difficulties. The study was conducted over a period of four months, spread over two years (2008 and 2009), in the Metropole Central Education District (MCED) of the Western Cape. The following participants were involved in the study: 205 Grade 6 learners (103 learners in 2008 and 102learners in 2009), 4 Natural Science educators (including 2 HODs), 1 principal, and 4 parents. The focus of the study was, however, on 26 isiXhosa-speaking learners (13 learners from each year in 2008 and 2009). The data were collected using the following research methods: questionnaires, classroom observation, document analysis, and interviews. The data were analysed through content analysis and (analysis of) language usage (including sentence construction), and were interpreted with respect to the study's research questions. The findings of the research revealed that language (including both the English language of learning and teaching or LOLT, and the language of science) was a major barrier to the learning of Natural Science by Grade 6 isiXhosa-speaking learners. The language barrier was exacerbated by factors within the teaching and learning context, the school environment, as well as by social factors in the learners' own home backgrounds. On the basis of the findings of the research and the related literature, the study makes recommendations regarding what could be done to address the difficulties, as well as proposals for future research. The key recommendations include: • Introducing a more flexible bilingual education policy to enable additive bilingualism to be practised by both learners and educators; • Compiling a list or glossary of words, concepts and terms that matter in Natural Science and ensuring that the learners fully understand their meaning and use them appropriately; • Educators constantly reflecting on their own teaching styles and practices in relation to their effectiveness and impact on their learners; • Educators constantly considering 'different and creative ways' of assessing learners for whom the English LOLT is not a home language; and • District Offices providing systemic support for schools and creating an enabling learning environment.