The fundamental theme is the communication between the adoptive parents and an adopted child especially choosing the appropriate way of telling the truth and right timing of the fact of adoption. This thesis compares the attitudes of psychologists and other professionals, especially social workers with experiences with adoptive parents and adopted children through the casuistries. Another significant theme in this thesis is an identity of the adoptive parents and adopted children. The thesis describes some methods and techniques that find easier way of telling the truth to the child which are contemporaneusly facilitating with the developmental psychology. In detail then I am describing the concrete methods and techniques, especially art psychotherapy, bibliotherapy, autogenous training.

The main topic of the presented thesis is to make the reader acquainted with the basic terminology of the free-time issues and to make clear the forms, methods and techniques of the literature-drama education and their possible usage in practice at the leisure education. The first chapter of the thesis deals with the issues of leisure time and with science disciplines that consider free time. In the second chapter the following terms are mentioned: the interest, the game and the leisure activities. These terms are divided with specialization in aesthetic-educational leisure activities. The principal part of the thesis is the third chapter which describes the application of literature and drama education in leisure time. The project method and project types are described in the fourth chapter. The planning, the realization and the evaluation of the project make another part of this chapter. The Appendix I contains the project photo- documentation. The application form of The parents´ permission to publication of children´s photographs is presented in the Appendix II.

Diploma Work Bibliotherapy as a tool of developing communication skills pupils with mild intellectual disabilities deals with opportunity of using bibliotherapy and its elements within Czech langage lessons. The educator by the means of appropriate reading materials affects the verbal expression advancement of pupils with mild intellectual disabilities. The aims to develop suitable exercises and arrange them into a bibliotherapy program, to show the beneficial effect that working with texts can have on the pupils' communicative competence, and to make certain that the program operates as expected, through working directly with the pupils, observing them and evaluating the different outputs of the program. Outcomes of the research prove pupils' improvements in desired sphere. Keywords Intellectual disabilities, mild intellectual disabilities, pupils with mild intellectual disabilities, bibliotherapy, bibliotherapy program, communication skills

The research dealt with three girls in middle childhood years, in a children’s home, who were experiencing difficulties with self-blame. These difficulties were addressed through play therapy sessions using the ‘gestalt’ approach with the life story book as an aid. The motivation for the study originated during discussions with the social workers at the Abraham Kriel/Maria Kloppers Children’s Home. During these discussions the researcher became aware of the vast number of children in the caseloads of the social workers at Abraham Kriel/Maria Kloppers Children’s Home, who blame themselves for being removed from their parents’ custody. The purpose of the study was to determine whether the life story book could be used as an aid in play therapy sessions focussing on the self-blame of girls in middle childhood years, living in a children’s home. To achieve the goal of this study, a literature study was done regarding the middle childhood years, self-blame, the child in a children’s home and the use of the life story book in play therapy. An empirical study was conducted on the use of the life story book regarding the self-blame of three girls in the middle childhood years, living in a children’s home. Finally the researcher made conclusions and recommendations regarding the use of the life story book, after taking into consideration both the literature study and the empirical study. The investigation was based on applied research. For the purpose of this study, three girls in middle childhood years living in a children’s home were identified by means of purposive sampling. The girls participated in six play therapy sessions each. From this empirical research, it was clear that the life story book could be successfully used in play therapy, focussing on self-blame, with the three girls in middle childhood years living in a children’s home. As an outcome of this study, conclusions and recommendations were formulated. / Dissertation (MSD (Play Therapy))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Social Work / unrestricted