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The education options and services offered to support the personal development of children with Down syndrome in Ceske Budejovice.
SUKDOLOVÁ, Božena
The thesis studies the education options and services offered to support the personal development of children with Down syndrome in Ceske Budejovice. The aim of this study was to gain insight into the methods of education and the range of services available to support the personal development of children with Down syndrome. The provision of education is one of the main functions of a modern state and a nation's education is an expression of its cultural level and maturity. An excess chromosome is responsible for the characteristic appearance and developmentally conditioned traits. Compared with intact children, children with trisomy 21 show generally slower mental and motoric development, but each child's personality, temperament and talents are unique. A qualitative research to meet the objectives of the thesis and to verify the research hypotheses was concluded in the form of interviews with parents, who were asked specific questions. The interviews were recorded on an answer sheet. Another data collection method used was a questionnaire, which featured questions formed based on both the theoretical part and the information obtained during the interviews. The questionnaire included items to identify the respondent's personal data as well as items investigating the respondent's attitude and opinions on the matter. The last method used was a document analysis. Data for the analysis were drawn from websites, research literature and individual education plans. The purposive research sample consisted of 10 parents of children with Down syndrome living in the district of Ceske Budejovice. The research showed that parents of children with DS deemed their children's education very important and that they are interested in the education opportunities. All participants in the research group are educated in special primary schools or attend mainstream educational institutions. The interviews with the parents and the questionnaires revealed that the degree of integration in the education system is dependent on the ability of a particular individual, however, the trend is for their full participation in social and educational life of the intact group. It was also found that most children with Down syndrome spend time pursuing their interests, as most intact children do. Of particular importance for people with Down syndrome is the support for their skills' development. Depending on their needs, children with Down syndrome may also use any of the services provided by governmental and nongovernmental organizations. Theoretically, the amount of activities and therapies offer for the development of children with Down syndrome is sufficient. The reserch results correspond to the specific research objectives and research questions of this thesis.
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