Training the professionals...

...to work with children and adults who have development disorders.

In Serbia in 1947, the Higher Pedagogical School in Belgrade started the formation of professionals at a higher school level (college level - four semesters) to work with children having development disorders, people with disabilities, and children and adults with disorders in social behaviour. Later, in 1967, this course grew into an independent institution, the High School for Special Pedagogues. On the basis of article no. 22 of the Law on High Education (Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, no. 51/72) and the Report of the Commission of the Ministry of Education and its Decision no. 612-184/75 13th October 1975, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic adopted another decision that confirmed ''all conditions have been met for the implementation of activities in the first year studies at the Faculty of Defectology (now Faculty for Special Education and Rehabilitation) of the Belgrade University, as envisaged by the article no. 21 of the Law on High Education''.

The purpose of the Faculty is to train professionals at university level (eight semesters) in educational programmes for children with development disorders, and the rehabilitation of children and adults with disabilities and disturbances in social behaviour, as well as in institutions and institutions applying sanctions for criminal offences. The principle doctrine of the Faculty is based on the theory of unity among biological, psychological, social and educational characteristics of children with development disorders, persons with disabilities, children and persons with disorders in social behaviour and the need for their inclusion into community.

Nowadays, the Faculty for Special Education and Rehabilitation, University of Belgrade, carries out its educational programme in accordance with the requirements of the Bologna Process, in three courses, each lasting four years (eight semesters), as follows:

Study program Special Education and Rehabilitation for Persons with Difficulties in Mental Development

• Curriculum of studies: Attendants are trained to become professionals in the area of primary prevention, assessment, treatment and special education of children and adults in the area of oligofrenology and in the area of discognitive disorders and disorders in psychomotorics among the general population.
  Scope of work: Insufficient mental development and discognitive disturbances.
  Place of work: Preschool institutions; schools for children with difficulties in mental development, regular schools (inclusive education); health institutions; and social care institutions.
  Professional academic title gained:
  Graduate Special Educator and Rehabilitator - Oligophrenologyst.

Study program Special Education and Rehabilitation with five modular courses

Module: Hearing Disability

• Curriculum of studies: Students are trained to become professionals in
  primary prevention, assessment, treatment and special education of children and adults in the area of surdology, communication with persons with hearing impairments.
  ''The principle doctrine of the Faculty is based on the theory of unity among biological, psychological, social and educational characteristics of children with development disorders, persons with disabilities, children and persons with disorders in social behaviour and the need for their inclusion into community''
  Scope of work: Deaf and hard of hearing children and adults; cognitive disorders and communication problems.
  Place of work: Preschool institutions, schools for deaf and hard of hearing children; regular schools (inclusive education); health institutions and social care institutions.
  Professional-academic title gained: Graduate Special Educator and Rehabilitator - Surdologist

Module of Visual Impairments

• Curriculum of studies: Students are trained to become professionals dealing with primary prevention, assessment, treatment and special education of children and adults in the area of typhlology, persons with vision impairments.
  Scope of work: Blind and visually impaired children and adults; cognitive disorders; disturbances of binocular and monocular vision and strabismus.
  Place of work: In preschool institutions, schools for children with visual impairments; regular schools (inclusive education); health institutions and social care institutions.
  Professional-academic title gained: Graduate Special Educator and Rehabilitator - Typhlologyst

Module: Motor Disability

• Curriculum of studies: Professionals are trained in primary prevention, assessment, treatment and special education of children and adults with motoric disorders.
  Scope of work: Persons with damaged central and peripheral nervous system; damaged bone and joint systems; chronic diseases; disorders of psycho-motoric system; other disorders in development and other forms of disability (sensory and mental); disorder of cognitive aspects of motoric behaviour.
  Place of work: Preschool institutions; schools for children with motoric disorders; regular schools (inclusive education); health institutions and social care institutions.
  Professional-academic title gained:
  Graduate Special Educator and Rehabilitator - Somatopathologyst.

Module: Sensorimotor Disability

• Curriculum of studies: Professionals are trained in primary prevention, assessment, treatment and special education of children and adults with sensomotoric disorders.
  Scope of work: Disorder of cognitive aspects of motoric behaviour; hard of hearing children and adults; visually impaired children and adults; disorders of psycho-motoric system;
  Place of work: Preschool institutions; schools for children with sensomotoric disorders; regular schools (inclusive education); health institutions and social care institutions.
  Professional-academic title gained:
  Graduate Special Educator and Rehabilitator - Sensomotoric disorders.

Module: Prevention and Treatment of Behavioral Disorders

• Curriculum of studies: Attendants are trained to become professionals in the area of prevention and re-socialisation, ie. professionals for social re-integration of persons whose social behaviour indicates toward certain deviations.
  Scope of work: Reduction and prevention of all forms of criminal behaviour, particularly in minors, as well as the prevention of social behaviour, not criminal acts, but representing a significant violation of legal and moral norms (prostitution, drug addiction, alcoholism, aggressive behaviour, home and school dropouts, vagabonding, gambling, begging, abuse of others, hyperactivity and emotional instability).
  Place of work: Schools; hospices, social policies and social protection institutions engaging in prevention and implementation of sanctions, and in health institutions, police stations and institutions in which criminal sanctions are being applied.
  Professional academic title gained:
  Graduate - Special Pedagogue.

Study program Speech and Language Pathology

• Curriculum of studies: Professionals are trained for primary prevention, assessment and treatment of persons with disorders in speech and communication.
  Scope of work: Voice disorders, articulation disorders, disorders in rhythm and speed of speech, linguistic and neuro-linguistic disorders, aphasias and dysphasia; dyslexia and dysgraphia; disorders within mental, sensory and motor expression.
  Place of work: Preschool institutions, schools for children with development disorders; regular schools (inclusive education); health institutions and social care institutions.
  Professional-academic title gained:
  Speech-Language Pathologyst