Phonological skills have been found to be strongly related to early reading and writing development. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to examine the extent to which the development of phonological awareness facilitates reading acquisition in students learning to read a transparent orthography. Our research included 689 primary school students in first through third grade (Mean age 101.59 months, SD = 12,690). The assessment tools used to conduct this research include the Phonological Awareness Test and the Gray Oral Reading Test. According to the results from the present study, 13.7% of students have reading difficulties. Students with reading difficulties obtained low scores in phonological awareness within each subscale compared to students who do not have reading difficulties (p < 0.01). Components of phonological awareness which did not singled out as strongly related to early reading success include Phoneme Segmentation, Initial Phoneme Identification, and Syllable Merging. Thus, understanding the nature of the relationship between phonological awareness and reading should help effective program design that will be aimed at eliminating delayed development in children’s phonological awareness while they are still in preschool.

Child engagement refers to the time spent interacting with physical and social environments according to age, abilities, and a situation. The aim of this study is to assess the functioning of children in early childhood routines using engagement assessment instruments relative to the presence of developmental disabilities, age, gender, and parental characteristics within the contexts of preschool and family routines. The sample comprised 150 children aged 3–5 (AS = 4.02, D = 0.78), including typically developing children (N = 49) and children with developmental disabilities (N = 101). To assess the children’s engagement in preschool classrooms, we used the Classroom Measure of Engagement, Independence, and Social Relationships (ClaMEISR), and the Child Engagement in Daily Life Measure was used to assess the children’s engagement in family routines. The results obtained indicate a significantly higher rate of engagement in routines and activities among girls and older children. Parental characteristics associated with children’s engagement included employment and marital status. Children with developmental disabilities, compared to their typically developing peers, had lower levels of engagement in social relationships and functional independence in daily routines. The results indicate that both instruments have a high internal consistency and are thus suitable for future use in the Republic of Serbia.

Children with disabilities are at an increased risk of being less likely to participate when compared to their typically developing peers. The objective of this study was to determine whether there is a difference in the frequency of participation in the home, preschool and community setting between typically developing children and children with disabilities. The survey comprised 203 children aged one to five years. The general questionnaire (used for identifying socio-demographic characteristics of sample) and a standardized questionnaire assessing Young Children’s Participation and Environment Measure (YC-PEM) were used for data collection. Results suggest that the groups of children with and without disabilities significantly differ in the frequency of participation in preschool, so the incidence of participation of children with disabilities is lower than the incidence of participation among typically developing children. These data can further contribute to the creation of customized support programs in line with the needs of both children and parents.

Objectives: Support needs refer to the type, intensity and time necessary for a person to participate in the activities of daily living. The aim of this paper is to show the profile of support needs for children with cerebral palsy with regards to the level of functional ability of the upper and lower extremities. Methods: The sample comprised 40 respondents diagnosed with spastic cerebral palsy (23 girls (57.5%) and 17 boys (42.5%). The age range was from 7 to 14 years (Mean age = 10.33; SD = 3.31). The instruments used in the present study include the Supports Intensity Scale – Children’s Version (SIS-C), The Gross Motor Function Classification System and Manual Ability Classification System for Children with Cerebral Palsy. Results: The reliability of the SIS– C was α = 0.97. The highest level of support needs was within the four domains. Support Needs Indexing showed significant differences in relation to the development of manual ability levels (F = 2.56; p = 0.05) and gross motor function levels (F = 3.25; p = 0.03). Conclusions: The results obtained indicate that children with cerebral palsy need support in individual life domains, in which, a model for planning interventions could be provided.

Introduction. Regular follow-up and support of people with multiple sclerosis in finding and keeping employment may enable them to stay employed longer and have better quality of work life, financial security, and a higher degree of social participation. The objective of this study was to determine the work status and factors that may affect work engagement of people with multiple sclerosis. Material and Methods. The study was conducted in the territory of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, and included 108 subjects with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, aged 18 - 65 years, using the expanded disability status scale, 0 - 5.5. The data were collected using a General questionnaire and the multiple sclerosis work difficulties questionnaire. Results. Out of 108 subjects, only 37 were employed or had been retired for less than three years, which were the criteria for filling out the multiple sclerosis work difficulties questionnaire (in Serbian). Our results showed that subjects perceived cognitive difficulties and movement/mobility difficulties as the main factors affecting their work performance. Conclusion. The analysis of environmental factors and factors affecting work engagement of people with multiple sclerosis showed that other factors affected their work more than their personal preferences or the disease itself.