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.

Introduction. Raising a child with cerebral palsy is stressful for the parent because it requires an intensive physical engagement as well as coping with emotional reactions to the child’s condition. Parents have different modes of adapting to stress and demands caused by the disorder. The Resiliency Model of Family Stress, Adjustment and Adaptation postulates that the use of certain coping strategies facilitates successful family adaptation to the child’s condition. Material and Methods. Our study included 60 mothers of two- to seven- year-old children with diagnosed cerebral palsy. The modified Family Crisis-oriented Personal Evaluation Scales, with its five sub-scales, was applied to assess the strategies used by families to cope with stress. Results. The most frequently used strategy is reframing, whereas other strategies were used less frequently. The study has revealed some differences in adoption of certain strategies by mothers from urban and rural areas as well as of those strategies which depend on the severity of the child’s condition. Discussion. The fact that reframing is the most frequently used strategy is encouraging because it helps parents to make their grave situation more acceptable. Institutional support is also often used by mothers of children with severe form of disease because of their need for medical care. Conclusion. Recognition of coping strategies of the parents is important and useful for the development of therapeutic interventions aimed at facilitating family adaptation in families with a child with developmental disabilities.

“Parental resolution” represents parents coming to terms with their child’s health condition. Differences in the use of coping strategies between mothers who were resolved versus unresolved to their child’s diagnosis was investigated, and a possible moderating effect of these strategies was explored. A strategy aimed at mobilizing the family to acquire and accept help (institutional, formal support) was shown to be a significant moderating variable, in a way that its more frequent use allowed mothers of children with better functional status (but not mothers of children with poorer functional status) to reach resolution.

The resolution of diagnosis of one’s child involves coming to terms with the child’s medical condition and accepting it both emotionally and cognitively. This study examined the relation between maternal resolution of the child’s diagnosis of cerebral palsy (CP) and their educational levels. We also aimed at understanding maternal resolution status with regard to other demographic variables. The sample consisted of mothers with children aged 2–7, being diagnosed with CP. Resolution of diagnosis was assessed using the Reaction to Diagnosis Interview. The obtained results suggested the connection between maternal level of education and their attitude toward the child’s diagnosis. Demographic variables were identified as possible protective or risk factors for the resolution process. This article points to the importance of providing adequate psychosocial aid to mothers of children with developmental disabilities.