Legislation and policy within Croatia, the Republic of North Macedonia and Poland supports the educational inclusion of children with autism; however, such inclusion is nascent in these countries. A survey of experienced teachers working directly with children with autism in both inclusive and special schools was undertaken in winter 2018–19. Five hundred and sixty questionnaires were distributed and 340 returned (61% response); after cleansing, 242 responses were analysed. Over a quarter of respondents had received no instruction regarding autism during initial teacher education; almost half had undertaken no continuing professional development on the topic. Special school teachers reported higher overall confidence, but levels remained low within a number of key domains. Teachers identified a need for appropriate teacher education regarding theory, relevant practical strategies and mentorship/supervision. Implications regarding inclusive practice and teacher education in these countries are identified.

A voice that does not match one’s gender identity can contribute to gender dysphoria. Therapy to feminise or masculinise the voice is, therefore, an important part of the gender transition process for transgender people. The purpose of this paper is to explore the perspectives of transgender women on voice feminisation therapy. Three transgender women undergoing voice feminisation therapy participated in this qualitative study. Semi-structured interviews were chosen as the method of data collection, and the data were processed using thematic analysis. The thematic analysis revealed three main themes: the motivation for voice change and the reasons for voice therapy, the challenges encountered during the process of voice feminisation, and participants’ experiences of voice therapy. Although the experiences of the participants varied, they consistently emphasised the positive effects of therapy on self-confidence, quality of life, and a reduction of gender dysphoria. In addition, this study emphasises the need for increased accessibility of information about transgender services, as well as an increase in the number of vocal therapists offering these services.

The inclusion of children with neurodevelopmental disorders or children at risk of such disorders and their families in early childhood intervention programmes must be initiated and implemented in good time so that the most sensitive phases of child development and the emotional support of parents can be optimally utilised. Every country has their own protocol for informing parents about early childhood intervention services and different approaches to working with children and families. To identify the best possible approaches, we conducted semi-structured interviews with professionals working in the field of early childhood intervention and compared our findings with the international context and previous research. The professionals interviewed for this purpose emphasised the importance of initial team assessments, consistent recommendations to parents, and the implementation of different methods to support the needs of the children and families. Considering these and previous findings, we argue that it is critical to develop a framework of consistent guidelines for all service providers and to find a common language and assessment methods between the different professions and institutions that provide early childhood support. Furthermore, it is important to identify a key person to act as a source of information about the needs of the child and family and to coordinate co-operation between systems. Such measures would enable parents to receive timely, coherent, understandable and useful information that meets the needs of their family, as well as holistic support for a child from all systems.

Ovo poglavlje analizira društvene odnose prema osobama s invaliditetom u međunarodnom i nacionalnom kontekstu. Prikazuje kako su se pristupi, točnije uvjerenja i vrijednosti, mijenjali tijekom različitih razdoblja. Odnos prema osobama s invaliditetom odražava društvene i kulturne vrijednosti, očekivanja i razinu spremnosti zajednice da podrži njihovo sudjelovanje u društvenom životu.