No abstract

The family members rated Importance high for all of the quality of family life domains, but it appears from the lower Opportunities scores that their opportunities are limited; this may result in fewer possibilities for attaining a better quality of life. The results of our research are useful to Slovene researchers who work in the areas of special pedagogy and rehabilitation, politicians, non-governmental organisations and social services. The quality of life of families with children with disabilities, their empowerment and their inclusion into community life should be significantly enhanced when consideration is given to all the family members' support and service needs.

This study investigates the classroom climate in two settings of the 6th-grade class (a setting of children with special needs and a setting without children with special needs), focusing on aspects of satisfaction and cohesiveness on one side and friction, competitiveness and difficulties on the other. The study results indicate the existence of both positive and negative consequences of the integration of hearing-impaired pupils. Heterogeneity achieved by the presence of children with special needs included positive benefits for all pupils in the mainstream classroom and helped to prevent friction and a competitive atmosphere, and provided opportunities for accepting exceptionalities, and developing social skills, ethical values and empathic abilities among school peers. On the other hand was concern related to difficulties of cognition, the only dimension on which comparative settings statistically and significantly differed concerning the classroom climate with integrated pupils.

The main goal of the study was to provide and contrast data on quality of life for families in Slovenia that have children with intellectual disabilities and developmental disabilities (IDD) and families that have children with intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The sample comprised 25 families with children with IDD and 19 families with children with ASD selected from schools in several villages in Slovenia. The data were collected using the FQOLS-2006. The data analysis exploring the relationship between the two study groups (IDD and ASD) using the six measurement dimensions (Importance, Attainment, Satisfaction, Opportunities, Initiative, Stability) showed the mean ratings for all six measurement dimensions were higher for the IDD group than for the ASD group, although both groups rated Importance quite highly. Within the nine domains examined, there were some differences between the two groups. For the two main outcome measures, Attainment and Satisfaction, the scores for Satisfaction were consistently higher for the IDD group than for the ASD group. A combination of qualitative and quantitative data revealed that two of the nine domains, Family Relationships and Community Interaction, appear to contribute positively to family quality of life for both groups in this sample, while family life relating to the other seven domains requires remediation. Data from this family quality of life study provides evidence to suggest to policy makers and service providers that there might be a substantial amount of work to be done in the future to provide appropriate and efficient support for families with children with disabilities, especially for those with ASD, so that these families can lead lives of quality.

The attitudes of parents involved in the process of inclusion are of paramount importance. The aim of this study was to examine parents' attitudes towards the constructs associated with preschool inclusion with two goals, which were related to construct dimensions and differences in parents' attitudes regarding whether or not they have a child with SEN. Among 296 parents, selected by the cluster sampling technique, 202 parents with children in classrooms in Slovenian Carinthia (85 had a child with SEN) participated in this study. Fifty items were used to measure parents' attitudes and their openness to the inclusion of children. The results showed that parents of children with SEN are more open to inclusion, perceived positive social effects and benefits for children with and without SEN and had fewer negative feelings about the inclusion effects on children without SEN, than parents of children without SEN. Research results suggest the importance of contributing to parents of children without SEN in achieving successful inclusion.