Training topics held by the Karin Dom team

Stimulation of child's development. Sensory and cognitive stimulations.
The topic includes stages of normal development of children from 0 to 7 years of age compared with cases of atypical development. Correction, compensation through the use of sensory stimuli, games and activities to enhance cognitive skills are suggested.
Alternative methods of communication. Communication system through pictures.
The system is suitable for children with impaired communication skills, for those who don't have developed speech or do not use their speech for communication.Self-care by children with special needs.
Building self-service skills - dressing / stripping, use of toilet and personal hygiene, serving / cleaning the table, etc.
Specific characteristics of the most common diseases and conditions in childhood - Mental retardation. Specifics of cognitive development.
Characteristics of ADHD. (Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
Basic symptoms. Recommendations for work with children with ADHD. Methods of giving instructions. Recommendations for changes in the surrounding environment.
Dealing with hyperactive behaviour.
Specific characteristics of autism and autistic behavior. Approaches for dealing with them.
Triad of impairments. Characteristics of autism. Behavioral problems in autism. Educational approaches to autism used in Karin Dom. Other approaches.
Specifics in cognitive development of children with autism.
Sensory integration.
Sensory integration is the ability of humans to perceive information through the senses, organize and interpret this information and draw meaningful and significant response. For most people this process is automated, but when this system is not working properly, there is a sensoryintegration dysfunction. This is a neurological disorder causing difficulties with information processing by the senses (touch, movement, smell, taste, sight, hearing), vestibular system and proprioceptive system. Unlike blindness and deafness, people with sensory integration dysfunction receive sensory information; the difference is that their brains processes it in an unusual way, which can cause confusion and stress.
Sensory evaluation and development of programs for overcoming the sensory deficits.
Criteria for elaboration of sensory evaluation will be offered. Work on specific cases will be carried out.
Multi-sensory environments. Work and therapy in the sensory room.
The types of sensory rooms will be presented, as well as their equipment and use. The role of the specialists and goals of therapy according to the individual needs of the child will be explained.
Posture management and servicing facilitation by children with motor and multiple disabilities.
Positioning during games, learning; positioning during therapy; positioning during rest, sleep. General principles of positioning, goal. Ways to carry a child.
Toys and play of children with special needs through the eyes of the special teacher.
Safety and selection of toys according to the condition and functional capabilities of children with different diagnoses. Ideas for didactic materials. (If desired, a practical session for elaboration of materials.)
Aspects of pedagogical interaction with children with special needs (UI, Down syndrome, motor problems, sensory deficits). Methods and approaches used in Karin Dom.
Dealing with challenging behavior.
Basic principles of working with children with challenging behavior. Methods for analysis of behavior. Functions of behavior - the STAR approach. Methods and techniques for dealing with and correcting unacceptable behavior.
Introduction of the Montessori system.
Pedagogical principles of the system. Areas of child development and materials used. The equipped Montessori environment consists of five areas of development - practical life, sensory perception, language, mathematics, space education (materials to get acquainted with the surrounding world, nature and a place for painting).
Main rules for working in a Montessori class.
Principles on working with children.
Rights of every child. Qualities that people working with children should possess - professional, personality, appearance. Type and quality of the environment. How to treat a child - approach, communication.Teamwork. Safety.
Needs and rights of children. Convention on the rights of children. Brief history its application in Bulgaria. Summary of key principles.
Basic needs of children. Types. Features. Who is responsible for meeting and satisfying those needs. Basic principles on the rights of children. Convention on the Rights of Children. Bulgarian and international regulations concerning the rights of children.
Law on Child Protection and Regulations for its Implementation - General; rights of the child in a family environment, in an environment close to family and outside the family (foster parents).
General - subject of the law. Measures for child protection. Authorities for child protection. Rights of the child. Supervision to ensure children's rights. Local structures - Social Support Directorate, Child Protection Department, etc.
Institutionalization and its consequences. Alternative forms of social services.
Inclusive Education:
  • integration of children - accessible environment;
  • integration of children - conditions and resources;
  • integration of children - a model of cooperation (parents, school, personal assistant, resource teacher, a therapeutic center) (Team).
Teamwork. Non-verbal techniques to improve communication within the team - practical session.
What is a team? Types of teams. Team and group - how to distinguish them. When groups become teams. Team building as a process. Advantages of teamwork. Qualities that the perfect team should possess, brainstorming. Basic principles of effective teamwork. Role playing games.
Motivation - nature, expectations, models.
Definition of motivation - directions. Drivers of motivation - external and internal factors. Theory of hierarchy of human needs. Frustration - term. Factors acting demotivationally. Japanese model of motivating the staff (team).
Partnership with parents - therapeutic relationships.
Medical model and social model of parent-professional relationship - comparison. Key areas in which the parent-professional relations develop. The process of exchange - contents, main points. Non-motivated parents, motivated parents - key features. Process of motivating parents - contents.
Parents groups and work with them - sharing the experience of Karin Dom, discussion.
Types of behavior. Assertive behavior.
Types of Behavior - aggressive, passive, assertive. Main characteristics. Main assertive rules. Assertive behavior - non-verbal features, verbal components.