EDUCATIONAL DIAGNOSIS AND EVALUATION PROCESS OF YOUNG CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS: STAFF VIEWS WORKING IN GUIDANCE AND RESEARCH CENTERS

Date

2025-9

Author

Yaşar Türkel, Ecem

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The study aims to investigate the views of special education teachers and guidance counselors working in Guidance and Research Centers (GRCs) regarding the educational diagnosis and evaluation processes of young children. The participants were three special education teachers and three guidance counselors employed in GRCs in Ankara. The study was conducted as a multiple-case study within the scope of qualitative research, and data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed that special education teachers and guidance counselors consider the role of GRCs to be crucial in early childhood special education; however, GRCs alone are not very effective in meeting the requirements of children with special needs and influencing their development. Participants emphasized the need for collaboration among GRCs and other stakeholders, including schools, teachers, families, and the health sector. However, it was noted that GRCs face challenges, including teachers' inadequate knowledge and skills in early childhood special education, families' lack of openness to collaboration, low levels of awareness, and a lack of consensus between healthcare institutions where medical diagnoses are made, which negatively impacts collaboration. Furthermore, it was noted that when parents have high awareness, are open to collaboration, and teachers identify children's developmental needs and recognize the risks, many children with special needs reach a level where they are virtually unaffected by their special needs. Likewise, the need for improved early diagnosis and intervention programs was emphasized. Additionally, family education, increasing teacher competence, raising societal awareness, reorganizing the system from the outset, activating supervisory mechanisms, and addressing issues such as workload, density, and staff shortages in GRCs were presented as suggestions to mitigate the difficulties encountered.

Subject Keywords

early childhood education, children with special needs, pecial education teachers and guidance counselors, educational diagnosis and evaluation

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/115596

Collections

Graduate School of Social Sciences, Thesis