Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a frequent neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by hyperactivity, inattention, and impul- sivity. The issue of whether ADHD is a socially constructed disorder has received much attention. The goal of the present study was to examine the clinical prevalence of ADHD in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH). An additional goal was to investigate the prevalence of school-aged children who fulfill the criteria for the condition but do not have a clinical diagnosis. For the first research goal, the sample consisted of five University Clinical Centers in BIH that provided data on the prevalence. For the second goal, the sample consisted of 1935 parents of children aged 6 to 15 years. Parents of 1935 school-aged children from the Federation BIH completed the questionnaire regarding ADHD symptoms. Children ranged in age from 6 to 15 years. The mean age of children was 10.2 years (SD- 2.1 years). There were 1061 girls and 874 boys in the sample. Five hospitals in the Federation BIH (4 University Clinical Centers and 1 Cantonal Hos- pital) were sent a questionnaire to provide us with information on how many school-aged children were diagnosed with ADHD and their basic demographic data. In addition, the Clinical Centers were asked to provide information on what treatment they provide to children with ADHD. The results of this study indicated that clinical diagnosis of ADHD is infrequent. The number of clinically confirmed cases of ADHD in the Federation BIH was 138 or less than 0.001%. On the other hand, accord ing to survey data, there is a prevalence rate of ADHD indicated like that observed in western countries. According to the parents’ reports, there were 97 children or 5% who fulfilled the criteria for ADHD diagnosis. In relation to gender distribution of ADHD, there were more boys (88 boys) than girls (50 girls) with a clinically confirmed diagnosis of ADHD and boys were 1.76 times more likely to have a ADHD diagnosis than were girls. On the other hand there were more girls than boys who had ADHD according to parents’ reports, but this difference, according to the Chi square test, was not statistically significant (ꭓ 2 = 0.14; p = ,70). The results of this study have clearly shown that ADHD is underdiag- nozed in Bosnia and Herzegovina. There is a huge discrepancy between the clinically diagnosed children and the parent-reported symptoms of ADHD. Given the burden that ADHD has on children and their families it should be of the utmost importance to provide timely diagnosis and proper treatment. One way to improve the current situation is through a better cooperation between school staff (psychologists, teachers), parents, and medical professionals.

Teachers’ attitudes towards the education of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) play a significant part in successfulness of the inclusive education. The goal of the present study was to ...

The preschool years presents an important opportunity to support children’s social and emotional development. Social and emotional learning (SEL) programs in early childhood education and care (ECEC) have gained an increased interest due to its potential to improve child health and educational outcomes. We aimed to identify existing systematic reviews on universal, curriculum-based SEL interventions in ECEC settings (children aged 0 to 7 years), assess their risk of bias, synthesize the findings and identify knowledge gaps. We undertook a systematic literature search in seven different databases. Reviews of studies without control groups were excluded. Each abstract and full text article was assessed independently, and disagreements were solved in consensus. Relevant reviews were assessed for bias using the ROBIS tool. Of 4912 records identified through database searches, two systematic reviews met the inclusion criteria. Both reviews were assessed as having a high risk of bias. The results were used to summarize existing knowledge and knowledge gaps. In conclusion, SEL interventions in preschool settings must be considered knowledge gaps. There is a need for more high-quality primary studies and further systematic reviews that adhere to strict scientific methods and address the overwhelming heterogeneity in field, in terms of interventions, settings and outcomes.

Since the development of the original Support Intensity Scale—Adult Version (SIS-A) and the Support Intensity Scale—Child Version (SIS-C), the interest in supporting people with intellectual disabilities (ID) has changed. Resource allocation, better quality of resource utilization in the rehabilitation process, the development of support systems, and redefining the roles of organizations that support people with ID are just some of the changes. The aim of this study was to determine the factor structure of the SIS-C conducted on a sample of Bosnian–Herzegovinian (B&H) children (SISC B&H). The study included 377 children ID in B&H, aged 5-16. The data was analyzed with the SPSS 21 software (with the AMOS package). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to examine the factor structure of the SIS-C. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was applied to determine the factor and constructive validity of SIS-C B&H. The CFA results indicated a poor fit of both the theoretical and empirical models even after modifications were made. The EFA showed the opposite results. This could be explained by the fact that within the factor solutions obtained from the EFA, various aslope or orthogonal models, linear or hierarchical, can be constructed. Among these models, some exhibited good fit to the data. Thus, data from the current study could be used to generate new hypotheses and deliver more conclusive answers.

The goal of the present study was to assess the family quality of life (FQOL) in families with children with developmental disabilities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We examined the FQOL in relation to parents’ demographic variables (gender, age, employment status), children’s gender and age, type of children’s disability (mild and moderate intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder) and parent’s depression, anxiety, and stress levels. The sample consisted of 270 parents of children with disabilities; 90 parents of children with autism spectrum disorder, 90 parents of children with mild intellectual disability, and 90 parents of children with moderate intellectual disability. We also included a control group of 90 parents of typically developing children. The results of this study showed that parents of children with autism spectrum disorder and parents of children with moderate intellectual disability had statistically significantly lower FQOL than parents of children with mild intellectual disability and parents of typically developing children. Child’s gender had a significant effect on FQOL. Also, depression, anxiety and stress levels significantly affected FQOL, while the parents’ gender, age, and employment status did not have a significant effect. Implications of these findings are discussed and some measures on supporting parents are proposed.

Background: People with intellectual disability, have been shown to become high and frequent users of primary health care services—both general population health professionals and intellectual disability specialists. Aim: The aim of this paper has been to assess differences of Health and Safety Activities children with intellectual disabilities on the Supports Intensity Scale-Children’s Version and to confirm assumptions that support needs are confounded with age, IQ andgender.Methods:The sample included 377 children with intellectual disabilities in Bosnia and Herzegovina aged 5-16. Most respondents also had the presence of other, concurrent conditions and disorders. Using IQ, the sample was equalized to the level of intellectual functioning, and this data was obtained from the findings and opinions of the Commission for the Categorization of Children with Special Needs.Results:It was found at the multivariate level there are statistically significant differences between respondents of different ages and IQ in values of type, frequency and time of duration of support. No significant differences between boys and girls were identified at the multivariate level. Healthcare professionals and intellectual disability specialists must work as a team to guarantee any person with intellectual disability possibility to come as close as possible to the standard levels of well-being and health-related quality of life of the general population.

Background: Children with autism in their characteristics show a series of unusual reactions to stimuli in all areas of the sensory system. Aim: The aim of this paper was to compare the tactile and auditory processes, i.e. to determine the deficits of these processes by children with autism spectrum disorder (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th ed.) in relation to children with intellectual disabilities and children of the typical population. Methods: The sample consisted of a total of 105 children. During the survey, the method of proportional stratified sample was used and the data collection was carried out in 2017 on the entire territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Short Sensory Profile was applied (Dunn, 1999) and through 13 items, Tactile Perception and Hearing Perception were examined. Results: It was found that 71.4% of children with autism had significant difficulties in the area of tactile perception and 65.7% in the area of hearing perception. Tactile and hearing sensitivity is also common by children with intellectual disabilities, which undermines the inclusion of the difficulty of sensory processing as a key diagnostic criterion for autism.

This study describes validation of a screening model for Referrals to Support with Hidden Disabilities in Higher Education. A screening model describes the screening procedures implemented by HEIs in all 8 public universities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the study, 5073 bachelor students were participated. There were 1371 (27%) male and 3702 (73%) female participants. In this research, the questionnaire for students in higher education was used. In order to validate the screening model, a multivariate method of exploratory factor analysis was applied. The intercorrelation of manifest variables was calculated, and on the basis of the obtained coefficients, the variables were selected for further analysis. The variables were subjected by calculating the coefficient of the inner consistency of the Cronbach alpha, and an estimate of the reliability of the variables was made by calculating the interstellar statistics. On the basis of the obtained results of factor analysis, a set of 28 manifest variables have been reduced to 15 variables that have satisfactory reliability and internal agreement, and it is justifiable to use them as a screening model. Findings support the requirement for a reliable and valid standardized assessment procedure for HEIs, which would provide equitable access to an initial diagnosis.

The goal of this study is to compare the attitudes of teachers from Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH) and teachers from five European Union (EU) countries (Austria, Croatia, Italy, Slovenia and Germany) towards the inclusive education of students with special educational needs. The sample for this study is comprised of 110 teachers from Bosnia and Herzegovina and 110 teachers from EU. The attitudes were examined by using a questionnaire that was adapted from the Index for inclusion. The final interview protocol consisted 20 questions, which had an excellent internal consistency, Cronbach’s alpha of 0.98. A Chi square test was performed to test the differences in attitudes. The results of this study indicated highly positive attitudes towards inclusive education of EU teachers and positive attitudes of BIH teachers. EU teachers had more favourable attitudes than teachers in BIH on 18 of 20 questionnaire items. These findings were discussed in the light of previous BIH and international researches. The paper ends with a discussion for the challenges and possibilities for improvement of the inclusive education in BIH.