Factors Determining the Underdeveloped Social Interest in Children with Special Needs

Abstract

Background: Individual psychology regards the development of social interest in a child as a key precondition for the child’s socialization. The low level of social interest is the result of the interplay of various factors, which are the subject of this research.
Aim: The aim of this study is to investigate the factors that lead to underdeveloped social interest in children with special needs.
Material and Methods: The methods applied in this study are theoretical analysis, observation and diagnosis of the psychomotor development of children with special needs.
Results: The results of the study indicate that one of the main factors for the underdevelopment of social interest in children with special needs is the type of disorder they are suffering from – auditory, visual, motor or combined. The diagnosis and observation of the psychomotor development of children with special needs in early childhood, and in particular in children with hearing problems, demonstrate that there are limitations in their communication skills and that the systems responsible for the development of cooperation and mutual aid are blocked.
Conclusion: This study demonstrates that one of the main factors determining the delay in the development of social interest and the ensuing problems with the socialization of children with special needs is the sensory or combined disorder the child has been diagnosed with. The primary ways to partially overcome this delay are treatment of the disorders, in particular the auditory ones, complex rehabilitation and application of a set of actions designed to aid in the development of communication skills.