Special
education involves the provision of individualized and specialized educational
support to children with learning difficulties and/or other developmental
challenges. The goal of special education is to help children develop their
potential and abilities, to address learning deficits as much as possible,
regardless of the challenges they face, and to ensure they have access to
education.
Early diagnosis and intervention play a significant role in
improving a child’s academic progress and in developing strategies to cope with
learning difficulties. Timely enrollment in a special education program is
crucial for the child’s development.
Learning
difficulties refer to disorders in the learning process. These difficulties
affect academic performance and often impact memory, concentration,
organization, and comprehension.
Special education enhances children's
abilities and focuses on the development of their skills. Through the teaching
of methods and techniques, a child can improve their reading skills,
comprehension of written text, written expression, mathematical ability, and
organizational skills.
Assessment Tools
The Athena Test
is a diagnostic tool that accurately identifies learning difficulties. It is
primarily designed for children aged
5 to 9 years.
The Athena Test is a multidisciplinary tool for intra-individual assessment,
providing a detailed picture of the child’s current state across five key areas
of development, such as intellectual ability, immediate memory for sequences,
completion of incomplete representations, grapho-phonological awareness, and
neuropsychological maturity. These assessments evaluate aspects of a child’s
development that are considered critical for school learning and adaptation.
The certified consultant, Dr. Anna Theodoulou, administers the test and
provides a detailed written report of the results. Through this evaluation,
specific areas of deficiency can be identified, requiring specialized
educational-therapeutic intervention.
The Special Education
Department of the multidisciplinary center consists of Special Educators who,
in collaboration with other members of the multidisciplinary team, aim to
provide holistic support for children, including infants, children, and
adolescents. The first step is a thorough assessment and identification of the
child’s needs, followed by the development of an individualized program
consisting of techniques aimed at enhancing the child’s learning ability.
Additional
learning assessments are conducted using informal, non-standardized tools to
identify weaknesses relative to the child's age and the existing school
curriculum. The Special Educator is part of a team of professionals (teachers,
doctors, therapists) working together with a common goal: the child’s progress
in academic, social, and emotional areas. Furthermore, collaboration with
parents is essential to
support and reinforce the child’s efforts.
