Addressing Challenges Faced by Children with Disabilities in the Western Balkans

Darko Kobetić, a rehabilitation professor, UNICEF consultant in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and author of “Analysis of Policies and Practices in the Area of Assessment and Referral of Children with Disabilities at the FBiH Level,” has been involved in the development of a new assessment system since its inception. He states, “Our goal is a humane approach, and I’m pleased that we have parents who have chosen this method. We concentrate on the child, family, professionals, and community. I hope that our efforts will be beneficial.”

The new assessment system is entirely focused on the child and the family, with all relevant data gathered about each child from all stakeholders involved in their growth and development, including parents, speech therapists, educational rehabilitators, and physical therapists. Furthermore, unlike before, members of multi-sectoral professional bodies coordinate the implementation and work on creating tailored support plans for each participating child. The emphasis is on empowering the child and family, determining the child’s abilities, needs, and interests. Initial feedback from parents has been positive.

Martina, a mother of four-year-old Noa, shares her positive experience with the new assessment system: “The previous way of assessment was stressful because my child may not have been in the mood that day and could not show anything. I had to bring him in for the assessment two or three times, and it was very upsetting. You can’t determine anything in 10 minutes. What is important for me is to see Noa making progress, and we should get the best out of him. He has made progress, and it should be acknowledged. I believe that he can achieve a lot, and we should work with him.”

According to Darko, the primary goal of the new system is to identify problems early and provide better support plans for families and children to prevent institutionalisation. They create an annual plan for the child and family and update it as their circumstances change. “We also prepare families and children for the transitional period when they have to enrol in kindergarten or primary school, and we also prepare schools for the enrolment of children with disabilities, so that when the child enrols, the schools have a better approach,” explains Darko.

Darko believes that the project’s main impact was changing the perspective and focusing on the child and family’s needs. “In Bosnia and Herzegovina, there was a strong focus on diagnosis, and the assessment’s primary objective was to identify the child’s problem type, which was the end of the assessment process. Shifting the focus to the child’s interests and needs, which is also a shift from a medical to a human rights paradigm, is the most successful element of this project,” says Darko.