The master’s thesis data researches the early treatment of children with deafblindness, its importance for them and their parents, the support they receive as well as the role of counsellors in educational institutions and social workers in an early treatment centre for children with disabilities in supporting them. The master’s thesis is based on the experience and opinions of parents with children with deafblindness, adolescents with deafblindness, counsellors who work in educational institutions and social workers employed in early treatment centres. Their opinions were gathered through qualitative research. Based on the results, I concluded that all children with deafblindness received early treatment, which varied considerably between them, but no treatment addressed the state of deafblindness very clearly. Research participants find early treatment for a child with deafblindness very important, and they believe it is crucial for the child to be diagnosed as soon as possible and to start working directly with the child to ensure their optimal development. Even though the parents did not receive specially addressed support as part of the early treatment, it was very important to them, as it gave them the feeling that they were not alone and provided them with an important source of information. Before entering the educational institution, children with deafblindness did not receive any support other than medical treatment, nor did their parents. Moreover, most parents did not receive any specially addressed support while their child was attending an educational institution as it was only addressed to the child. The support and adjustments that children with deafblindness received while attending an educational institution varied greatly between them. However, quite a few downsides of support were highlighted, which were mainly related to the lack of knowledge and skills of various professionals to work with a child with deafblindness, the general misunderstanding of deafblindness as well as the related specific needs of people with deafblindness. The majority of parents did not meet social workers as part of the early treatment of children with disabilities, nor did the social workers or counsellors have any special role in supporting them and their children. My suggestions for improvement are mostly related to providing permanent and continuous help and support to children with deafblindness and their parents, to raising awareness and educating general and professional public about deafblindness as well as the importance of identifying and understanding deafblindness to ensure quality support.
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