This second session allowed us to continue sharing knowledge, experiences and designing strategies together to work in this crucial stage in terms of learning and development of social and communication skills.

Professionals from the area of ​​education and health from the Integra Foundation and the National Board of Kindergartens (JUNJI), as well as students of Pedagogy in Early Childhood Education from the U. Pedro de Valdivia, participated in the training prepared by the Education Program. Disability Support at the University of La Serena (PAED ULS) and the Inclusive Higher Education Network (REDESIC) on working with preschoolers with disabilities.

The second work session of the participants was held at the Teaching Support Center (CADH) of the Isabel Bongard Campus of the ULS, which began with the words of the president of the REDESIC, Joel Guzmán, who welcomed the attendees. and valued the effort to move towards a more inclusive education.

The activity was guided by the academic of the Department of Education of the host university, Georgina García, who pointed out that the University “has been open to supporting and transforming ourselves to better receive students with disabilities, however, the students, and like the others, they bring gaps in academic aspects and development of social and communication skills.” The academic explains that this develops at a very early age, therefore, in accordance with all international proposals, they decided to work with other actors in the educational system and this is how this experience was created with pre-basic teachers. 

“We are working with teachers, sharing knowledge and experience and designing strategies together,” says García. The teacher clarifies that it is not that after the age of zero to six “we do not learn, what we develop later are very powerful learning strategies, but as we will never have this great neurological potential of neuronal plasticity. Therefore, when supports and contexts are delivered to early childhood, the change will be as resounding as has been observed in research in which children at risk of having attention deficit are taught cognitive self-regulation strategies and, subsequently, , in the school stage, either they do not present the picture or they present it very diminished; That is to say, all research indicates that the earlier the identification of the characteristics is made and the contexts are adapted to the subjects, the better they will develop from an evolutionary point of view if they have the necessary support."

That is why the importance of this alliance with early childhood educators, students of this career and health professionals who work with young children, to help detect and intervene early on any physical, auditory, visual or cognitive disability. In this way, “the transformations of the school and family context can be achieved, because in this way a much more developed mind is built from the point of view of higher cognitive skills and their functional and adaptive skills are much more developed to the social contexts in which they live.” ”.

Georgina García explained the main inconveniences faced by children with disabilities (in their different types and degrees), recognizable behaviors and gave some suggestions to help them, including addressing their early education; perform motor activities; encourage their social skills and habits in daily life; break down the information; use repetitions and creativity; deliver positive reinforcements; give brief orders; and help them for abstraction, generalization and autonomy. 

He also referred to the work of the Disability Support Program at the University of La Serena, whichIt is financed with resources from the institution and its purpose is to provide comprehensive support – academic, social and health – to university students with sensory and/or motor disabilities. Along with this, guide their academics and families so that they can support these students to respond satisfactorily to the academic, social and emotional demands that any professional training process implies. This is how students are taught different techniques to study better, a fellow tutor is hired to help them with specific technical knowledge and access is given to the Resource Room equipped especially for them. In addition, he added that they are working on a manual to help students with disabilities and how to adapt teaching materials to them (Word documents, Power Point, etc.)

Likewise, the session included a workshop in which groups were formed to present a case of real children with disabilities and the strategies used to provide them with support in the preschool stage, which was enriched with the experiences and suggestions of the members of the other groups. .

The activity was highly valued by its participants, more than 20 people, among whom was the educator of the Villa Alegría Garden in Las Compañías (La Serena), Edith Morales, who highlighted that “we have had many experiences because it is a garden that serves to 218 children, therefore, there is a diversity of special educational needs. Every year new children join and all are different, because we work on individuality more than disability. For us this is super important, because any contribution, knowledge we have, will help us in our work to replicate it to the educators who already work in the classroom with a child with a special educational need." 

Morales highlights that “we, through our contribution, see what is happening in them, which is generally long-term, but more important than that is that we can ensure that the child is happy. That is what we want, for them to be an integrated child, capable of interacting with others and for us to put a smile on their faces because they are generally very overprotected, they do not have many possibilities to play, interact with their peers, and feel free. The way we help them is so that they feel like better people and not different.” 

PAED ULS and REDESIC

The PAED ULS has its offices in the Resource Room of the ''Irma Salas'' Central Library (Anfión Muñoz corner Infante), where interested students, academics and administrators can contact them on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. to 13 p.m.: 00 hours and Tuesdays from 12:30 to 16:30 hours or by writing to the email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Meanwhile, the Inclusive Higher Education Network in the Coquimbo Region was formed at the end of 2011 and has among its members the UCN, UPV, U. Central, Colegio Maristas Nuestra Señora de Andacollo and the U. de La Serena.