The paper focuses on the analysis of the conditions for inclusion of children with autism spectrum disorders in early and pre-school education by kindergartens teacher. The conditions relate to estimates of theoretical knowledge and attitudes of the educator, assessment of abilities and limitations of children with autism spectrum disorders, self-assessment of the competences of educators for their upbringing and education and assessment of other conditions for the inclusion of children with autism spectrum disorders. The survey results were analyzed by a questionnaire of 68 educators from 6 kindergartens in town of Split. There is a central level of knowledge about inclusion and low self-assessment of educators about their competence in which they are active participants in the inclusion of children with a disorder of the autism spectrum. Attractive factors for the implementation of inclusive education of children with autism spectrum disorder evaluated: inconsistent assurance of nursery assistants, lack of competent educators, and insufficient co-operation with parents of children with autism spectrum disorder. The analysis points to the lack of systematic education of educators for inclusive educational practice. The authors exclude the importance of the knowledge and skills of educators in the area of ​​information communication technology, particularly augmentative and alternative communication.Key words: children with autistic spectrum disorder; information communication technology; competence of the educator; Educational and Teaching Inclusion

Teaching practice is an integral part of education and training of future kindergarten teachers. Aiming to answer the question whether the initial education of kindergarten teachers is organized in accordance with the requirements of contemporary practice, this research examined the views and opinions of Faculty of Teacher Education students (N=235) in Zagreb on the implementation of teaching practice in kindergartens, while contemplating and analyzing the difficulties that are perceived and found in this area. The theoretical part of this paper discusses the relationship between the quality of kindergarten teacher education and the contemporary concept of the teaching practice, which is examined in the empirical part on the chosen research sample. By means of One Sample T-Test, positive attitudes of early childhood and preschool education students on the implementation of teaching practice were confirmed. In the correlation design area, a statistically significant correlation (Spearman) was confirmed between a particular year of studies and the assessment of practice or satisfaction of students and the success of teaching practice. Third year students differed from the first and second year students in that that they expressed a lower level of satisfaction with teaching practice.

PurposeThe aim of this research was to find out students' and mentors' attitudes toward the quality of mentoring support during teaching practicums. The research sought to determine whether there is any difference in (self) assessment between teacher mentors and early childhood education students.Design/methodology/approachThrough the quantitative research methodology, the Crisp (2009) College Student Mentoring Scale (CSMS) instrument was used to assess the quality of mentoring support during teaching practicums. Assessments were made in relation to the following variables: support in the areas of psychological and emotional needs, support in professional development and the development of professional competencies and the role of mentors as models. Early childhood education students (n1 = 105) and mentors (n2 = 54) of teaching practicums at the Faculty of Teacher Education, University of Zagreb, participated in the research.FindingsThe results of the research show that there is a statistically significant difference between student assessments and mentor self-assessment with regard to all researched areas of support. Mentors rated their mentoring skills higher than students did.Originality/valueAn approach in which mentoring is assessed in the context of support to students in different areas (e.g. psychological, emotional, professional) is rarely used in early childhood teacher education. Results indicate the need for a systematic evaluation of mentoring and the design of programs to strengthen mentoring competences.

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