This explains situations that may arise when interacting with a student with special needs and to which you should respond.

What demands may students have for study adjustments?

This follows from the type and degree of their disability. In the vast majority of cases, this is a claim for extended time in examinations. This is usually set at 25, 50, 75 or 100% extra time and applies to any examination, i.e. both credit and examinations, and can apply to both written and oral examinations. Obviously, this puts increased demands on us teachers, we have to set aside time, supervision, room. Therefore, the rule is that students must make such a claim (i.e. contact you) at least 7 days before the exam to allow time to prepare everything and arrange the details with the student. (Will he/she start writing earlier or finish later? Will it be held in a separate room or with others? Who will be there to supervise him/her? Does the assignment format need to be modified in any way, e.g., larger font, etc.?)

Another typical requirement is an increased need for individual consultations. Naturally, it depends on the capabilities of each instructor, and it is obvious that none of us can spend extended time caring for one student individually, and there is also a need to hold the line between consultations and tutoring. (For tutoring purposes, students have the option of tutoring or study assistance from older students.) Extra consultations, as well as extended time supervision for exams, can be reimbursed in the form of bonuses.

There are various specific modifications that are not as common, but are always described in the functional diagnostics. These may include, for example, large letter texts (for the visually impaired), the use of various technical aids (for the visually and hearing impaired), the preference of oral over written examinations (for dysgraphics), etc.

How do you find out about a student's entitlement?

1. Students can only make claims if they have a written document called a 'Functional Diagnostic Assessment' which is printed on Charles University letterhead and signed by both the student and the author of the FD (which is a Charles University professional). Students must provide evidence of their functional diagnosis themselves and such a student must also be recorded in the 'Student' database as having special needs.

2. If a student requests any modifications to an exam, etc., and does not have a functional diagnosis, he/she is not eligible for a study adjustment. In this case, kindly send him/her to the contact person at the Faculty - PhDr. Hana Svobodová, Ph.D. (contact).

3. There may also be a situation when you yourself observe that the student is behaving abnormally (acting depressed, neurotic, has extremely poor handwriting, you have the impression that he/she cannot see/hear well, etc.), but he/she does not do anything, tries to "handle it on his/her own" and does not find that he/she is not capable of doing it. This may be a manifestation of some difficulty that the student has not yet admitted to himself/herself. If this is the case, please try to talk sensitively to the student and either refer them to a contact person or refer them to one of the Charles University psychological support services for students. Such situations are quite common nowadays, the student's medical (whether somatic or psychological) condition is not related to their intelligence and often (for some psychological difficulties) it is a temporary matter which, with appropriate care, can be managed and the student can return to successful study.

Counselling services for CU staff

The CU Counselling Service (the Faculty of Education) provides the same service to all CU staff as it does to CU students, free of charge. These include:

• psychological counselling (for psychological problems, especially (but not only) those related to the profession - burnout syndrome, personal or relationship problems, etc., including teacher-student relationship),

• personal counselling, dealing with difficult life situations,

• speech therapy (if you need to improve your speech),

• counselling resulting from a disability or limitation,

• etc.