Investigation of the relationship between the pragmatic language skills and the levels of school adjustment of students with special needs

The aim of this research is to examine the relationship between pragmatic language skills and school adjustment of students with special needs who receive pre-school education within the scope of inclusion practices. The research is a descriptive-connective study. 52 students with special needs, who are educated within the scope of inclusion practices at the 5-6 age level, who are educated in kindergartens and nursery classes, and the teachers of 52 typically developing students of the same age and sex who receive education in the same class affiliated to the Ministry of National Education as these students. Research data were collected using the "Demographic Information Form", "School Adaptation Teacher Evaluation Scale-Short Form" and "Pragmatic Language Skills Inventory". According to the findings of the study, pragmatic language skills and school adjustment skills of students with special needs are lower than their typically developing peers. Whereas there was no difference in pragmatic language skill levels according to gender, school adjustment scores of female students were found to be higher than male students. While the pragmatic language skills of the children of the families at the upper socioeconomic level were better than the children of the families with the middle and lower socioeconomic levels, no difference was found in the school adjustment skills according to the socio-economic level. As a result of the research, a positive and significant relationship was found between pragmatic language skills and school adjustment skills.