Children With Disabilities

EDITORIAL
Posted on 2009-03-10
Providing a holistic treatment to the students with learning disabilities and integrating them into the mainstream is a major challenge and it requires a comprehensive strategy. Though late it is good that the Government of Goa has initiated the process. But the approach and programme as underlined by the government lack the basic humane element. Meeting the needs of such children instead of being mechanical in nature should focus on the three targets – Special Education, Medicaid, and Social Care Services – and integrate the family for providing continuous care and support.
Keeping a record book for each student for inspection will help the school to assess the student. But what is required is developing a strategic classroom environment by the teachers. Often the child suffering with learning disability avoids reading aloud, faces difficulty with handwriting, has a tight pencil grip, poor coordination and makes inconsistent reading and spelling errors. Parents are the first to witness this but ironically they prefer to ignore it. The problem of learning disabilities could not be tackled effectively unless the teacher is aware of the symptoms and their implications. Despite appropriate learning opportunities, when children fail to make progress in studies – reading, writing, spelling – they are considered to be within the range of learning disabilities.
Teachers should involve such students in goal-setting related to learning and using the strategies. Teachers should provide model strategic behavior, practice and reinforce strategy application through elaborate feedback. A teacher should have the attention of the student before beginning any activity. Teacher should encourage children to ask questions, review the important points and bring the student closer to him. This will help develop a strategic classroom environment. Often the students with learning disabilities develop a passive approach to learning and wait for teachers’ instructions. This would have a negative impact on the students as they would feel dependent and also lack interest that is required to mould them and take them out of the situation.
Already these are in vogue in some of the schools in other states. The basic task for the teachers is to assess the needs of these students. For this it is imperative that teachers should be well versed with child psychology. Teacher should listen to the child and recognise that they are ‘children first’. There is no denying that teachers should explore ways to help students become more proactive and involved in planning their academic program.
It is shocking that some of the schools in Goa are yet to identify such students. This only underlines the lack of right perspective towards these students. We ought to realise that each child in unique. Students with learning disabilities ought to be taught effective learning strategies to help them approach tasks more effectively. Nevertheless once the programme has been started the government should ensure that the basics are strictly adhered to. It should be taken like a mission with the motto that all students with disabilities have equal access to educational opportunities so they can freely participate in academic activities