Exceptional Children and Social Responsibility.
Exceptional
Children and Social Responsibility.
There are children with learning disabilities,
visual and hearing impairments, attention deficit hyperactivity disorders, orthopedically
handicapped children and mental retardation. There are children with emotional
and social disturbances and language, speech and communication disorder.
These are the children for whom it is difficult to be
at par with the average children of the
same age. The degree of individual differences may be so high that it makes it mandatory to provide an individualised special educational programme to facilitate learning.
Gifted children represent the small group of
talented children who strongly need enrichment activities so that their talents
could be nurtured. Special
education defines this group as those with an IQ in the top 2 percentiles of
the population, usually 130 or more. Such students have one or more
intellectual strengths and are generally capable of divergent as well as
convergent thinking. Gifted children have their own unique set of
needs, and since most people don’t fully realize or acknowledge these needs,
gifted children can often struggle in non-academic areas.
“An exceptional child is he who deviates from the normal or
average children in mental characteristics, in sensory abilities, in neuromuscular
or physical characteristics, in social or emotional behaviour, in communication
abilities or in multiple handicaps to such an extent that he requires a
modification of school practices or special educational services or
supplementary instruction in order to develop to his maximum capacity.”
Role of parents, school, peer
group and institution, in dealing with an exceptional child
All impairments interfere with the normal
educational achievement and social adjustment. The parents should be alert and
aware about their child’s need.
“One of the most important things a parent can
do is notice their child. Find out about
his/her special
requirement, what interests him/her and give lot of confidence, support and
motivation. Let your child show you the way he likes to learn.”
The
teacher’s role is extremely important
in designing individualised instructional programs for the exceptional child.
Teachers provide guidance to students of all types. Teachers are able to see
each child’s strengths and weaknesses and can provide assistance and guidance
to either get them up to speed or push them higher. They are also a source of
inspiration and motivation. Teachers inspire students to do well, and motivate
them to work hard and keep their academic goals on track.
The teacher and parent’s meet and open discussion about the child’s concern will help to
understand the special needs of the child.
The discussion can help in the smooth transition of activities in school by
being proactive and helping easing the anxiety particularly for a special need
child. Soft and patient handling of the
situation will help the special
need child to grasp the concepts
better. Friendly and trusted approach helps the child to share their problem and open up.
The peer group has
to be supportive and broad minded to include special need children in maximum activities so that they
don’t feel isolated.
The institution
should have experienced special educators who will take care of individualised
teaching programme and special techniques to teach children with special needs.
Multisensory instructional strategies helps in learning. Social skill training
helps children in getting along with peers and adults in various settings and circumstances.
Institutions should provide them an environment of equality and accessibility
to physically disabled child. Their confidence will rise when they see themselves at par with normal children.
It is an
accepted notion that every child is like every other child and every child is
unlike every other child. Every child is unique in his own ways. Some are
bright, some are dull. But regardless of these differences, everyone has equal
right to develop their potentialities. Inclusive Education protects the right
of all disabled students by integrating disabled child with non-disabled in
regular classrooms with provision for extra help for the disabled. One of the
several factors which determine the success of inclusion is family support and
involvement. Family involvement can have a major impact on student’s learning,
regardless of the social or cultural background of the family.
By
Dr. Mona Shah
Occupational Therapist , Clinical Psychologist
������ CHILDREN are the future for every generation, Its a moral responsibility of every one to care for their well being and growth and care. Every initial steps taken by elders for their improvement in health, safety, knowledge and thought process will empower them for a greater growth, innovation, commitments, and responsibilities. Once a good qualities are imparted, it will automatically make the next generation to follow up, creating a great social environment of well being. Your efforts in this line of thought is well appreciated. God bless and give more strength to continue to do more.
ReplyDeleteThanks, regards
S.Rajgopal