If they had the skills and the ability to do it, they would do it. Without you having to repeat it. Without them having to throw a tantrum....
COVER STORY
If you’re familiar with this quote of Dr Ross Greene, you would have an idea where we’re going with this article. But, assuming you don’t, it means going beyond your adult mindset and empathising with the kids around you, to see them as unique individuals who are not being lazy or misbehaving on purpose with you; rather, they would actually perform the task well if they could do it. If they had the skills and the ability to do it, they would do it. Without you having to repeat it. Without them having to throw a tantrum.
Perhaps you did show them how to solve that math problem; yet, here they are, still struggling and displaying zero mastery of the skill. Does that mean they won’t ever be able to do it? Does that mean you’ll give up on them? What is it that stops you from giving them the opportunities to learn and grow and develop at their own pace?
At a recently held seminar ‘Redefining Inclusion’, by The Circle, experts discussed the ways to help and educate differently-abled children in Pakistan and the need to train teachers for this purpose…
Fantasizing inclusion
It’s easy for doctors to identify physical ailments and for the society to accept them, albeit somewhat slowly. The invisible disabilities have been largely ignored. Even today, with talks of mental health awareness on media, people around the world cannot fathom how a person who seems to be socially withdrawn won’t respond at being addressed, can’t walk straight, or finds it difficult to do simple tasks - like brushing teeth - acts this way due to developmental issues.
We talk about each child being different and we talk about equity and equality, but we ignore people with special needs. We read about multiple intelligences, but somehow everyone from the school management to the school teachers to the parents at home forget it when it comes to understanding and teaching specially-abled children. It’s inconvenient because how in the world can they find the time to plan according to the needs of each child? How do they even assess what the child needs to begin with? Generally, they are just not equipped to do that!
And so, a school that considers itself an inclusive school basically just manages to integrate children with diverse needs with the ‘neurotypical’ students in their classes. That is, if they take them in the first place and not reject them outright because they are ‘not school ready’ or failed their admission test. The special needs child is segregated from the peers: they have to have a shadow or a resource teacher tag along with them as directed by the school to help them with school activities. How can any child, thus singled out, feel happy or develop a sense of belonging to that culture? Besides, are they really included if, for instance, they have been excused from extracurricular activities like Sports Day or Annual Concerts on the pretext that loud sounds and bright lights would cause them discomfort?
Include, not exclude
At the seminar, Ameer Hashwani, a businessman and a social activist, referred to mental illness and developmental disabilities as a pandemic. He discussed how we’ve kept shush about it mainly due to the social taboos, and said it is high time that individuals start speaking up because the problem is now too big to be ignored. The levels of anxiety, the suicidal tendencies and attempts to self-harm among the youth and children are increasing. Establishing inclusive schools would accommodate special needs children and enable them to become assets to society. Unfortunately, such schools are few and far between, and sufficient information is not available to parents.
The three-pronged approach
Uzma Gora, Principal Preschool Plus, highlighted the importance of preschools in the early detection of developmental delays. This could rightly lead to early intervention which, in turn, could help create effective treatment and/or management plans to facilitate children.
Developmental delay refer to children falling behind on one or more milestones expected of them according to their age. It could be in terms of cognition, behaviour, motor skills, emotional skills, etc. At times, it’s not considered a red flag, as sometimes children are slow or develop at their own pace. It becomes a cause for concern only when the symptoms not only show up consistently, but also get worse progressively. It should alert the parents/teachers since developmental delays could lead to developmental disability. Preschool is a crucial stage because a majority of these delays are triggered during the first two years of life.
Now the situation becomes tricky. Delay in seeking help can be detrimental to the child’s health, but informing the parents requires tact. Teachers should call in the parents, and start off with the positives (for example, mentioning the milestones that their child has actually achieved till then), and then gently mentioning the issue (for example, lack of eye contact) without using any label or discriminatory jargons.
Some parents might be relieved to be told what they need to do to help their child, but others might feel offended and start blaming everyone for the state of their child. Empathy is the key to make them accept that their child might have a disability.
Parents may or may not have another child other than the special needs kid, and will probably struggle to understand why it happened. They’ll be afraid for the future of their child, the taunts they and the child might be exposed to, yes, but more importantly they’ll be worried about what would happen to the child once they’re no longer there to support and protect them. This is partially why early diagnosis is important; the earlier the parent, the teacher, and the therapist get to work together on the child, the better their prospects could be. Together, they can formulate the action plan specifically for the child; it could be anything from a personalised schedule allowing the child to spend some time at school and some time at therapy or allowing them time off to exclusively focus on therapy for the time being, or working along an individualised education plan according to their need.
Building a strong foundation
Their ability to adapt is what differentiates between children and adults. For children, the preschool or primary school is their first step in the world outside, meeting new people, making friends, acquiring skills and rules of social survival. There’s no limit to what a young one can achieve if they’re given a caring and nurturing environment to grow. In real world, that would amount to an inclusive school where both the neurotypical and the neurodivergent are able to evolve together with mutual respect, coexisting peacefully alongside one another. The special needs kids will begin to consider themselves as valued members of community. If we do this at preschool level, it would enable us to lay a strong foundation as we move towards becoming an inclusive society. As adults in our children’s environment – teachers, therapists, caregivers, policy makers – it is our duty to make the environment conducive to their development and hence, to their success. All of us have to be on the same page to pull this feat off.
Lead with example
According to Rebbia Shahab, a psychologist and educator, we’re not talking about inclusion enough. Don’t be the teacher or the school that labels a child ‘difficult’ because he ‘refused to sit still during class’ or ‘failed to do his homework.’ Don’t treat them differently or compare them. The shame and the stigma are major turnoffs for parents to seek therapies, mainstream schooling, and basically getting their kids to grow up contributing to the society.
Parenting and teaching are highly responsible jobs; you cannot let the child bear the brunt of your ignorance. If the parents are confused, guide them as to the right professional (psychologist, psychiatrist, therapist, etc.) they need to consult for their kids. If the parents are unable to arrange for a shadow teacher, don’t let the child suffer academically unnecessarily; give them the time and attention they require.
As parents, it’s your duty to inform the school/class teachers so they know what to look out for when teaching your child. Similarly, any intervention that they need should also be properly written and documented for future reference. Cooperate with the teachers and therapists because there is only so much that they can do during the limited time the child is with them.
Post Covid-19, some schools have been trailblazers in the sense they’ve started hiring mental health counsellors, but there is a dearth of qualified professionals. So, teachers and psychologists for children need to be trained to work with children with special needs. It is wrong to assume that just about any therapist can work with autistic kids. No, they need to have the right kind of training, to be honestly committed and driven to the wellbeing of these children.
Happy teacher = happy children in class
Urooj Hassan, Special Needs Coordinator at The Learning Tree, was of the opinion that children who feel included are essentially happy children. They won’t be filling up their exercise books but they would be happy to have peers who are ready to play with them irrespective of their physical and mental condition. Teachers are equipped to be happy teachers under these circumstances and parents are also trained to be happy parents.
Inclusion is not merely placing a special needs child in a classroom of 20-30 neurotypical children. Instead, inclusion is an obvious collaboration, an ongoing cycle that has to be systematically operatable. We have to plan it and proactively work towards it, all the while realising that we live in a developing country and that there will be many struggles on a daily basis, but we can be the agent of change. And we have to keep in mind that the child is the most important part of this equation.
Demand – and supply!
When Pakistan signed the Universal Charter of Human Rights Declaration, the lawmakers had no idea that going to school is not enough for children with special needs. Sadaf Mateen, CEO, Co-Founder and Speech-Language Pathologist, The Circle-Caring for Children, said that competent and well-meaning teachers can be confused and hurt because they don’t know how to help the special needs children even when they want to. Parents can be left wondering why their child doesn’t show progress even after spending four to six hours at school.
A harmonious partnership is essential between parents, therapists, and schools for special needs children’s betterment. Sometimes, with the right kind of attention and preparation, these kids find a place in the mainstream schools. However, there are still others who won’t be able to attend these mainstream schools. In an attempt to help each type of kid, The Circle has come up with a first-of-its-kind programme: they are introducing sessions of two, four and six hours respectively with the aim to equip these kids with basic academic and social skills so that they are able to take care of themselves independently and live a meaningful life.
