Starting off with a very basic question but something that continues to puzzle the general public, do you think there is a difference between a child who has a disability and a child who has additional support needs?
Andrea: Yes, children with additional support needs are those who have educational requirements over and above other children the same age. They may include children from different ethnic or socio-economic groups, those with physical or intellectual challenges, emotional problems, and learning disorders, as well as gifted children.
Sadia Mumtaz: Children can have additional support needs that arise due to a physical condition s(he) is afflicted with or can be circumstantially induced. A child may or may not be able to participate in general walks of life including the education process due to the non-inclusive nature of various environments. Making accommodations for everyone including children with additional needs and different strengths is challenging but important so that learning and education does not remain a privilege for select groups only.
Do you think additional support needs is only needed by children who have disabilities?
Andrea: No, even gifted children can have additional support needs. Children who are coming from a traumatic situation or children from a foreign country with a different language and children who have psychological problems can have additional support needs. Also, the needs can be temporary, lasting only until the underlying problem is resolved.
Shahina: The nature of additional support needs varies. Like younger children with attention problems or fine motor skills difficulties will need shadow teachers in classrooms. While some other needs can be addressed through dedicated therapy sessions. It is important to understand the nature of support to be provided and the role of facilitators. A shadow teacher who for example does everything for the child like the homework etc. make the child just ends up not learning anything as the teacher’s aide is doing everything for him/her.
Continuing with our discussion, what do you think of the perspectives of our mainstream teachers who consider teaching children, who have additional support needs, an extra burden? We can’t really blame them since they do not have adequate support and training – at least not all of them do.
Andrea: I’d like to give an example of a school where the teachers were asked to identify children who would probably not pass. Two or three children from each class were identified and their learning difficulties assessed. Then the teachers were asked to plan their lessons to ensure the successful learning of the children identified as having additional needs. Instead of designing a different lesson plan for individual children or groups of children working at different levels, the teachers made sure the struggling children learned - by catering to a variety of learning styles. Not only did the struggling children do better, the whole class showed improvement. We have organizations here in Karachi, like the Teachers Resource Centre, where teachers learn to teach more effectively by catering to the multiple intelligences. When the school encourages and supports teachers, teachers become quite enthusiastic about meeting the needs of all of their students.
Sadia: Teachers often do feel overburdened in typical class-sizes averaging 30 to 40 children. Limited resource availability especially in order to cater to children with additional support needs is another challenge. But, when we talk of inclusion of these kids – in the best of scenarios for example the North American model, it is mandatory that there is one classroom teacher and a special educator in the class and together they work with all the students. However, when you take the concept of inclusion to the katchi abadi schools here in Pakistan, students from the same class can be selected as helpers to assist the teachers in facilitating and working with help her/his class fellows out. The real need is for the school to recognize that a child with additional support needs has the same right the other children to be respected and to learn as other children.
Shahina: Many a times the teachers want to implement the concept of inclusion but they are met with various restrictions, such as the course targets have to be met, the given exam deadlines etc. It is therefore important to first orient the teachers about what inclusion actually means and then discuss the ways and means in which teachers practice this within classrooms.
How can teachers be motivated to help and provide the required support to students who need them without feeling resentful?
Andrea: In order to motivate teachers, we need to make them aware of their own strengths and weaknesses and learning styles. Teachers will then be able to fully understand how their students learn, and be more understanding of their challenges. At workshops I have conducted and attended, I have seen many truly dedicated teachers who really want to do what’s best for their students. We need additional teacher training facilities offering courses in up-to-date teaching methods not only for intellectually challenged children, but also for those with all types of learning disorders.
Sadia: What we actually need is the change in attitude. Given the right treatment, the children can blossom and progress amazingly. I don’t really blame the teachers because in our society, we have never really heard of success stories of teachers who have made a difference. And believe me there are many. In a special school on the other hand the efforts from teachers are a lot of times over-estimated and even a minor progress in the child is applauded hugely. So real improvement and learning may remain marginalized and go undetected. The need is therefore to highlight good practices in mainstreaming so that other teachers can learn through example.
Shahina: Teachers have to be really open minded and accepting. If a teacher understands what a child requires, she has won half the battle. You need to have that attitude and say to yourself that “I will make this child learn and I will make a difference”. With this attitude you’re well on your way to addressing the need. It also depends on how sympathetic the school is to the needs of the children. Normally, schools would just place the burden on the parents and ask them to hunt for sources of additional support because they find the strength of the class to be so much that the class teacher can’t cater to individual learning needs of children.
How can parents identify that their child could have additional support needs as most parents are not aware of learning disabilities, dyslexia, ADHD etc?
Andrea: Well there are a lot of warning signs such as difficulty in paying attention, being easily distracted, over active or under active or difficulties with speaking, reading and writing. Early detection and intervention are essential to a good outcome, so parents who suspect that their child is struggling should talk to their child’s pediatrician or consult a clinical psychologist for evaluation and advice.
Shahina: If there is another child, a mother’s gut feeling is something I go by. The parents should keep a check on whether the child is having problems wearing clothes, or tying shoe laces or having problems related to motor skills. It is very difficult and sometimes impossible to identify any kids of disabilities in a child that is 4 years old or younger. Also, it is difficult for parents to accept and you can’t force them to accept the problems their child is facing. We see many children being identified with learning disabilities but because parents are not ready to accept the problem, no help is sought.
R.E.A.D is becoming a resource centre now. We have teachers coming in from universities and we have the general public coming in. Many a times, parents go to speech therapists and find it difficult to understand the things explained by the experts. At R.E.A.D, parents can just walk in and ask us for information. Our plan now is to organize everything under one roof, speech therapists, teachers, doctors, etc.
Sadia: What happens abroad is that when the child is actually 6-8 months old, you are called to make an appointment with the nurse and the nurse takes you through the check list. If there are any red flags and warning signs further assessments are suggested. In our country developmental checklists do exist but they are rarely advocated. Moreover, there is no central agency in Pakistan who I think is providing information on disabilities to a widespread audience. Many organizations are playing an active role but synergy of efforts is lacking.
What approach should the parents adopt to support their children with additional support needs?
Andrea: Firstly, do everything you can. Become an expert. Search the internet - there is a wealth of information out there. Secondly, advocate for your child and for change in an educational system that only values academics. Thirdly, there is growing evidence that learning disorders including: ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorders and Sensory Processing Disorders may be caused or at least influenced by environmental factors. Try to create a team of specialists (pediatricians, neurologists, psychologists, nutritionists, speech and occupational therapists and physiotherapists, and remedial teachers) who are willing to talk to each other and to you. Specialists need to examine and treat the whole child and share their findings. Finally, don't give up.
Sadia: First off the parents have to accept that their child may require additional support. As per the concept of early intervention, when you have a small child and you observe that there are certain milestones s(he) is not meeting, it is best to approach the experts without delay. It may turn out to be nothing but if there is a problem, seeking help earlier on is the best thing to do. It is also important to support your child all the way through, not thinking the problem as a “punishment for my sins” or “he can never learn” or “he is cursed”. There are parents who actually accept it as fate and send their children to a special school. Do the best you can with your children. It is also important that parents play an active role in the education process of children. Routine meetings will serve the purpose if the child is progressing well. However in instances where the child may have additional needs, parents and teachers have to work together as a team in order to ensure a worthwhile educational experience and ensure learning.
Since it is important for ensuring learning of children that parents interact with the teachers and keep track of their child’s performance, how can one avoid these interactions from turning into a blame game?
Andrea: When I was teaching at the Karachi American School, our principal gave us some valuable guidelines for parent/teacher conferences. The first was to start off the conference by asking parents if they had any concerns about their child. This opened the way for parents to feel comfortable about discussing their child's difficulties. Since their concerns were often similar to those of the teacher, it limited the need for negative comments by the teacher, and often revealed more valuable information about the child than would have been given if parents felt defensive.
Next, teachers always had to say at least one positive thing about the child before beginning to describe difficulties. It is so important to acknowledge the child's progress and achievements and not only talk about weaknesses.
Parents attending conferences with teachers can use a similar approach. They should appreciate at least one thing the teacher has done to help your child or to make your child feel good about him/herself. Secondly, they can ask the teacher to describe any improvements she has noted in your child's performance before she begins her comments. Or follow up the conference with improvements you have observed, in order to end on a positive note.
Sadia: It is important that the attitudes of both parties be positive and the objective of both parents and teachers should be to help the child. The parents have to understand that the teacher only remains with the child for five hours so the parents know the child a lot better than the teachers. There is a lot of stuff the parents can tell the teachers about the child and at the same time the teachers have to realize that the parents are not lying or misrepresenting things. Teachers tend to think that he is not doing well in the class but his parents are saying he is, so there’s a possibility that there’s a problem with the teacher’s approach in getting the child to understand stuff instead of misrepresentations on the part of parents.
Sometimes other psychological problems such as anxiety, self pity and depression coexist with disabilities. How do we help the children cope up with that?
Andrea: We need to learn to interpret the behaviour of children and identify what they are feeling. Moreover many times disabilities and additional support needs in children are considered to be a behavioural problem. Punishment may be used to control behaviour without trying to understand and solve the child’s problems. One should never assume that it’s just a behavioural issue. behaviour is the child’s way of telling you that there is a problem. The behaviour itself is not the problem.
Parents can also help children with challenges by giving them activities where they can excel, like sports, music, and art. Parents shouldn’t keep their children at home just because they have a disability. Only when “typical” children have the opportunity to meet and interact with children with challenges will they learn to accept and appreciate each person’s unique gifts.
Sadia: Parents have to play a pro-active role in this regard. The worst thing that anybody can do is to deny that the problem exists. It will not help anyone and even a young child will know that he is different. So children need unconditional love on one hand, and on the other support and encouragement in coping with the disability they are facing.
Shahina: It is important to have people who will accept the child the way s(he) is and that doesn’t happen here largely due to lack of awareness. The need is for the overall environment to be conducive for all children. This will include not only an open attitude of people but also adaptability in plans, routines and at times even making physical accommodations.
As a parent, what kind of change would you like to see in our society in the next 5 years and what should parents do to achieve that?
Andrea: Education should be the right of every child in Pakistan. When that becomes law, and that law is implemented, the government will have to provide a quality education for children with disabilities too, as is happening now in the West.
Right now, the need is to raise awareness. Even if a few parents initially advocate for the rights of all children, including those who have additional support needs, their efforts will make a difference, change attitudes, and eventually gain more support at government levels.
Sadia: All children should be given equitable treatment and the rights should be demanded so that children with additional support needs are accepted, not with sympathy but with empathy. The schools should change their attitude and they need to realize that education is not just about academics. It’s about the whole experience which includes socializing, building self confidence and shaping a good personality. The key is to not shy away from the reality and focus on positively managing the situation. Parents who themselves restrict their social interactions due to a handicap in the child, are actually doing more harm. The children need to feel that they are as accepted in society as are other children and parents have the most critical part to play in that. This will begin with creating awareness amongst children and adults alike. Central resource centers in the country can facilitate greatly by providing easy access to information related to disabilities for parents, teachers and therapists etc. This is also important because due to limited resources many parents are unable to afford additional support. Also by strengthening the existing teaching staff in schools and organizing effective volunteer programs can help create a facilitative environment for children at all levels. So parents need to collectively advocate for that also.
Shahina: Parents need to get together and form a committee. They should be unified and prove to be a force against the social clubs or a school, if their children are not given the right treatment. Education can change mindsets. Teaching children that we are different and learn differently can subconsciously create an appreciation and acceptability for diversity in our society.
|
Sadia Mumtaz is a corporate lawyer by profession, who is also a parent of a child with a disability. She has geared herself towards promoting inclusive education and the rights of people with additional support needs “because not every child is fortunate enough to be in a family, where people recognize and advocate his/her rights”. She has recently set up ‘Inclusive Society Pakistan’ which promotes the rights of people with special needs, by advocating rights, supporting inclusion etc. She had previously started the ‘Hum Kadam Foundation’ along with a few other people that also promotes inclusive education by providing teachers who accompany children to mainstream schools and provide them additional support in the classroom.
Andrea Khan is a teacher by profession. She uses “physical movements to help children with learning disorders” so within a few months the children go from struggling to effectively managing in school and daily life. “I’ve recently brought in another program that focuses on the vestibular system and helps children with reading problems. Nowadays, we have children who are not physically active, so I’m promoting physical movement a great deal. I also conduct workshops. I’m basically trying to raise awareness about learning disorders. I work with teachers, parents, psychologists and speech therapists etc. – just to make them aware of what the different symptoms are and the ways they really can make a difference.”
Shahina Alvi is the CEO of READ organization that teaches children on a one-to-one basis and also provides resources for teachers. The institute has classes up to O levels. Ms. Alvi is one of the three course leaders for the READ Diploma Course which is a six-month remedial teacher-training program. She conducts workshops on different aspects of learning difficulties encountered by children. Moreover Ms. Alvi carries out screening of children with learning disabilities and provides parents with information about how to follow-up with specialists, if required. She also provides remedial tuition to students in higher grades.