The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Need to address problems in mainstreaming special children

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Wednesday, Dec 22, 2010
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Need to address problems in mainstreaming special children

Vasudha Venugopal

Mainstreaming is necessary as it will bring about behavioural changes helping them socialise better
“Children should be facilitated to work together, rather than taught to be sympathetic to some”

CHENNAI: Despite a slight difficulty in retaining information, and coordinating eye-hand movements, 10-year-old Megha (name changed) performed better than her classmates in the special school she studied. Four years ago, her parents shifted her to a mainstream school, hoping she would adjust herself to an inclusive environment. Things did not work out as desired, and Megha is back in her previous school, only that she is nowhere close to how receptive she was before.

Experts point out that since mental disability is multi-dimensional, including autism, cerebral palsy and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, the children need tailor-made programmes that involve learning through concrete objects, pictures and conceptualisation.

At the same time, mainstreaming is also necessary as it will bring about behavioural changes helping them socialise better.

But mainstream schools ill-equipped with required infrastructure and lack of special educators have left parents of special children with little choice.

“Parents are sensitive to children's needs, but are often misled by others. High performing children in special schools, when admitted to mainstream schools, often fare poorly,'' says special educator Priya .R.

The Errorless Discrimination Learning, based on concepts with an individualised programme plan for every child is effective only when there is at least one teacher per five students, she says. “Special children who are put into mainstream schools may count till 1,000, but won't be able to understand if you ask them to turn to page two of a book,” she adds.

Mainstreaming has to begin somewhere, but schools have to provide additional reinforcement, says John Rajakumar, father of a child with mental disability, special educator and secretary of Maithree, an association formed by parents of special children.

Difficult to accept

Children in lower classes often find it difficult to accept such older children as their classmates, he says. Children should be facilitated to work together, rather than taught to be sympathetic to some, he adds.

Many mainstream schools say that while it is easy to accommodate children with hearing or vision impairment, and even physical disability, addressing the needs of special children is more of a responsibility. “We realise we might not do justice to such children, so we normally don't admit them,'' says Manohar G.J., headmaster, Madras Christian College Higher Secondary School. “When such cases are identified, we counsel the parents and ask them to go for additional therapy or coaching to aid the children,'' he adds.

However, Ms. Priya says that the approach does not work because understanding the exclusive needs of such children is very important.

Since many of these children do not put on age-appropriate behaviour, teachers get impatient with them, she says. And since these children mostly learn through ‘role modelling', they get left behind in mainstream schools where multi-tasking and rote-learning is required, she adds.

These problems can be addressed if special schools and mainstream schools work hand in hand where in resource persons from special schools can aid teachers in knowing what to expect out of the child, says Dipti Bhatia, deputy director, Vidya Sagar.

“Besides orienting teachers, and sensitising them, children should be provided adaptive material and assistive devices,” she adds.

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