Integrated Education for the Mentally Disabled

Imposing restrictions on children always does more harm than good- it stifles their independence, and most importantly, their growth which is essential to their overall development. Allowing children to flourish in a non restrictive environment is important, children- both normal as well as mentally disabled.

Now you may wonder that amalgamating the variations may create a chaos, disabling the growth of both. However, studies in the field of child development would urge you to think differently.

According to studies in child development and special education, a higher rate of personal as well as academic growth is witnessed in the mentally disabled children if they are subjected to an integrated environment. An environment that considers an average child no different from a physically or mentally challenged one sows fulfilling seeds of growth. With an effective technical assistance and stringent guidelines given to the teachers, the mentally disabled, or even the blind can project wonders despite their shortcomings. In such a scenario, a separate school for mentally disabled gets shoved to the bottom of the rack. Special children respond more not to a special treatment, but to an inherently normal one. All it takes is just sensitization of their requirements.

Similarly, schools for blind children are being rapidly replaced by normal schools. As it turns out, more and more parents are tresspassing the ‘special zone’ and chartering into the ‘normal zone’ for their children. They believe that schools that provide their kids the same opportunities and educational experiences as normal schools help them grow stronger and achieve better.

However, integrated education is not only about placing the children in a regular classroom an expect them to grow on their own accord. They need assistance in form of social support, love and patience. Also, correct help in form of supplying material that are integral to their lifestyle at the right time helps them adopt an easy lifestyle.

Make Your Child Enjoy Happy Shades of Life

It won’t be wrong to say that a child play can play 24*7, without complaining about anything, but if it’s a child with special needs, there have to be several considerations so that a child do not have to suffer in any which way. It’s a no stone carved rule that the child won’t find games interesting, of course they will. But there has to be sincere considerations, based on the same.  Having least said, let’s take a sneak peak in different activities that would enable you in determining apt and interesting activity for your tiny

• On a foremost note, it has to be ensured that you choose such an activity for the child that it does not become an annoying matter for the child.  If at any point of time, game becomes annoying, child would end up losing his interest altogether.

• It’s been observed in special school that majority of children with autism have a tendency to have a crystal clear view on what all what they like and what they do not prefer. Thus, it is advised that no matter where you are, do not force your child to play games, they will voluntarily tell you what all they like. If they do not, then only take an initiative to head-on.

• Do not discourage your child in any way thinking that he might not be able to perform a certain task, says an expert of a special education school. Indeed, as a parent, you should keep pumping up your child so he is motivated to set new benchmarks for himself.

• Do make your child enjoy rainbow colors in his life. There’s no point in making them feel alienated in any way, which I am sure is the last thing that a guardian would wish for.  Thus, make your angel enjoy every aspect of life in the best way possible.

Special Educators Must be Available To Every Needy

The story of the young girl from Kerala, Sophie Joe, raised quite a stir as she represented India at the Miss World deaf and dumb. It cuts out a picture of dedication, resolve and above all how special education can work wonders.

Schools for mentally disabled have been a great tool in making the lives of thousands of affected children make their way up. India has lakhs of such children who are faced with one or other disability, and there is grave need for professional specialists.

In Sophie’s case, she was blessed to have her family come together united. They stood by her to see her through from obstacle to other. But a large part of that success comes from the efforts put in by those who educated her. It was the confidence she drew out of her ability to feel at par with the world that made her aim and achieve bigger things in life.

This is where special education I feel has key role to play in shaping up things of thousands of needy children.  Like Sophie, who got her education partly home-tutored and partly through special tutors at a nearby school for autism, there are millions in need of the same.

But given our prevailing infrastructure, it calls for picking up the slack on investments and how they are invested for optimized infrastructural growth. Perhaps even more than that, we need the society to develop a fabric of compassion and responsibility.

There are hundreds of thousands of qualified teachers in the country serving the mainstream. Special education stream however is in dying need of trained faculty. Its time those with a flair for the profession of teaching go a notch above and get themselves in a position where they can leverage lives of a million special children. That would be a great platform for India to make a mark in this world.