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Inclusive education no quick solution to issues special needs children face

I refer to the article “For special needs children, pre-school is not a given” (Feb 7). Many of these providers turn away such children because their teachers wisely avoid taking on responsibilities beyond their capabilities.

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Dino Trakakis, Founder, Autism Recovery Network

I refer to the article “For special needs children, pre-school is not a given” (Feb 7). Many of these providers turn away such children because their teachers wisely avoid taking on responsibilities beyond their capabilities.

Quick fixes would not solve the problem. The Government should take a closer look at how to improve these capabilities before applying pressure on mainstream educational providers to accept special needs children.

Firstly, teachers must be trained appropriately to handle the different types of special needs children their school is planning to accept.

Secondly, class size should be set smaller. Teachers who are too busy handling many children would be unable or unwilling to spend extra time to focus on those with special needs.

Thirdly, the mindset of parents and educators must change. Schools are not a place for parents to find relief from childcare duties. Teachers are not babysitters but third parents who impart life skills, moral values and academic knowledge to these special needs children. Parents and educators should think carefully about the quality and focus, rather than quantity and breadth, of education.

Lastly, parents should temper their expectations of what mainstreaming and inclusive education can do. Teachers and typical classmates are not substitutes for professional therapists. This is especially true for parents who think exposing children with autism to typical peers in a mainstream environment would somehow cause the former to pick up social skills from the latter.

Mainstream schoolteachers may already have their hands full with typical students. If the autistic child is then left alone, the other children may not understand the situation and accept him into their social circle.

This leaves him vulnerable to ostracism and bullying, distracting him from his studies. Without an understanding teacher engaging him actively in his studies, he is likely to underperform academically.

Parents of children with autism are advised to send them to a service provider that is using a scientifically proven therapy, such as Applied Behavioural Analysis. Ideally, the child should spend three hours a day undergoing intensive therapy.

The therapist should then coordinate the school and home environments with the child’s teacher and parents to reinforce what is learnt during therapy. Parents, teachers and therapists must work together to do their jobs effectively.

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